Since the LRX Concept car was revealed in Detroit in 2008, there's been a huge buzz around Range Rover's highly anticipated coupé--culminating in a launch at the start of July, 2010.

Previously only known by the concept working name 'LRX', the new Evoque was revealed to the world at an exclusive 40th anniversary celebration in London's Kensington Palace.

True to the original vision and philosophies behind the LRX concept, the all-new Evoque is the smallest, lightest and most efficient Range Rover ever produced. 

And continuing with Range Rover's commitment to the environment and sustainability, the new Evoque is capable of a stunning 130g/km of CO₂ emmisions, an amazing figure for any vehicle, let alone one carrying the Range Rover marque.

With it's bold lines and typical Range Rover styling, the Evoque marks the beginning of a new era for larger four-wheel-drive vehicles.

Gerry McGovern, Land Rover design director says:

"It [the Evoque] marks a bold evolution of Range Rover design, providing customers with a desirable, premium and coupé like SUV. In 2008 we introduced the LRX concept car: after a positive reception worldwide, the natural step for the business was to turn the concept into reality."

The new Range Rover Evoque (image courtesy of Range Rover)

Varying only slightly from the original design, the new highly detailed three-door and five-door models received a great reception at the July 1st unveilling, with stars such as Victoria Beckham (who is consulting on the so-far highly secretive interior design of the Evoque) in attendance. The show was celebrating 40 years of Range Rover, and was the perfect occasion.

Not only will the Evoque be kind to the environment, but it will also create 1,000 new jobs at the Halewood on Merseyside plant,

Although the public debut isn't until September 30th at the Paris Motor Show, we at Shukers anticipate a huge amount of enquiry before the vehicle appears in showrooms in Summer 2011.

And of course, Shukers will be on the frontline bringing you the latest news and information about this amazing new 'baby' of the family.

Are you interested?

The new Evoque won't be available until Summer next year, but to register your interest and stay up to date with developments, call the Ludlow or Shrewsbury sales team on 01584 877231 or 01743 450045 respectively.

Shukers.com at Bayston Hill, now open for used, non-franchise cars

Good day to you all... it seems like only days since I was writing the last newsletter for you, and here we are again with plenty to talk about!

My names' Shukerz, and I'm the resident cat at the Shukerz dealerships, and over the last month I've had somewhere new to exercise my paws: The new Bayston Hill used car centre.

I was a little confuddled by the whole 'shukers.com' thing at first, but Mr Hogg, the Managing Director, has given me a bit of insight...

Vernon Hogg

"With our huge experience and facilities in the car industry, we're now proud to present a sister company... 'Shukers.com', a diversion from our Land Rover dealerships which is a standalone branch based in Bayston Hill. There we concentrate on prestigious and sports cars, with a great selection of used vehicles always in stock.

"Our vision is to have a fusion of traditional forecourt sales blended with a very exciting new online project which we're developing.

Bayston Hill

"And the quality of the vehicles here is outstanding, which has been evident in the interest and sales exceeding our expections."

So... there you have it. Shukers is Land Rover Sales and Shukers.com is used 'prestige and sports' vehicles. 

The Bayston Hill dealership is being managed by Andrew Hamilton-Gray, who is no stranger to the motor industry either, with experience with a Ferrari main dealer, and I must say, their showroom is extremely friendly and cosy, and the cars are absolutely pristine, and you know how us cats love cleanliness.

If you're thinking of a non-Land Rover as a second car, or you know anyone who is looking for a good-quality used vehicle, I'd suggest you take a look... 

Full details are on our website (click here), or you can call the Bayston Hill dealership directly on 01743 873900.

Adrian Lenc, Corporate Sales Manager at Shukers, Shrewsbury, and his epic 'slog'

Adrian Lenc

The 'Solent Slog'--a testing endurance race for catamarans and fast dinghies--took place on June 5th, with Adrian piloting a 20ft long Nacra F20 catamaran for 'Team Shukers' alongside his team-mate Simon Flack. 

Well done, Adrian! Click here to read all about it...

Thank Heavens for little girls... 

In July, we joined Shrewsbury dealerships' Paul Heavens in welcoming his daughter Bethany Florence Heavens into the world...

Weighing in at a healthy 7lb 5oz, Bethany was born just after mid-day on July 14th, 2010. Congratulations to Paul, Suzanne, and of course, Bethany. 

Gossip and whisperings from Shrewsbury...

It's been a really busy couple of months here at Shukers Shrewsbury.

I've been literally spoiled for choice with where to spend the long, lazy summer days, and with the addition of the new non-franchise used cars showroom in Bayston Hill, I've now got three places to explore--and lots more opportunities to let my feline curiosity sniff out the latest news and gossip for you.

Firstly, there's a new face on the team--Oliver Sharman (pictured top right), who's taken a complete change of career to join Shukers... Oliver will be balancing his time between the Shrewsbury Land Rover dealership and the new Bayston Hill non-franchise used cars showroom. With his roots firmly set in business, Oliver will--I'm sure--make an excellent addition to the team.  Click here to find out more about Oliver.

As I hope you've read above, the new venture at Bayston Hill is going really well... and Andrew has asked me to let you all know that him and the team are looking to buy good quality used vehicles.

Give him a call on 01743 873900 or click the button to the right if you're interested... Andrews' set up an online appraisal form to get you started with your vehicle valuation, so what are you waiting for?

I've also heard that Simon Mantell and Dave Greenan have 'swapped dealerships'. Their job roles are the same as ever (they're both service advisors), but Simon is now at Ludlow, Dave is at Shrewsbury.

I'm also more than a little excited about the refurbishment at Shrewsbury, which I'm led to believe is imminent. Lots of change on the cards, with a completely revamped showroom and a much better system in place for dealing with vehicle handovers outside.

You can read all about the new dealership plans by clicking here. 

When I took a trip to Ludlow this month...

As I mentioned earlier, Simon Mantell and Dave Greenan have 'swapped dealerships', and Simon is now at Ludlow. 

Plus, there's a new aftersales manager in Ludlow, Phil Jones, (left). 

Phil is a long standing Member of The Institute of the Motor Industry, and he brings considerable experience and knowledge following 19 years in a management role within a Land Rover Dealership, firstly as Parts Manager followed by a General Manager role for 10 of those years. Phil is a firm believer in developing lasting customer relationships through delivering exceptional service and will strive to develop further the already high levels of Customer Service offered by Shukers. He is keen to discuss your requirements and ensure that you enjoy an outstanding ownership experience.

I must say, I'm not a great fan of exercise... I much prefer curling up in a warm corner for a catnap. But someone who certainly 'goes the extra mile' is Dave Greenan (right) who I mentioned earlier. Not only has he done a 'runner' from the Ludlow dealership to join the Shrewsbury team, he's also been running for charity, raising an amazing £1200 for Help for Heroes and Rides for Health (read the article, click here).

As if that wasn't enough, he's doing it all again later in the year at 'The England Event'—held in Nottingham on October 9th. Although this one isn't for charity, Dave will be giving 110% on this 12km course, with 10 obstacles to negotiate en-route, including an 8ft wall and a lake crossing!

Now there's some photographs I just can't wait to put into the newsletter! Take your camera, Dave!

Fore! (or should that be 'four'?)

Four Shukers employees, all members of the Ludlow Golf Club, picked up top prize at the Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire golf day at Worfield Golf Club.

Phil Norton, Nick Apperley, Rob Fish and Will Norton (pictured right) took the trophy on their first appearance in the competition.

A fantastic result for the lads... read all about it by clicking here.

We have a winner...

Congratulations to newsletter reader and Shukers customer Ian Thorley who took part in last issue's 'Lights Competition', answering all questions correctly. There's another competition this month with £50 of accessory vouchers up for grabs... 

That's all folks...

That's just about it for this issue... I'm already excited about writing the next newsletter so keep an eye on your email inbox! Maybe I'll even see you soon! 

Regards, Shukerz the Cat.