Resurgent British car makers are bullish about the future, according to Peter Carroll, reporting from the Geneva Motor Show:

Britain may not have recovered fully from the worst recession in living memory – but its car makers have bounced back in tremendous style and are looking to capitalise on burgeoning demand for new vehicles in emerging markets like China, India and Russia.

Leading the way is West Midlands-based Jaguar Land Rover, which is about to embark on its most ambitious product offensive ever, with no fewer than 40 new models planned over the next five years.

Bosses from each arm of the firm outlined their bold plans in bullish fashion at JLR’s packed stand at the Geneva Motor Show, which was compered in style by popular athlete and Jaguar brand ambassador Colin Jackson.

While details of the new models are being kept firmly under wraps for now, JLR bosses did pledge that their arrival would create 1,000 new jobs within the company.

This is in addition to the 1,500 workers they are recruiting for their Halewood plant on Merseyside and on top of the near 14,000 existing staff employed at JLR’s five West Midland plants in Solihull, Castle Bromwich, Gaydon, Whitley and Coventry.

Land Rover’s global brand director John Edwards said the firm aimed to continue launching stylish, efficient and technologically-advanced vehicles like the stunning Range Rover Evoque.

The eagerly-awaited car will not arrive in showrooms until the summer but has already won the best production car title in this year’s Car Design of the Year awards. Such has been the interest in the Evoque that Mr Edwards predicted it would become the firm’s best seller.

He told showgoers: “We are a business with momentum and ambition. These are exciting times for Land Rover.”

Jaguar, meanwhile, will also get new models and a smaller, more fuel-efficient four-cylinder diesel engine for the XF range.

Jaguar’s global brand director Adrian Hallmark unveiled the fastest production Big Cat ever in the form of the 186mph XKR-S, and added that the new products in the pipeline would help the firm “realise its full potential” in the coming years.

Not to be outdone, Ford announced it would be launching 20 new models over the next three years. These include the unusually-styled new small people carrier, the B-Max, which has twin sliding doors and no obvious exterior door handles. The car is powered by a one-litre engine which should provide attractively low running costs.

The B-Max looks sure to be a hit but even it could not match the panache of Volkswagen’s ultra-cool people carrier concept. The Bulli brings the retro looks of VW’s iconic camper van to a vehicle the size of a Polo and surely marks the most commercially viable realisation yet of the Microbus concept.

There was also plenty of interest in the stands of Midlands-based Mini and Morgan. The former showcased the cleverly-executed Rocketman concept, while the Malvern firm’s fighter plane-inspired 3 Wheeler created a real stir.

Also unveiled at the show were new SUV concepts from Renault, Hyundai and SEAT, which will be keen to launch a production version of its sporty-looking IBX if it is to fulfil its ambitious UK sales target of 60,000 sales a year set by European president James Muir.

There were plenty of small eco-cars on show including an interesting four-seater urban city car concept called the Pixel from JLR’s owners Tata. The car has vertically lifting doors which take the strain out of getting in and out of the back. The car also makes light work of turning in tight spaces thanks to the ability of its front wheels to turn fully 90 degrees.

Of course, this being a motor show, there was plenty of supercar glamour, with Lamborghini’s Aventador LP 700-4, Ferrari’s FF, Gumpert’s Tornante and Koenigsegg’s Agera S among the highlights. A little lower down the automotive food chain, but still interesting, were sports models including the Infinity Etherea, Alfa 4C, Audi A3 and Toyota FT 86 II, which, frustratingly, remains a concept at this stage.

Last but not least, Goodyear Dunlop confirmed it would be bringing back its famous ‘blimps’ in the coming year to promote a road safety message.

And hopefully shift some tyres no doubt. . .