'Green' car manufacturer creates 250 jobs

Around 250 new jobs are to be created by a company making emission-free luxury cars, it was announced today.

Liberty Electric Cars, based in Oxford, said it already had orders for a new high-performance electric vehicle.

The first cars will be Range Rovers costing between £95,000 and £125,000 and the company has ambitious plans to build tens of thousands of cars every year by 2012.

The company is looking for a manufacturing base in the south-west of England.

Chief Executive Barry Shrier said: "The Liberty Electric Range Rover takes electric vehicle technology into a new sector, to large luxury cars that people aspire to drive, particularly in cities and urban environments where environmental controls are becoming increasingly tighter.

"The Liberty Electric Range Rover will drive cleanly and quietly around roads and cities, free of congestion and parking charges, making less environmental impact than even the smallest most fuel-efficient car yet offering the comfort and security of a luxury 4 x 4."