On May 8 the four millionth Land Rover rolled out of the Solihull factory, 59 years after production began.

The factory has produced an average of 700 vehicles per day since production of its three millionth vehicle in 2001, and exports 78% of its production to 147 countries worldwide. A wider range of models, now totalling five, helped sales top 200,000 units for the first time last year, doubling the figure for 1995.

Land Rover is also looking to reverse the negative “gas guzzler” image attached to 4x4s, and has invested heavily in developing its diesel engines for better economy and emissions. An estimated 95% of its UK sales are diesels, and the average fuel consumption of its 2007 range is 32mpg while the current Freelander returns 38mpg.

Efforts are also being made to reduce carbon footprint of its vehicles, and the carmaker has developed a carbon programme capable of offsetting the emissions from its UK manufacturing facilities and the first 45,000 miles of its vehicles.