A pretty picture of the auto sector

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) teamed up with both professional and student photographers to put together a gallery of images to challenge existing perceptions of the industry with a range of modern photographic pictures that depict the full scope and scale of the sector and portray the advanced technologies and skills within it. The resulting pictures create an iconic series of images that depict the industry in all its forms, says SMMT. SMMT chief executive, Paul Everitt said: "From design and development, to manufacture and retail across components, cars, buses and commercial vehicles, the UK has one of the world's most diverse automotive sectors. These unique images give an up-to-date view of the work and people involved in one of the UK's most important industries. The UK motor industry is at the cutting edge of new technology, high value manufacturing and the fast developing low carbon economy. It offers exciting career opportunities and will play a major role in helping to rebalance the UK economy and deliver private sector jobs and prosperity across the country." The picture shown here (by photographer Steve Johnson) shows inside the Optare Leeds production plant; the company's principle manufacturing site at which all of its integral range of buses are produced. It occupies an eight acre site at Crossgates to the east of Leeds and has been a bus manufacturing site since1920. It was the site at which Optare was established 25 years ago this year.