Launch for Westfield's self-drive sports car

The Westfield GTM is being made by Kingswinford's Westfield Sports Cars.

Westfield, which has been making open-top kit and factory-built cars since 1982 at its base on Gibbons Industrial Estate, has already launched a driverless Westfield POD which is in use at Heathrow Airport.

The new vehicle is being unveiled at iCentrum, Birmingham, during the launch of Midlands Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Cluster.

Over the past two years Westfield Technology Group, under the direction of chief executive Julian Turner, has been quietly, but radically, changing the way we travel.

“Building on our experience with the Westfield POD we’ve been able to radically innovate, once more, to produce a British first by developing a sports car that can be driven in both manual mode, or in fully autonomous mode," said Mr Turner.

The autonomous system is due to be on the road within the next two years in trials, taking passengers along the A6 from Stockport train station to Manchester Airport.

"It’s a world first as the GTM will be platooning in groups of up to three vehicles at speeds of up to 70mph at just one metre apart, whilst saving up to 90 per cent vehicle energy on a typical journey," added Mr Turner

Westfield claims that collision avoidance technology will ultimately enable GTMs to travel anywhere at any time, night or day, in all reasonable weather conditions - without the need for any predetermined routes.

The POD, Westfield’s first fully autonomous vehicle, was one of the first to hit the commercial market worldwide and has transported more than 3.5 million passengers around the airport since it was launched just two years ago. It is also in use at the O2 Arena, Greenwich, and at Bristol University and will soon be coming to Birmingham city centre as well.

Mr Turner said the new open-top car, available in petrol, hybrid and electric versions from next year, would be sold to 'pay as you go' operators. People would be able to lease one for a single journey and it would then go on to its next customer.

The Westfield GTM is to be tested on private roads in Kingswinford and in controlled circumstances on public highways, subject to agreement from the authorities

Family-run Westfield has built more than 12,000 cars since 1983 and currently produces more than 400 a year. It employs a team of 43 skilled engineers and craftsmen.

The Midlands Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Cluster has been set up to mark the region’s strides forward with driverless, sensor and artificial intelligence technologies.

Beverley Nielsen, who is chairing the launch event, said: “I’m so impressed by Birmingham and the West Midlands position leading this developing sector which will shortly have such a radical impact on the way we live.

“I’m hearing from those involved that the barriers to progress with these projects is not so much the technologies involved – the engineers are telling me these are well advanced in development terms and pretty much ready to go – but in the legalities, in the health and safety trialling and testing, and in the political will to see this happen.”