Automotive industry in the United Kingdom

The automotive industry in the United Kingdom is now best known for premium and sports car marques including Aston Martin, Bentley, Caterham Cars, Daimler, Jaguar, Lagonda, Land Rover, Lister Cars, Lotus, McLaren, MG, Mini, Morgan and Rolls-Royce. Volume car manufacturers with a major presence in the UK include Honda, Nissan, Toyota and Vauxhall Motors (subsidiary of Adam Opel AG, subsidiary of the French automotive company Groupe PSA). [1] Commercial vehicle manufacturers active in the UK include Alexander Dennis, Ford, GMM Luton (wielded by Adam Opel AG), Leyland Trucks (wielded by Paccar) and London Taxis International (wielded by Geely). [1]

In two thousand eight the UK automotive manufacturing sector had a turnover of £52.Five billion, generated £26.6 billion of exports and produced around 1.45 million passenger vehicles and 203,000 commercial vehicles. [1] In that year around 180,000 people were directly employed in automotive manufacturing in the UK, with a further 640,000 people employed in automotive supply, retail and servicing. [1] This declined to 147,000 including supply industry in two thousand fourteen (-18%) [Two] The UK is a major centre for engine manufacturing and in two thousand eight around Three.16 million engines were produced in the country. [1] The UK has a significant presence in auto racing and the UK motorsport industry presently employs around 38,500 people, comprises around Four,500 companies and has an annual turnover of around £6 billion. [Three]

The origins of the UK automotive industry date back to the final years of the 19th century. By the 1950s the UK was the second-largest manufacturer of cars in the world (after the United States) and the largest exporter. [Four] However, in subsequent decades the industry experienced considerably lower growth than competitor nations such as France, Germany and Japan and by two thousand eight the UK was the 12th-largest producer of cars measured by volume. [Four] Since the early 1990s many British car marques have been acquired by foreign companies including BMW (Mini and Rolls-Royce), SAIC (MG), TATA (Jaguar and Land Rover) and Volkswagen Group (Bentley). Rights to many presently dormant marques, including Austin, Riley, Rover and Triumph, are also possessed by foreign companies.

Contents

1896 to one thousand nine hundred Edit

The inception of the British motor industry can be traced back to the late 1880s, when Frederick Simms, a London-based consulting engineer, became friends with Gottlieb Daimler, who had, in 1885, patented a successful design for a high-speed petrol engine. Simms acquired the British rights to Daimler’s engine and associated patents and from one thousand eight hundred ninety one successfully sold launches using these Cannstatt-made motors from Eel Pie Island in the Thames. In one thousand eight hundred ninety three he formed The Daimler Motor Syndicate Limited for his various Daimler-related enterprises. [11]

In June one thousand eight hundred ninety five Simms and his friend Evelyn Ellis promoted motorcars in the United Kingdom by bringing a Daimler-engined Panhard & Levassor to England and in July it finished, without police intervention, the very first British long-distance motorcar journey from Southampton to Malvern. [11]

Simms’ documented plans to manufacture Daimler motors and Daimler Motor Carriages (in Cheltenham) were taken over, together with his company and its Daimler licences, by London company-promoter H J Lawson. Lawson contracted to buy The Daimler Motor Syndicate Limited and all its rights and on fourteen January one thousand eight hundred ninety six formed and in February successfully floated in London The Daimler Motor Company Limited. It then purchased from a friend of Lawson a disused cotton mill in Coventry for car engine and chassis manufacture where, it is claimed, the UK’s very first serial production car was made. [11]

The claim for the very first all-British motor car is contested, but George Lanchester’s very first cars of one thousand eight hundred ninety five and one thousand eight hundred ninety six did include French and German components. In one thousand eight hundred ninety one Richard Stephens, a mining engineer from South Wales, returned from a commission in Michigan to establish a bicycle works in Clevedon, Somerset. Whilst in America he had seen the developments in motive power and by one thousand eight hundred ninety seven he had produced his very first car. This was entirely of his own design and manufacture, including the two-cylinder engine, apart from the wheels which he bought from Starley in Coventry. This was most likely the very first all-British car and Stephens set up a production line, manufacturing in all, twelve vehicles, including four- and six-seater cars and hackneys, and nine-seater buses. [12]

Early motor vehicle development in the UK had been effectively stopped by a series of Locomotive Acts introduced during the 19th century which severely restricted the use of mechanically propelled vehicles on the public highways. Following intense advocacy by motor vehicle enthusiasts, including Harry J. Lawson of Daimler, the worst confinements of these acts, (the need for each vehicle to be accompanied by a team of three, and a two mph (Three.Two km/h) speed limit in towns), was lifted by the Locomotives on Highways Act 1896. [13] Under this regulation, light locomotives (those vehicles under three tons unladen weight) were exempt from the previous limitations, and a higher speed limit – fourteen mph (23 km/h) was set for them. To feast the fresh freedoms Lawson organised the Emancipation Run held on fourteen November 1896, the day the fresh Act came into force. This occasion has been commemorated since one thousand nine hundred twenty seven by the annual London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. [14]

1900 to one thousand nine hundred thirty nine Edit

The early British vehicles of the late 19th century relied mainly upon developments from Germany and France. By one thousand nine hundred however, the very first all-British 4-wheel car had been designed and built by Herbert Austin as manager of The Wolseley Sheep Shearing Machine Company. In 1901, backed by (Vickers Limited) brothers ‘Colonel Tom’ and Albert Vickers, Austin embarked what became Wolseley Motors Limited in Birmingham and UK’s largest car manufacturer until Ford in 1913. [15]

The fine bulk of the pioneering car producers, many of them from the bicycle industry, got off to a shaky embark. Of the two hundred British makes of car that had been launched up until 1913, only about one hundred of the firms were still in existence. In one thousand nine hundred ten UK vehicle production was 14,000 units. By one thousand nine hundred thirteen Henry Ford had built a fresh factory in Manchester and was the leading UK producer, building seven thousand three hundred ten cars that year, followed by Wolseley at 3000, Humber (making cars since one thousand eight hundred ninety eight in Coventry) at 2500, Rover (Coventry car maker since 1904) at one thousand eight hundred and Sunbeam (producing cars since 1901) at 1700, with the plethora of smaller producers bringing the one thousand nine hundred thirteen total up to about 16,000 vehicles. [16] Car production virtually came to an end during the war years 1914–1918, albeit the requirements of war production led to the development of fresh mass-production technics in the motor industry.

By one thousand nine hundred twenty two there were one hundred eighty three motor companies in the UK, and by 1929, following the slump years, there were fifty eight companies remaining. [17] In one thousand nine hundred twenty nine production was predominated by Morris (founded by William Morris in one thousand nine hundred ten in Oxford) and Austin (founded by Herbert Austin in Birmingham in one thousand nine hundred five after he left Wolseley) which inbetween them produced around 60% of total UK output. Singer (Coventry motorcycle manufacturer began building cars in 1905) followed in third place that year with 15% of production. [16]

In one thousand nine hundred thirty two the UK overtook France to become Europe’s largest car producer (a position which it retained until 1955). In one thousand nine hundred thirty seven the UK produced 379,310 passenger cars and 113,946 commercial vehicles. [Legal] To feast the granting of his peerage, William Morris upon becoming Viscount Nuffield, reorganised his motor vehicle companies in 1938, which by then included not only Morris Motors and MG, but also Wolseley and Riley (bicycle company founded in Coventry in one thousand eight hundred ninety and making cars since 1913), into the Nuffield Organisation. In one thousand nine hundred thirty nine the top producers were Morris: 27%, Austin: 24%, Ford: 15%, Standard (founded in Coventry in 1903): 13%, Rootes (which had acquired Humber and Sunbeam): 11%, Vauxhall (building cars since 1903, acquired by GM in 1925): 10%. [16]

1939 to one thousand nine hundred fifty five Edit

During the 2nd World War car production in the UK gave way to commercial and military vehicle production, and many motor vehicle plants were converted to aircraft and aero engine production. Following the war the government managed the supply of steel, and priority was given to supplying foreign-revenue-raising export businesses. In one thousand nine hundred forty seven steel was available only to businesses which exported at least 75% of their production. This, coupled with the inevitably limited competition from continental Europe, and with request for fresh vehicles in America and in Australia being greater than the American industry alone could supply, resulted in British vehicle exports reaching record levels and the UK became the world’s largest motor vehicle exporter. In one thousand nine hundred thirty seven the UK provided 15% of world vehicle exports. By 1950, a year in which 75% of British car production and 60% of its commercial vehicle production was exported, the UK provided 52% of the world’s exported vehicles.

This situation remained until the mid-1950s, by which time the American industry production had caught up with American request, and European production was recovering. By one thousand nine hundred fifty two the American wielded producers in the UK (Ford and GM’s Vauxhall) had inbetween them a 29% share of the British market, which exceeded the share of either of the UK’s two top domestically wielded manufacturers. It was in that context that Viscount Nuffield agreed to the merger of his company, the Nuffield Organisation, with Austin, to form the British Motor Corporation (BMC). Thus BMC, comprising Austin, Morris, MG, Riley and Wolseley was formed in one thousand nine hundred fifty two and commanded a 40% share of the British market. [15] German production was enlargening yearly, and by one thousand nine hundred fifty three it had exceeded that of France, and by one thousand nine hundred fifty six it had overtaken that of the UK. [15]

1955 to one thousand nine hundred sixty eight Edit

By one thousand nine hundred fifty five five companies produced 90% of the UK’s motor vehicle output: BMC, Ford, Rootes, Standard-Triumph and Vauxhall. Of the dozen or so smaller producers Rover and Jaguar were strong niche producers. By one thousand nine hundred sixty the UK had dropped from being the world’s 2nd largest motor vehicle producer into third place. Labour-intensive methods, and broad model ranges hindered opportunities to reduce manufacturing costs – the UK’s unit costs were higher than those of their major Japanese, European and American competitors. [Nineteen] Albeit rationalisation of motor vehicle companies had began, utter integration did not occur. BMC continued to produce vehicles under the marque names of its incorporated companies, many of which competed with each other. [20] Standard-Triumph’s attempts to reduce costs by embracing a modern volume production strategy almost led to their bankruptcy in 1960, the result was that they were purchased by the commercial vehicle manufacturing company Leyland Motors. In 1966, BMC and Jaguar came together, to form British Motor Holdings (BMH). Leyland had achieved some sales success with Leyland-Triumph and in one thousand nine hundred sixty seven it acquired Rover. By one thousand nine hundred sixty six the UK had slipped to become the world’s fourth largest motor vehicle producer. Following a gradual process which had begun in 1964, Chrysler UK (CUK) had fully acquired Rootes by 1967.

In the context of BMC’s broad, sophisticated, and expensive-to-produce model range, Ford’s conventionally designed Cortina challenging for the number one spot in the domestic market, and the strong reliance of the British economy on motor vehicle production, in one thousand nine hundred sixty eight the Government brokered the merger of the successful Leyland-Triumph-Rover and the fighting BMH, to form Europe’s fourth-largest car maker, the British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC). The fresh company announced its intention to invest in a fresh volume car range, and to equip its factories with the latest capital-intensive production methods. [Nineteen]

BMC’s Mini, designed by Alec Issigonis, had revolutionized the puny car market in 1959, and the car remained among the UK’s best selling cars for more than twenty years after its launch, the last version eventually rolling off the production line on four October two thousand after a run of forty one years. The Rootes Group launched the similar-sized Hillman Imp four years later, but by the end of the 1960s Ford and Vauxhall had yet to launch a comparable product, and even with foreign imports leisurely embarking to build up ground on the British market, Italy’s Fiat five hundred was one of the few comparable alternatives to the virtual monopoly of the Mini and Hillman Imp in this sector of the market.

Also designed by Alec Issigonis was the Morris Minor, which was strongly updated in one thousand nine hundred fifty six having originally gone into production in 1948. It earned a reputation for low running costs, good reliability and competitive pricing, and continued to sell well via the 1960s in spite of the popularity of BMC’s 1100/1300 range which was launched in 1962, The Morris Minor was also the very first British car to reach one million in production in one thousand nine hundred sixty one with this record number reached a special model of the Morris Minor was created and sent to all of the main dealerships under the name “Morris Million”.

Ford’s competitor in this sector was the Anglia, which featured unconventional styling but was still one of the country’s most successful cars from its launch in one thousand nine hundred fifty nine up to the end of production in 1967, after which it was substituted by the Escort. Other British competitors in this sector were the Vauxhall Viva and Hillman Minx.

Larger family cars loved strong sales in the 1960s, namely the Ford Cortina (launched in 1962), Austin/Morris one thousand eight hundred (1964) and Vauxhall Victor (1957). Later in the 1960s, the Rootes Group launched a fresh competitor in this growing sector of the market – the Hillman Hunter.

The Rover P6, launched in one thousand nine hundred sixty three and the very first winner of the European Car of the Year award, was arguably the most popular luxury model in the UK during the 1960s.

The iconic Jaguar E-Type sports car, designed by Malcolm Sayer, with a top speed of one hundred forty five mph and the choice of a coupe or roadster bodystyle, was launched in one thousand nine hundred sixty one and would remain in production until 1975. Cheaper sports cars also liked strong sales during the 1960s, including the MG B and Triumph Spitfire which were launched in the early part of the decade, and the Ford Capri which was launched just before the decade’s end.

The 1960s spotted a slow but sure increase in the popularity of foreign cars on the British market. Volkswagen of West Germany had imported the iconic Beetle to Britain since 1953; this car was very first launched in one thousand nine hundred thirty seven as a “people’s car” for the German market under the Nazi regime. Its arrival on the UK market less than a decade after the end of World War II was met with hostility, with many examples being vandalised soon after being distributed, but it quickly became popular, with almost Ten,000 being sold in 1959. Volkswagen also began importing examples of its people carrier and van models, and by one thousand nine hundred sixty three had sold 100,000 cars in Britain. [21] Renault of France had actually built UK market versions of its cars at a site in Acton, West London, from one thousand nine hundred two until 1962, but its popularity actually enhanced after the end of UK production, helped by the arrival of the Renault four minicar in one thousand nine hundred sixty one and the world’s very first production hatchback model, the Renault 16, in 1965. By the end of the decade, it had launched a smaller hatchback model, the Renault 6, and a mid-range saloon, the Renault 12, and was continuing to grow in popularity. [22] Renault’s French rival Peugeot also loved success in the 1960s with its four hundred four saloon and even more so with its successor, the 504, which was launched in 1968. [23] This set the scene for even more sales for foreign carmakers on the UK market during the next two decades, as their market share continued to grow.

Japanese cars also began to emerge on the UK market during the 1960s, albeit they were a uncommon on British roads until exploding in popularity during the early 1970s. The Daihatsu Compagno was the very first Japanese car to be sold in Britain when imports began during 1964. This car was not popular with British buyers and was withdrawn from sale within a few years, albeit Daihatsu would comeback to the UK market in the early 1980s. [24] A year later, Toyota became the 2nd Japanese carmaker to import cars to Britain. It was followed shortly afterwards by Nissan (which used the Datsun brand for the UK market) and Mazda. Honda was also liking excellent success on the motorcycle market by this stage, albeit it didn’t commence importing passenger cars to the UK until 1972. [25]

1968 to one thousand nine hundred eighty seven Edit

By one thousand nine hundred sixty eight UK motor vehicle production was predominated by four companies: BLMC, Chrysler (UK), Ford, and Vauxhall (GM). The Rootes Group had taken on the name Chrysler UK after its takeover by the American car giant Chrysler, which had also taken over French carmaker Simca.

The national champ, BLMC (British Leyland from 1968), was handicapped in its attempts to modernise by internal rivalries. Unattractive fresh products (particularly the Austin Allegro and Morris Marina) which were widely criticised by the motoring press, retention of legacy marques and models, labour disputes, quality issues, supplier problems and inefficient use of fresh equipment thwarted the desire of efficient high volume production. Enhanced overseas competition, arising from lowered tariffs and membership of the European Union, and high unit costs, led to low profits, which in turn jeopardised investment plans. Albeit the cars continued to sell well in Britain, they were less popular on overseas markets. As well as that, the company often produced several cars to rival in the same market sector. For example, it produced four competitors for the Ford Cortina at the same time – the Morris Marina, Austin Maxi, Triumph Dolomite and Leyland Princess.

Japanese cars, particularly the Datsun badged cars built by Nissan liked a strong surge in popularity during the very first half of the 1970s, while French carmaker Renault and West German carmaker Volkswagen also loved an upturn on the British market, helped by the arrival of well received fresh cars.

The fortunes of foreign carmakers on the British market were also assisted by the fact that most British manufacturers adopted the hatchback bodystyle, mostly featuring front-wheel drive, considerably later than their continental rivals. For example, the arrival of the front-wheel drive Volkswagen Golf hatchback in one thousand nine hundred seventy four came four years before any of the four British-based carmakers had launched an equivalent car. By the time the very first puny British-built hatchback, the Vauxhall Chevette, was launched in 1975, the French Renault five had already been in production for three years. However, British Leyland’s larger Austin Maxi had been sold with a hatchback and front-wheel drive since its one thousand nine hundred sixty nine launch, albeit it sold similar-sized cars like the Morris Marina and Triumph Dolomite alongside it as a rear-wheel drive saloon alternative, with the Dolomite being sold further upmarket than the Marina. For buyers wanting six-cylinder and larger four-cylinder engines, the Princess was launched in 1975. Chrysler launched the Alpine for this market sector in 1975, featuring front wheel drive and a hatchback, but kept the Hunter in production alongside it until one thousand nine hundred seventy nine for buyers who still preferred rear-wheel drive and a saloon or estate bodystyle. At the luxury end of the market, British Leyland was actually one of the very first manufacturers in the world to put a hatchback on an upmarket car when it launched the Rover SD1 in 1976.

The popularity of Nissan’s range of Datsun-badged cars in the 1970s was largely down to their low prices, cheap running costs, good equipment levels and a reputation for better reliability than most British cars, albeit these cars also went on to build up a reputation for being prone to rust.

BLMC’s share of the UK market dropped from 40% to 32% inbetween one thousand nine hundred seventy one and 1973, with its fresh Morris Marina and Austin Allegro family cars selling well on the British market but not proving popular on many export markets, with the motoring media being critical of the styling of these fresh models as well as questions regarding the level of quality.

By one thousand nine hundred seventy four the UK’s position as a world motor vehicle manufacturer had dropped to sixth place. In 1974, both BLMC and Chrysler UK appealed to the Government for financial help. The Government rejected the idea of a merger inbetween the two companies, and instead Chrysler UK received a loan and BLMC was subjected to a series of studies to determine its future. The Government’s official BLMC enquiry, led by Lord Ryder, suggested that BLMC’s strategy was sound, but required large Government investment to improve productivity by providing mechanisation and improving labour relations.

Despite the effective nationalisation of BLMC as British Leyland (BL) in 1975, the recovery never happened. Chrysler sold its European interests (including those in the UK) to Peugeot in 1978, to permit it to concentrate on its own difficulties in America. The UK interests were renamed Peugeot-Talbot, with production of the Chrysler-developed cars continuing, with the last Rootes-developed car, the Avenger, being discontinued in 1981. Peugeot also developed a saloon version of the Alpine called the Solara, and also launched the larger Tagora, which had been in development by Chrysler when it sold its European operations. It also substituted the entry-level Sunbeam with the Peugeot based Samba in 1981. [Nineteen] [26]

As in most other developed countries, the 1970s spotted major switches to the cars produced in the UK. Front-wheel drive, which had been pioneered by BMC on several fresh models inbetween one thousand nine hundred fifty nine and 1965, now became a common feature on family cars after decades of producing only rear-wheel drive models. The hatchback bodystyle, which had debuted in Europe on the French Renault sixteen in 1965, became more popular.

By the end of the 1970s Ford, Peugeot-Talbot and Vauxhall (GM) were well integrated with their parent companies’ other European operations. BL stood alone in the UK as an increasingly junior player. As part of the drive for enlargened productivity in the late 1970s, BL diminished its workforce and number of plants, and strived to centralise its management activities. The city of Coventry suffered particularly badly, with many thousands becoming unemployed after the closure of the Triumph car factory in the city in 1980.

In 1979, BL struck a collaboration deal with Honda to share the development and production of a fresh mid-sized car (Triumph Acclaim/Honda Ballade), which was launched in 1981. The fresh car combined Honda engine and transmission designs with a BL assets, as did its successor model – the Rover two hundred Series – in 1984. The next plan was to work on a fresh luxury car together, the end product being the Rover eight hundred Series, which arrived in 1986.

Albeit the UK political scene switched in one thousand nine hundred seventy nine with the election of the Thatcher government, the Government continued to support BL with funds for the development of a fresh mass-market model range (Mini Metro, Maestro, Montego and another Honda collaboration the Rover 800), which were all launched inbetween one thousand nine hundred eighty and 1986. The Metro was the most successful of these cars.

Car assembly, with the exception of Jaguars, was concentrated into two central plants – Longbridge and Cowley. In July one thousand nine hundred eighty six BL was renamed the Rover Group. [26]

By the mid 1980s, front-wheel drive was now the rule rather than the exception on mass market cars, with most fresh models having a hatchback bodystyle as at least an option. Albeit Ford had adopted front-wheel drive for its fresh Spanish built Fiesta supermini in one thousand nine hundred seventy six and the third generation Escort in 1980, it had curiously retained rear-wheel drive for its larger Sierra (the Cortina replacement) in 1982, albeit the Sierra did feature a hatchback bodystyle and was not available as a saloon until 1987. In 1983, it recognised the continuing request for smaller and medium-sized family saloons by introducing the Orion, which was based on the Escort floorpan.

The supermini sector had expanded rapidly since the early 1970s. BMC’s Mini had remained popular beyond its 20th anniversary, but successor organization British Leyland had commenced work on a more modern and practical alternative by the mid 1970s, the final result being the Austin Metro in one thousand nine hundred eighty – the fresh car featured more modern styling and a hatchback bodystyle. Chrysler Europe had axed the long-running Hillman Imp (launched by the Rootes Group in 1963) in one thousand nine hundred seventy six and substituted it with the Chrysler Sunbeam hatchback a year later. General Motors had already adopted this bodystyle with the Vauxhall Chevette (which was also available as a saloon or estate) and Ford with the Fiesta. Comparable foreign products like the Fiat 127, Renault five and Volkswagen Polo were also proving popular in the UK.

Ford had now divided its European operations inbetween its British factories and other European plants in Spain, Belgium and West Germany. General Motors had began importing some of its West German and Belgian built Opel products to the UK to be badged as Vauxhalls, and by one thousand nine hundred eighty three its Nova supermini (badged as the Opel Corsa on the continent) was built solely in its Spanish factory. Peugeot was dividing production of most of the Talbot badged vehicles inbetween the Ryton plant near Coventry (the Linwood plant in Scotland closed in 1981) and its French factories by the early 1980s, and commenced producing its own models at Coventry in one thousand nine hundred eighty five after determining to axe the Talbot marque due to falling sales.

Foreign carmakers continued to build up ground on the British market during the 1980s, with the likes of Renault, Peugeot, Citroen (France), Volvo (Sweden), Volkswagen (West Germany) and Fiat (Italy) proving particularly popular.

The Russian-built Lada, very first sold in Britain in 1974, also sold well in Britain despite its outdated Fiat-sourced design, with buyers mostly being attracted by its low price. By the late 1980s, with the four-wheel drive Niva and a front-wheel drive hatchback, the Samara, complimenting the long-running Riva, Lada sales in Britain had amounted to more than 30,000 a year (some 1.5% of the fresh car market), but tailed off after one thousand nine hundred ninety as a result of growing competition and a lack of fresh model launches. Imports to Britain ultimately ceased in one thousand nine hundred ninety seven due to Lada’s difficulties in meeting emissions requirements. Skoda also liked similarly decent sales of its well-priced rear-engined saloon cars during the 1970s and 1980s, going from strength to strength in the 1990s following its takeover by Volkswagen and the launch of fresh model ranges with modern technology and styling. Zastava’s Yugo-badged cars, based on Fiat designs from the 1970s, also sold reasonably well in Britain during the 1980s, but the carmaker was coerced to halt imports in one thousand nine hundred ninety two due to sanctions imposed on Yugoslavia as a result of the civil war there. Grind carmaker FSO imported its version of the Fiat one hundred twenty five to Britain from 1975, later launching a hatchback model (the Polonez) alongside it. However, by 1998, Skoda was the only Eastern European carmaker still importing cars to Britain, now rivaling with budget-priced Far Eastern cars from the likes of Daewoo, Kia, Hyundai and Proton.

Nissan had axed the Datsun brand by one thousand nine hundred eighty four and used its own name on all cars, and in one thousand nine hundred eighty six opened a factory in Britain near Sunderland, which produced the mid-range Bluebird hatchbacks and saloons, albeit it was the Japanese-built Micra which was the company’s best-selling car in Britain during the 1980s.

The decade also spotted the arrival of purpose-built people carriers on the British market, beginning with the Japanese Mitsubishi Space Wagon in 1984, and then the market-leading Renault Espace in 1985, but by the end of the decade this type of vehicle still had only a very puny share of the British market and there were still no British-built people carriers available, albeit a few seven-seater estate models including Austin Rover’s Montege were being produced.

The decade also eyed a fall in request for sports cars, perhaps due to the rising popularity of “hot hatchbacks” (high spectacle versions of hatchback cars), and so a number of manufacturers pulled out of the sports car market. British Leyland finished production of its MG and Triumph sports cars early in the decade, with no replacement. General Motors had launched coupe versions of its Cavalier mid-range model in the 1970s, but did not produce any equivalent models of the MK2 Cavalier which arrived in 1981. It did, however, proceed to suggest the German-built Opel Manta to British buyers until the end of production in 1988, substituting it with the Calibra (also built in Germany) a year later. Ford had liked success in the 1970s with its Capri coupe, but this declined in popularity after one thousand nine hundred eighty and when production ended in 1986, there was no direct replacement.

As well as the rebranding of the former Rootes Group and its eventual integration into Peugeot, the 1980s also eyed the disappearance of several long-established car brands. Production of MG sports cars finished when the Abingdon factory closed in 1980, albeit the brand was quickly revived on higher spectacle versions of the Metro, Maestro and Montego. One thousand nine hundred eighty also eyed the closure of the Triumph factory at Canley, Coventry, albeit the marque survived until one thousand nine hundred eighty four – the same year that the Morris marque was discontinued after more than seventy years. The Morris Ital’s successor, the Montego, was sold under the Austin and MG brands, while the Triumph Acclaim’s successor was sold as the Rover two hundred Series. By 1988, however, the Austin marque had also been phased out, with the former Austin-badged products now being incorporated into the Rover brand.

General Motors loved an upturn in Britain during the 1980s, as its Vauxhall-badged cars enhanced their market share and the company’s photo also improved. At the beginning of 1980, it substituted the Viva with a fresh front-wheel drive range of hatchback and estates – the Astra, which was built in Britain and also in Opel factories on the continent. The MK2 Cavalier was launched in 1981, and became the company’s best selling car of the decade. Its replacement for the Chevette was the Nova, a rebadged version of the Spanish built Opel Corsa, which was launched in 1983. The MK2 Astra was voted European Car of the Year shortly after its launch in 1984, as was the flagship MK2 Carlton (Opel Omega on the continent) two years later.

1987 to two thousand one Edit

In July 1986, Nissan became the very first Japanese carmaker to set up a production facility in Europe, when it opened a fresh plant in Sunderland. The plant originally produced the Bluebird and from one thousand nine hundred ninety its successor, the Primera, with the MK2 Micra joining it in 1992. [ citation needed ] Toyota opened a fresh plant in Burnaston near Derby at the beginning of 1992. [27]

Peugeot began production of the Peugeot three hundred nine hatchback at Ryton (originally a Rootes Group factory) in October 1985, followed by the Peugeot four hundred five two years later. [ citation needed ] During the 1990s, production of the three hundred six and two hundred six also began at Ryton. [ citation needed ]

Honda’s venture with Austin Rover/Rover Group witnessed a number of different designs collective inbetween the two marques. The venture came to an end in February one thousand nine hundred ninety four when British Aerospace sold Rover Group to the German carmaker BMW for £800 million. [28] The takeover meant that, for the very first time in one hundred twelve years, the United Kingdom no longer had a British-owned volume car maker. [28] BMW’s ownership of the Rover Group witnessed the development of several newer, more upmarket models, providing the British brand an photo to match that of its parent company. BMW also revived the MG marque in one thousand nine hundred ninety five on a fresh affordable sports car, the MGF, as well as strengthening Land Rover’s position in the off-roader market. In March two thousand BMW controversially announced the break-up of the Rover Group. [29] [30] It retained the rights to the Mini marque, while selling Land Rover to Ford. [31] The MG and Rover marques were sold to the Phoenix Consortium, who branded the remains of the group as MG Rover and concentrated all production at the Longbridge plant. After the split from Rover, Honda continued making the Civic range in the UK at a fresh plant in Swindon. [ citation needed ]

Ford acquired Aston Martin for an undisclosed sum in September one thousand nine hundred eighty seven [32] [33] and Jaguar for US$Two.38 billion in November 1989. [34] Production of the fresh puny Jaguar, the X type, embarked at Halewood in late 2000. By the end of the century, Ford had also acquired Land Rover. [35]

In one thousand nine hundred ninety eight Vickers plc put Rolls-Royce Motors, including Bentley, up for auction. [36] Volkswagen Group won the auction with a bid of US$780 million, but Rolls-Royce plc, which had the right to block a transfer of the Rolls-Royce name to non-British owners, agreed to sell the rights to BMW for US$65 million. [36] It was subsequently agreed that control of the Rolls-Royce marque would pass from Volkswagen to BMW in 2003. [36]

In 1995, Ford eventually entered the decade-old people carrier market with its Galaxy, which was built in Portugal alongside the identical Volkswagen Sharan and Seat Alhambra as part of a venture inbetween Ford and Volkswagen. Vauxhall entered this sector of the market a year later with the American-built Sintra, but this was not popular with British buyers and was discontinued after just three years when the smaller, German-built Zafira was launched, and proved far more popular than Vauxhall’s original entry into the MPV market.

The affordable sports car market liked a revival in the 1990s after going into virtual hibernation in the 1980s. Sparked by the popularity of the Japanese-built Mazda MX-5 after its launch in 1989, Rover began development on a fresh sports car in the early 1990s, eventually launching the MG F two-seater roadster in 1995, fifteen years after the demise of the last volume MG sports cars. The one thousand nine hundred ninety six Lotus Elise also loved relatively strong sales in this market sector, as did the Vauxhall VX220 (based on the Elise) which was launched in 2000. Ford, which had exited the sports car market by one thousand nine hundred eighty seven with the demise of the Capri to concentrate on swifter versions of its best-selling hatchbacks and saloons, returned to this market sector in one thousand nine hundred ninety four with the American-built Probe, and then liked more success with its smaller Puma inbetween one thousand nine hundred ninety seven and 2002.

2001 to two thousand eleven Edit

In May two thousand Ford announced that passenger car assembly as its Dagenham plant would cease in 2002, ending ninety years of Ford passenger car assembly in the UK. [37] At the same time Ford announced that it would invest US$500 million in the expansion of a diesel engine factory at the site, making Dagenham its largest diesel engine center worldwide and creating about five hundred fresh jobs to offset the 1,900 lost in vehicle assembly. [37] In December two thousand four Ford announced a further investment of £169 million in the Dagenham plant, enlargening annual output to one million diesel engines. [38]

The closure of Vauxhall’s Luton car assembly plant in March two thousand three left Ellesmere Port as the foot Vauxhall assembly plant remaining in the UK. General Motors also retained the former Bedford works in Luton for producing vans such as the Vivaro and the Movano as well as Renault and Nissan badged variants. In April 2007, it was confirmed that the Ellesmere Port would produce the next generation Astra from 2010. [39]

Losses at Jaguar led to closure of the company’s Browns Lane plant in Coventry in 2004. [40] [41] Spare capacity at Halewood permitted Land Rover Freelander production to be transferred there in 2006.

MG Rover spent the early part of the 2000s investigating possible ventures with other carmakers in order to develop a fresh range of cars. Proposed links with foreign organisations including Malaysian carmaker Proton failed to materialise, [42] [43] and by late two thousand four Chinese carmaker SAIC Motor had shown an interest in taking over the Longbridge-based rigid – which was now hundreds of millions of pounds in debt. [ citation needed ] Talks broke down and the rock hard went into receivership in April two thousand five with the loss of more than 6,000 jobs. Three months later, the stiff’s assets were purchased by another Chinese carmaker – Nanjing Automobile – and Longbridge partially re-opened over the summer of two thousand seven with an initial workforce of around two hundred fifty preparing to restart production of the MG TF which was relaunched in August 2008.

In April two thousand six Peugeot closed its Ryton plant and moved two hundred six production to Slovakia. [44] [45] In 2007, Ford sold Aston Martin to a British-led Consortium backed by Middle East investors, retaining a petite stake in the company and agreeing to proceed the supply of components including engines. [46] [47] In two thousand eight Ford sold Jaguar Land Rover to Tata Motors of India for £1.15 billion. [48] [49] In November 2009, Dutch sportscar maker Spyker Cars announced that it would be moving production from Zeewolde to Whitley, Coventry, and UK production began in February 2010. [50] [51]

In March two thousand ten McLaren Automotive unveiled its MP4-12C model, alongside plans to produce around Four,000 cars per year at its Woking factory by the middle of the decade. [52] [53] At the Paris Motor Display in September two thousand ten Lotus Cars unveiled five fresh models due to go on sale by 2016, alongside plans for an investment of £770 million over ten years, the finish redevelopment of its Hethel factory and an increase in production from under Trio,000 cars per year to 6,000 to 7,000. [54] In December two thousand ten it was announced that Renault had sold its remaining 25% shareholding in its eponymous Formula one team to Lotus Cars, and that the team would be renamed Lotus Renault in 2011. [55]

2011 to present Edit

In January two thousand eleven BMW announced that it would be extending the Mini range with the launch of two fresh two-door sports crossover vehicles based on the Mini Paceman concept car, with a coupe version to inject production in two thousand eleven and a roadster in 2012. [56] [57] In March two thousand eleven Jaguar Land Rover announced that it would be hiring an extra 1,500 staff at its Halewood plant, and signed over £2 billion of supply contracts with UK-based companies, to enable production of its fresh Range Rover Evoque model. [58] [59] In April two thousand eleven the MG Motor subsidiary of SAIC Motor announced that mass production had resumed at the Longbridge plant, as the very first MG six to be produced in the United Kingdom came off the production line. [60] In May two thousand eleven Jaguar unveiled plans to build the C-X75 petrol-electric hybrid supercar in the UK from 2013, with production to be in association with Williams F1; [61] [62] Jaguar announced the cancellation of the project in December two thousand twelve due to the ongoing global economic crisis. [63]

In May 2011, Aston Martin Lagonda confirmed that it was planning to revive the Lagonda marque, with the launch of two or three fresh models. [64] In an interview with Reuters in the same month, Carl-Peter Forster, the Chief Executive of Tata Motors, exposed that Jaguar Land Rover would be investing over £5 billion in product development over the succeeding five years. [65]

In June, Nissan announced that the replacement for its Qashqai model would be designed and built in the UK, in a total investment of £192 million safeguarding around 6,000 jobs. [66] [67] In June BMW announced an investment of £500 million in the UK over the subsequent three years as part of an expansion of the Mini range to seven models. [68] [Sixty-nine] In September 2011, Jaguar Land Rover confirmed that it would be investing £355 million in the construction of a fresh engine plant near Wolverhampton, to manufacture a fresh family of four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines. [70] [71] Later in the same month it was announced that the Jensen marque would be revived, with a fresh version of the Interceptor to be built by CPP Holdings at the former Jaguar factory Browns Lane in Coventry. [72] [73] [74] In November, Toyota announced plans to make the UK its foot European manufacturing base for hatchback versions of its next C-segment family car, resulting in the investment of over £100 million in its Burnaston plant and the creation of around 1,500 fresh jobs. [75] [76]

In September two thousand thirteen it was announced that a fresh National Automotive Innovation Campus would be built at the University of Warwick’s main campus at a cost of £100 million, with £45 million to be contributed by Jaguar Land Rover. [77] [78]

In the half-year from January to June 2014, the UK had its best year in fresh car sales in nine years. 1.28 million fresh cars were sold during the period, a rise of 10% compared to the same period in 2013. [ citation needed ] In 2014, more than 1.Five million cars were produced, the highest since 2007. [79]

Automotive industry in the United Kingdom

Automotive industry in the United Kingdom

The automotive industry in the United Kingdom is now best known for premium and sports car marques including Aston Martin, Bentley, Caterham Cars, Daimler, Jaguar, Lagonda, Land Rover, Lister Cars, Lotus, McLaren, MG, Mini, Morgan and Rolls-Royce. Volume car manufacturers with a major presence in the UK include Honda, Nissan, Toyota and Vauxhall Motors (subsidiary of Adam Opel AG, subsidiary of the French automotive company Groupe PSA). [1] Commercial vehicle manufacturers active in the UK include Alexander Dennis, Ford, GMM Luton (wielded by Adam Opel AG), Leyland Trucks (possessed by Paccar) and London Taxis International (possessed by Geely). [1]

In two thousand eight the UK automotive manufacturing sector had a turnover of £52.Five billion, generated £26.6 billion of exports and produced around 1.45 million passenger vehicles and 203,000 commercial vehicles. [1] In that year around 180,000 people were directly employed in automotive manufacturing in the UK, with a further 640,000 people employed in automotive supply, retail and servicing. [1] This declined to 147,000 including supply industry in two thousand fourteen (-18%) [Two] The UK is a major centre for engine manufacturing and in two thousand eight around Trio.16 million engines were produced in the country. [1] The UK has a significant presence in auto racing and the UK motorsport industry presently employs around 38,500 people, comprises around Four,500 companies and has an annual turnover of around £6 billion. [Trio]

The origins of the UK automotive industry date back to the final years of the 19th century. By the 1950s the UK was the second-largest manufacturer of cars in the world (after the United States) and the largest exporter. [Four] However, in subsequent decades the industry experienced considerably lower growth than competitor nations such as France, Germany and Japan and by two thousand eight the UK was the 12th-largest producer of cars measured by volume. [Four] Since the early 1990s many British car marques have been acquired by foreign companies including BMW (Mini and Rolls-Royce), SAIC (MG), TATA (Jaguar and Land Rover) and Volkswagen Group (Bentley). Rights to many presently dormant marques, including Austin, Riley, Rover and Triumph, are also wielded by foreign companies.

Contents

1896 to one thousand nine hundred Edit

The inception of the British motor industry can be traced back to the late 1880s, when Frederick Simms, a London-based consulting engineer, became friends with Gottlieb Daimler, who had, in 1885, patented a successful design for a high-speed petrol engine. Simms acquired the British rights to Daimler’s engine and associated patents and from one thousand eight hundred ninety one successfully sold launches using these Cannstatt-made motors from Eel Pie Island in the Thames. In one thousand eight hundred ninety three he formed The Daimler Motor Syndicate Limited for his various Daimler-related enterprises. [11]

In June one thousand eight hundred ninety five Simms and his friend Evelyn Ellis promoted motorcars in the United Kingdom by bringing a Daimler-engined Panhard & Levassor to England and in July it finished, without police intervention, the very first British long-distance motorcar journey from Southampton to Malvern. [11]

Simms’ documented plans to manufacture Daimler motors and Daimler Motor Carriages (in Cheltenham) were taken over, together with his company and its Daimler licences, by London company-promoter H J Lawson. Lawson contracted to buy The Daimler Motor Syndicate Limited and all its rights and on fourteen January one thousand eight hundred ninety six formed and in February successfully floated in London The Daimler Motor Company Limited. It then purchased from a friend of Lawson a disused cotton mill in Coventry for car engine and chassis manufacture where, it is claimed, the UK’s very first serial production car was made. [11]

The claim for the very first all-British motor car is contested, but George Lanchester’s very first cars of one thousand eight hundred ninety five and one thousand eight hundred ninety six did include French and German components. In one thousand eight hundred ninety one Richard Stephens, a mining engineer from South Wales, returned from a commission in Michigan to establish a bicycle works in Clevedon, Somerset. Whilst in America he had seen the developments in motive power and by one thousand eight hundred ninety seven he had produced his very first car. This was entirely of his own design and manufacture, including the two-cylinder engine, apart from the wheels which he bought from Starley in Coventry. This was very likely the very first all-British car and Stephens set up a production line, manufacturing in all, twelve vehicles, including four- and six-seater cars and hackneys, and nine-seater buses. [12]

Early motor vehicle development in the UK had been effectively stopped by a series of Locomotive Acts introduced during the 19th century which severely restricted the use of mechanically propelled vehicles on the public highways. Following intense advocacy by motor vehicle enthusiasts, including Harry J. Lawson of Daimler, the worst confinements of these acts, (the need for each vehicle to be accompanied by a team of three, and a two mph (Trio.Two km/h) speed limit in towns), was lifted by the Locomotives on Highways Act 1896. [13] Under this regulation, light locomotives (those vehicles under three tons unladen weight) were exempt from the previous limitations, and a higher speed limit – fourteen mph (23 km/h) was set for them. To feast the fresh freedoms Lawson organised the Emancipation Run held on fourteen November 1896, the day the fresh Act came into force. This occasion has been commemorated since one thousand nine hundred twenty seven by the annual London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. [14]

1900 to one thousand nine hundred thirty nine Edit

The early British vehicles of the late 19th century relied mainly upon developments from Germany and France. By one thousand nine hundred however, the very first all-British 4-wheel car had been designed and built by Herbert Austin as manager of The Wolseley Sheep Shearing Machine Company. In 1901, backed by (Vickers Limited) brothers ‘Colonel Tom’ and Albert Vickers, Austin commenced what became Wolseley Motors Limited in Birmingham and UK’s largest car manufacturer until Ford in 1913. [15]

The good bulk of the pioneering car producers, many of them from the bicycle industry, got off to a shaky begin. Of the two hundred British makes of car that had been launched up until 1913, only about one hundred of the firms were still in existence. In one thousand nine hundred ten UK vehicle production was 14,000 units. By one thousand nine hundred thirteen Henry Ford had built a fresh factory in Manchester and was the leading UK producer, building seven thousand three hundred ten cars that year, followed by Wolseley at 3000, Humber (making cars since one thousand eight hundred ninety eight in Coventry) at 2500, Rover (Coventry car maker since 1904) at one thousand eight hundred and Sunbeam (producing cars since 1901) at 1700, with the plethora of smaller producers bringing the one thousand nine hundred thirteen total up to about 16,000 vehicles. [16] Car production virtually came to an end during the war years 1914–1918, albeit the requirements of war production led to the development of fresh mass-production technics in the motor industry.

By one thousand nine hundred twenty two there were one hundred eighty three motor companies in the UK, and by 1929, following the slump years, there were fifty eight companies remaining. [17] In one thousand nine hundred twenty nine production was predominated by Morris (founded by William Morris in one thousand nine hundred ten in Oxford) and Austin (founded by Herbert Austin in Birmingham in one thousand nine hundred five after he left Wolseley) which inbetween them produced around 60% of total UK output. Singer (Coventry motorcycle manufacturer began building cars in 1905) followed in third place that year with 15% of production. [16]

In one thousand nine hundred thirty two the UK overtook France to become Europe’s largest car producer (a position which it retained until 1955). In one thousand nine hundred thirty seven the UK produced 379,310 passenger cars and 113,946 commercial vehicles. [Eighteen] To feast the granting of his peerage, William Morris upon becoming Viscount Nuffield, reorganised his motor vehicle companies in 1938, which by then included not only Morris Motors and MG, but also Wolseley and Riley (bicycle company founded in Coventry in one thousand eight hundred ninety and making cars since 1913), into the Nuffield Organisation. In one thousand nine hundred thirty nine the top producers were Morris: 27%, Austin: 24%, Ford: 15%, Standard (founded in Coventry in 1903): 13%, Rootes (which had acquired Humber and Sunbeam): 11%, Vauxhall (building cars since 1903, acquired by GM in 1925): 10%. [16]

1939 to one thousand nine hundred fifty five Edit

During the 2nd World War car production in the UK gave way to commercial and military vehicle production, and many motor vehicle plants were converted to aircraft and aero engine production. Following the war the government managed the supply of steel, and priority was given to supplying foreign-revenue-raising export businesses. In one thousand nine hundred forty seven steel was available only to businesses which exported at least 75% of their production. This, coupled with the inevitably limited competition from continental Europe, and with request for fresh vehicles in America and in Australia being greater than the American industry alone could supply, resulted in British vehicle exports reaching record levels and the UK became the world’s largest motor vehicle exporter. In one thousand nine hundred thirty seven the UK provided 15% of world vehicle exports. By 1950, a year in which 75% of British car production and 60% of its commercial vehicle production was exported, the UK provided 52% of the world’s exported vehicles.

This situation remained until the mid-1950s, by which time the American industry production had caught up with American request, and European production was recovering. By one thousand nine hundred fifty two the American wielded producers in the UK (Ford and GM’s Vauxhall) had inbetween them a 29% share of the British market, which exceeded the share of either of the UK’s two top domestically possessed manufacturers. It was in that context that Viscount Nuffield agreed to the merger of his company, the Nuffield Organisation, with Austin, to form the British Motor Corporation (BMC). Thus BMC, comprising Austin, Morris, MG, Riley and Wolseley was formed in one thousand nine hundred fifty two and commanded a 40% share of the British market. [15] German production was enlargening yearly, and by one thousand nine hundred fifty three it had exceeded that of France, and by one thousand nine hundred fifty six it had overtaken that of the UK. [15]

1955 to one thousand nine hundred sixty eight Edit

By one thousand nine hundred fifty five five companies produced 90% of the UK’s motor vehicle output: BMC, Ford, Rootes, Standard-Triumph and Vauxhall. Of the dozen or so smaller producers Rover and Jaguar were strong niche producers. By one thousand nine hundred sixty the UK had dropped from being the world’s 2nd largest motor vehicle producer into third place. Labour-intensive methods, and broad model ranges hindered opportunities to reduce manufacturing costs – the UK’s unit costs were higher than those of their major Japanese, European and American competitors. [Nineteen] Albeit rationalisation of motor vehicle companies had embarked, utter integration did not occur. BMC continued to produce vehicles under the marque names of its incorporated companies, many of which competed with each other. [20] Standard-Triumph’s attempts to reduce costs by embracing a modern volume production strategy almost led to their bankruptcy in 1960, the result was that they were purchased by the commercial vehicle manufacturing company Leyland Motors. In 1966, BMC and Jaguar came together, to form British Motor Holdings (BMH). Leyland had achieved some sales success with Leyland-Triumph and in one thousand nine hundred sixty seven it acquired Rover. By one thousand nine hundred sixty six the UK had slipped to become the world’s fourth largest motor vehicle producer. Following a gradual process which had begun in 1964, Chrysler UK (CUK) had fully acquired Rootes by 1967.

In the context of BMC’s broad, complicated, and expensive-to-produce model range, Ford’s conventionally designed Cortina challenging for the number one spot in the domestic market, and the strenuous reliance of the British economy on motor vehicle production, in one thousand nine hundred sixty eight the Government brokered the merger of the successful Leyland-Triumph-Rover and the fighting BMH, to form Europe’s fourth-largest car maker, the British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC). The fresh company announced its intention to invest in a fresh volume car range, and to equip its factories with the latest capital-intensive production methods. [Nineteen]

BMC’s Mini, designed by Alec Issigonis, had revolutionized the puny car market in 1959, and the car remained among the UK’s best selling cars for more than twenty years after its launch, the last version ultimately rolling off the production line on four October two thousand after a run of forty one years. The Rootes Group launched the similar-sized Hillman Imp four years later, but by the end of the 1960s Ford and Vauxhall had yet to launch a comparable product, and even with foreign imports leisurely kicking off to build up ground on the British market, Italy’s Fiat five hundred was one of the few comparable alternatives to the virtual monopoly of the Mini and Hillman Imp in this sector of the market.

Also designed by Alec Issigonis was the Morris Minor, which was strenuously updated in one thousand nine hundred fifty six having originally gone into production in 1948. It earned a reputation for low running costs, good reliability and competitive pricing, and continued to sell well across the 1960s in spite of the popularity of BMC’s 1100/1300 range which was launched in 1962, The Morris Minor was also the very first British car to reach one million in production in one thousand nine hundred sixty one with this record number reached a special model of the Morris Minor was created and sent to all of the main dealerships under the name “Morris Million”.

Ford’s competitor in this sector was the Anglia, which featured unconventional styling but was still one of the country’s most successful cars from its launch in one thousand nine hundred fifty nine up to the end of production in 1967, after which it was substituted by the Escort. Other British competitors in this sector were the Vauxhall Viva and Hillman Minx.

Larger family cars liked strong sales in the 1960s, namely the Ford Cortina (launched in 1962), Austin/Morris one thousand eight hundred (1964) and Vauxhall Victor (1957). Later in the 1960s, the Rootes Group launched a fresh competitor in this growing sector of the market – the Hillman Hunter.

The Rover P6, launched in one thousand nine hundred sixty three and the very first winner of the European Car of the Year award, was arguably the most popular luxury model in the UK during the 1960s.

The iconic Jaguar E-Type sports car, designed by Malcolm Sayer, with a top speed of one hundred forty five mph and the choice of a coupe or roadster bodystyle, was launched in one thousand nine hundred sixty one and would remain in production until 1975. Cheaper sports cars also loved strong sales during the 1960s, including the MG B and Triumph Spitfire which were launched in the early part of the decade, and the Ford Capri which was launched just before the decade’s end.

The 1960s spotted a slow but sure increase in the popularity of foreign cars on the British market. Volkswagen of West Germany had imported the iconic Beetle to Britain since 1953; this car was very first launched in one thousand nine hundred thirty seven as a “people’s car” for the German market under the Nazi regime. Its arrival on the UK market less than a decade after the end of World War II was met with hostility, with many examples being vandalised soon after being distributed, but it quickly became popular, with almost Ten,000 being sold in 1959. Volkswagen also began importing examples of its people carrier and van models, and by one thousand nine hundred sixty three had sold 100,000 cars in Britain. [21] Renault of France had actually built UK market versions of its cars at a site in Acton, West London, from one thousand nine hundred two until 1962, but its popularity actually enlargened after the end of UK production, helped by the arrival of the Renault four minicar in one thousand nine hundred sixty one and the world’s very first production hatchback model, the Renault 16, in 1965. By the end of the decade, it had launched a smaller hatchback model, the Renault 6, and a mid-range saloon, the Renault 12, and was continuing to grow in popularity. [22] Renault’s French rival Peugeot also loved success in the 1960s with its four hundred four saloon and even more so with its successor, the 504, which was launched in 1968. [23] This set the scene for even more sales for foreign carmakers on the UK market during the next two decades, as their market share continued to grow.

Japanese cars also began to emerge on the UK market during the 1960s, albeit they were a uncommon on British roads until exploding in popularity during the early 1970s. The Daihatsu Compagno was the very first Japanese car to be sold in Britain when imports began during 1964. This car was not popular with British buyers and was withdrawn from sale within a few years, albeit Daihatsu would comeback to the UK market in the early 1980s. [24] A year later, Toyota became the 2nd Japanese carmaker to import cars to Britain. It was followed shortly afterwards by Nissan (which used the Datsun brand for the UK market) and Mazda. Honda was also loving excellent success on the motorcycle market by this stage, albeit it didn’t commence importing passenger cars to the UK until 1972. [25]

1968 to one thousand nine hundred eighty seven Edit

By one thousand nine hundred sixty eight UK motor vehicle production was predominated by four companies: BLMC, Chrysler (UK), Ford, and Vauxhall (GM). The Rootes Group had taken on the name Chrysler UK after its takeover by the American car giant Chrysler, which had also taken over French carmaker Simca.

The national champ, BLMC (British Leyland from 1968), was handicapped in its attempts to modernise by internal rivalries. Unattractive fresh products (particularly the Austin Allegro and Morris Marina) which were widely criticised by the motoring press, retention of legacy marques and models, labour disputes, quality issues, supplier problems and inefficient use of fresh equipment thwarted the wish of efficient high volume production. Enhanced overseas competition, arising from lowered tariffs and membership of the European Union, and high unit costs, led to low profits, which in turn jeopardised investment plans. Albeit the cars continued to sell well in Britain, they were less popular on overseas markets. As well as that, the company often produced several cars to rival in the same market sector. For example, it produced four competitors for the Ford Cortina at the same time – the Morris Marina, Austin Maxi, Triumph Dolomite and Leyland Princess.

Japanese cars, particularly the Datsun badged cars built by Nissan loved a strong surge in popularity during the very first half of the 1970s, while French carmaker Renault and West German carmaker Volkswagen also liked an upturn on the British market, helped by the arrival of well received fresh cars.

The fortunes of foreign carmakers on the British market were also assisted by the fact that most British manufacturers adopted the hatchback bodystyle, mostly featuring front-wheel drive, considerably later than their continental rivals. For example, the arrival of the front-wheel drive Volkswagen Golf hatchback in one thousand nine hundred seventy four came four years before any of the four British-based carmakers had launched an equivalent car. By the time the very first petite British-built hatchback, the Vauxhall Chevette, was launched in 1975, the French Renault five had already been in production for three years. However, British Leyland’s larger Austin Maxi had been sold with a hatchback and front-wheel drive since its one thousand nine hundred sixty nine launch, albeit it sold similar-sized cars like the Morris Marina and Triumph Dolomite alongside it as a rear-wheel drive saloon alternative, with the Dolomite being sold further upmarket than the Marina. For buyers wanting six-cylinder and larger four-cylinder engines, the Princess was launched in 1975. Chrysler launched the Alpine for this market sector in 1975, featuring front wheel drive and a hatchback, but kept the Hunter in production alongside it until one thousand nine hundred seventy nine for buyers who still preferred rear-wheel drive and a saloon or estate bodystyle. At the luxury end of the market, British Leyland was actually one of the very first manufacturers in the world to put a hatchback on an upmarket car when it launched the Rover SD1 in 1976.

The popularity of Nissan’s range of Datsun-badged cars in the 1970s was largely down to their low prices, cheap running costs, good equipment levels and a reputation for better reliability than most British cars, albeit these cars also went on to build up a reputation for being prone to rust.

BLMC’s share of the UK market dropped from 40% to 32% inbetween one thousand nine hundred seventy one and 1973, with its fresh Morris Marina and Austin Allegro family cars selling well on the British market but not proving popular on many export markets, with the motoring media being critical of the styling of these fresh models as well as questions regarding the level of quality.

By one thousand nine hundred seventy four the UK’s position as a world motor vehicle manufacturer had dropped to sixth place. In 1974, both BLMC and Chrysler UK appealed to the Government for financial help. The Government rejected the idea of a merger inbetween the two companies, and instead Chrysler UK received a loan and BLMC was subjected to a series of studies to determine its future. The Government’s official BLMC enquiry, led by Lord Ryder, suggested that BLMC’s strategy was sound, but required phat Government investment to improve productivity by providing mechanisation and improving labour relations.

Despite the effective nationalisation of BLMC as British Leyland (BL) in 1975, the recovery never happened. Chrysler sold its European interests (including those in the UK) to Peugeot in 1978, to permit it to concentrate on its own difficulties in America. The UK interests were renamed Peugeot-Talbot, with production of the Chrysler-developed cars continuing, with the last Rootes-developed car, the Avenger, being discontinued in 1981. Peugeot also developed a saloon version of the Alpine called the Solara, and also launched the larger Tagora, which had been in development by Chrysler when it sold its European operations. It also substituted the entry-level Sunbeam with the Peugeot based Samba in 1981. [Nineteen] [26]

As in most other developed countries, the 1970s spotted major switches to the cars produced in the UK. Front-wheel drive, which had been pioneered by BMC on several fresh models inbetween one thousand nine hundred fifty nine and 1965, now became a common feature on family cars after decades of producing only rear-wheel drive models. The hatchback bodystyle, which had debuted in Europe on the French Renault sixteen in 1965, became more popular.

By the end of the 1970s Ford, Peugeot-Talbot and Vauxhall (GM) were well integrated with their parent companies’ other European operations. BL stood alone in the UK as an increasingly junior player. As part of the drive for enlargened productivity in the late 1970s, BL diminished its workforce and number of plants, and strived to centralise its management activities. The city of Coventry suffered particularly badly, with many thousands becoming unemployed after the closure of the Triumph car factory in the city in 1980.

In 1979, BL struck a collaboration deal with Honda to share the development and production of a fresh mid-sized car (Triumph Acclaim/Honda Ballade), which was launched in 1981. The fresh car combined Honda engine and transmission designs with a BL figure, as did its successor model – the Rover two hundred Series – in 1984. The next plan was to work on a fresh luxury car together, the end product being the Rover eight hundred Series, which arrived in 1986.

Albeit the UK political scene switched in one thousand nine hundred seventy nine with the election of the Thatcher government, the Government continued to support BL with funds for the development of a fresh mass-market model range (Mini Metro, Maestro, Montego and another Honda collaboration the Rover 800), which were all launched inbetween one thousand nine hundred eighty and 1986. The Metro was the most successful of these cars.

Car assembly, with the exception of Jaguars, was concentrated into two central plants – Longbridge and Cowley. In July one thousand nine hundred eighty six BL was renamed the Rover Group. [26]

By the mid 1980s, front-wheel drive was now the rule rather than the exception on mass market cars, with most fresh models having a hatchback bodystyle as at least an option. Albeit Ford had adopted front-wheel drive for its fresh Spanish built Fiesta supermini in one thousand nine hundred seventy six and the third generation Escort in 1980, it had curiously retained rear-wheel drive for its larger Sierra (the Cortina replacement) in 1982, albeit the Sierra did feature a hatchback bodystyle and was not available as a saloon until 1987. In 1983, it recognised the continuing request for smaller and medium-sized family saloons by introducing the Orion, which was based on the Escort floorpan.

The supermini sector had expanded rapidly since the early 1970s. BMC’s Mini had remained popular beyond its 20th anniversary, but successor organization British Leyland had commenced work on a more modern and practical alternative by the mid 1970s, the final result being the Austin Metro in one thousand nine hundred eighty – the fresh car featured more modern styling and a hatchback bodystyle. Chrysler Europe had axed the long-running Hillman Imp (launched by the Rootes Group in 1963) in one thousand nine hundred seventy six and substituted it with the Chrysler Sunbeam hatchback a year later. General Motors had already adopted this bodystyle with the Vauxhall Chevette (which was also available as a saloon or estate) and Ford with the Fiesta. Comparable foreign products like the Fiat 127, Renault five and Volkswagen Polo were also proving popular in the UK.

Ford had now divided its European operations inbetween its British factories and other European plants in Spain, Belgium and West Germany. General Motors had began importing some of its West German and Belgian built Opel products to the UK to be badged as Vauxhalls, and by one thousand nine hundred eighty three its Nova supermini (badged as the Opel Corsa on the continent) was built solely in its Spanish factory. Peugeot was dividing production of most of the Talbot badged vehicles inbetween the Ryton plant near Coventry (the Linwood plant in Scotland closed in 1981) and its French factories by the early 1980s, and embarked producing its own models at Coventry in one thousand nine hundred eighty five after determining to axe the Talbot marque due to falling sales.

Foreign carmakers continued to build up ground on the British market during the 1980s, with the likes of Renault, Peugeot, Citroen (France), Volvo (Sweden), Volkswagen (West Germany) and Fiat (Italy) proving particularly popular.

The Russian-built Lada, very first sold in Britain in 1974, also sold well in Britain despite its outdated Fiat-sourced design, with buyers mostly being attracted by its low price. By the late 1980s, with the four-wheel drive Niva and a front-wheel drive hatchback, the Samara, complimenting the long-running Riva, Lada sales in Britain had amounted to more than 30,000 a year (some 1.5% of the fresh car market), but tailed off after one thousand nine hundred ninety as a result of growing competition and a lack of fresh model launches. Imports to Britain ultimately ceased in one thousand nine hundred ninety seven due to Lada’s difficulties in meeting emissions requirements. Skoda also loved similarly decent sales of its well-priced rear-engined saloon cars during the 1970s and 1980s, going from strength to strength in the 1990s following its takeover by Volkswagen and the launch of fresh model ranges with modern technology and styling. Zastava’s Yugo-badged cars, based on Fiat designs from the 1970s, also sold reasonably well in Britain during the 1980s, but the carmaker was coerced to halt imports in one thousand nine hundred ninety two due to sanctions imposed on Yugoslavia as a result of the civil war there. Grind carmaker FSO imported its version of the Fiat one hundred twenty five to Britain from 1975, later launching a hatchback model (the Polonez) alongside it. However, by 1998, Skoda was the only Eastern European carmaker still importing cars to Britain, now rivaling with budget-priced Far Eastern cars from the likes of Daewoo, Kia, Hyundai and Proton.

Nissan had axed the Datsun brand by one thousand nine hundred eighty four and used its own name on all cars, and in one thousand nine hundred eighty six opened a factory in Britain near Sunderland, which produced the mid-range Bluebird hatchbacks and saloons, albeit it was the Japanese-built Micra which was the company’s best-selling car in Britain during the 1980s.

The decade also spotted the arrival of purpose-built people carriers on the British market, embarking with the Japanese Mitsubishi Space Wagon in 1984, and then the market-leading Renault Espace in 1985, but by the end of the decade this type of vehicle still had only a very puny share of the British market and there were still no British-built people carriers available, albeit a few seven-seater estate models including Austin Rover’s Montege were being produced.

The decade also spotted a fall in request for sports cars, perhaps due to the rising popularity of “hot hatchbacks” (high spectacle versions of hatchback cars), and so a number of manufacturers pulled out of the sports car market. British Leyland finished production of its MG and Triumph sports cars early in the decade, with no replacement. General Motors had launched coupe versions of its Cavalier mid-range model in the 1970s, but did not produce any equivalent models of the MK2 Cavalier which arrived in 1981. It did, however, proceed to suggest the German-built Opel Manta to British buyers until the end of production in 1988, substituting it with the Calibra (also built in Germany) a year later. Ford had loved success in the 1970s with its Capri coupe, but this declined in popularity after one thousand nine hundred eighty and when production ended in 1986, there was no direct replacement.

As well as the rebranding of the former Rootes Group and its eventual integration into Peugeot, the 1980s also spotted the disappearance of several long-established car brands. Production of MG sports cars finished when the Abingdon factory closed in 1980, albeit the brand was quickly revived on higher spectacle versions of the Metro, Maestro and Montego. One thousand nine hundred eighty also witnessed the closure of the Triumph factory at Canley, Coventry, albeit the marque survived until one thousand nine hundred eighty four – the same year that the Morris marque was discontinued after more than seventy years. The Morris Ital’s successor, the Montego, was sold under the Austin and MG brands, while the Triumph Acclaim’s successor was sold as the Rover two hundred Series. By 1988, however, the Austin marque had also been phased out, with the former Austin-badged products now being incorporated into the Rover brand.

General Motors loved an upturn in Britain during the 1980s, as its Vauxhall-badged cars enlargened their market share and the company’s picture also improved. At the beginning of 1980, it substituted the Viva with a fresh front-wheel drive range of hatchback and estates – the Astra, which was built in Britain and also in Opel factories on the continent. The MK2 Cavalier was launched in 1981, and became the company’s best selling car of the decade. Its replacement for the Chevette was the Nova, a rebadged version of the Spanish built Opel Corsa, which was launched in 1983. The MK2 Astra was voted European Car of the Year shortly after its launch in 1984, as was the flagship MK2 Carlton (Opel Omega on the continent) two years later.

1987 to two thousand one Edit

In July 1986, Nissan became the very first Japanese carmaker to set up a production facility in Europe, when it opened a fresh plant in Sunderland. The plant primarily produced the Bluebird and from one thousand nine hundred ninety its successor, the Primera, with the MK2 Micra joining it in 1992. [ citation needed ] Toyota opened a fresh plant in Burnaston near Derby at the beginning of 1992. [27]

Peugeot commenced production of the Peugeot three hundred nine hatchback at Ryton (originally a Rootes Group factory) in October 1985, followed by the Peugeot four hundred five two years later. [ citation needed ] During the 1990s, production of the three hundred six and two hundred six also began at Ryton. [ citation needed ]

Honda’s venture with Austin Rover/Rover Group witnessed a number of different designs collective inbetween the two marques. The venture came to an end in February one thousand nine hundred ninety four when British Aerospace sold Rover Group to the German carmaker BMW for £800 million. [28] The takeover meant that, for the very first time in one hundred twelve years, the United Kingdom no longer had a British-owned volume car maker. [28] BMW’s ownership of the Rover Group spotted the development of several newer, more upmarket models, providing the British brand an pic to match that of its parent company. BMW also revived the MG marque in one thousand nine hundred ninety five on a fresh affordable sports car, the MGF, as well as strengthening Land Rover’s position in the off-roader market. In March two thousand BMW controversially announced the break-up of the Rover Group. [29] [30] It retained the rights to the Mini marque, while selling Land Rover to Ford. [31] The MG and Rover marques were sold to the Phoenix Consortium, who branded the remains of the group as MG Rover and concentrated all production at the Longbridge plant. After the split from Rover, Honda continued making the Civic range in the UK at a fresh plant in Swindon. [ citation needed ]

Ford acquired Aston Martin for an undisclosed sum in September one thousand nine hundred eighty seven [32] [33] and Jaguar for US$Two.38 billion in November 1989. [34] Production of the fresh puny Jaguar, the X type, commenced at Halewood in late 2000. By the end of the century, Ford had also acquired Land Rover. [35]

In one thousand nine hundred ninety eight Vickers plc put Rolls-Royce Motors, including Bentley, up for auction. [36] Volkswagen Group won the auction with a bid of US$780 million, but Rolls-Royce plc, which had the right to block a transfer of the Rolls-Royce name to non-British owners, agreed to sell the rights to BMW for US$65 million. [36] It was subsequently agreed that control of the Rolls-Royce marque would pass from Volkswagen to BMW in 2003. [36]

In 1995, Ford ultimately entered the decade-old people carrier market with its Galaxy, which was built in Portugal alongside the identical Volkswagen Sharan and Seat Alhambra as part of a venture inbetween Ford and Volkswagen. Vauxhall entered this sector of the market a year later with the American-built Sintra, but this was not popular with British buyers and was discontinued after just three years when the smaller, German-built Zafira was launched, and proved far more popular than Vauxhall’s original entry into the MPV market.

The affordable sports car market liked a revival in the 1990s after going into virtual hibernation in the 1980s. Sparked by the popularity of the Japanese-built Mazda MX-5 after its launch in 1989, Rover began development on a fresh sports car in the early 1990s, eventually launching the MG F two-seater roadster in 1995, fifteen years after the demise of the last volume MG sports cars. The one thousand nine hundred ninety six Lotus Elise also liked relatively strong sales in this market sector, as did the Vauxhall VX220 (based on the Elise) which was launched in 2000. Ford, which had exited the sports car market by one thousand nine hundred eighty seven with the demise of the Capri to concentrate on swifter versions of its best-selling hatchbacks and saloons, returned to this market sector in one thousand nine hundred ninety four with the American-built Probe, and then loved more success with its smaller Puma inbetween one thousand nine hundred ninety seven and 2002.

2001 to two thousand eleven Edit

In May two thousand Ford announced that passenger car assembly as its Dagenham plant would cease in 2002, ending ninety years of Ford passenger car assembly in the UK. [37] At the same time Ford announced that it would invest US$500 million in the expansion of a diesel engine factory at the site, making Dagenham its largest diesel engine center worldwide and creating about five hundred fresh jobs to offset the 1,900 lost in vehicle assembly. [37] In December two thousand four Ford announced a further investment of £169 million in the Dagenham plant, enhancing annual output to one million diesel engines. [38]

The closure of Vauxhall’s Luton car assembly plant in March two thousand three left Ellesmere Port as the foot Vauxhall assembly plant remaining in the UK. General Motors also retained the former Bedford works in Luton for producing vans such as the Vivaro and the Movano as well as Renault and Nissan badged variants. In April 2007, it was confirmed that the Ellesmere Port would produce the next generation Astra from 2010. [39]

Losses at Jaguar led to closure of the company’s Browns Lane plant in Coventry in 2004. [40] [41] Spare capacity at Halewood permitted Land Rover Freelander production to be transferred there in 2006.

MG Rover spent the early part of the 2000s investigating possible ventures with other carmakers in order to develop a fresh range of cars. Proposed links with foreign organisations including Malaysian carmaker Proton failed to materialise, [42] [43] and by late two thousand four Chinese carmaker SAIC Motor had shown an interest in taking over the Longbridge-based rock-hard – which was now hundreds of millions of pounds in debt. [ citation needed ] Talks broke down and the rock-hard went into receivership in April two thousand five with the loss of more than 6,000 jobs. Three months later, the rock hard’s assets were purchased by another Chinese carmaker – Nanjing Automobile – and Longbridge partially re-opened over the summer of two thousand seven with an initial workforce of around two hundred fifty preparing to restart production of the MG TF which was relaunched in August 2008.

In April two thousand six Peugeot closed its Ryton plant and moved two hundred six production to Slovakia. [44] [45] In 2007, Ford sold Aston Martin to a British-led Consortium backed by Middle East investors, retaining a petite stake in the company and agreeing to proceed the supply of components including engines. [46] [47] In two thousand eight Ford sold Jaguar Land Rover to Tata Motors of India for £1.15 billion. [48] [49] In November 2009, Dutch sportscar maker Spyker Cars announced that it would be moving production from Zeewolde to Whitley, Coventry, and UK production began in February 2010. [50] [51]

In March two thousand ten McLaren Automotive unveiled its MP4-12C model, alongside plans to produce around Four,000 cars per year at its Woking factory by the middle of the decade. [52] [53] At the Paris Motor Demonstrate in September two thousand ten Lotus Cars unveiled five fresh models due to go on sale by 2016, alongside plans for an investment of £770 million over ten years, the finish redevelopment of its Hethel factory and an increase in production from under Trio,000 cars per year to 6,000 to 7,000. [54] In December two thousand ten it was announced that Renault had sold its remaining 25% shareholding in its eponymous Formula one team to Lotus Cars, and that the team would be renamed Lotus Renault in 2011. [55]

2011 to present Edit

In January two thousand eleven BMW announced that it would be extending the Mini range with the launch of two fresh two-door sports crossover vehicles based on the Mini Paceman concept car, with a coupe version to come in production in two thousand eleven and a roadster in 2012. [56] [57] In March two thousand eleven Jaguar Land Rover announced that it would be hiring an extra 1,500 staff at its Halewood plant, and signed over £2 billion of supply contracts with UK-based companies, to enable production of its fresh Range Rover Evoque model. [58] [59] In April two thousand eleven the MG Motor subsidiary of SAIC Motor announced that mass production had resumed at the Longbridge plant, as the very first MG six to be produced in the United Kingdom came off the production line. [60] In May two thousand eleven Jaguar unveiled plans to build the C-X75 petrol-electric hybrid supercar in the UK from 2013, with production to be in association with Williams F1; [61] [62] Jaguar announced the cancellation of the project in December two thousand twelve due to the ongoing global economic crisis. [63]

In May 2011, Aston Martin Lagonda confirmed that it was planning to revive the Lagonda marque, with the launch of two or three fresh models. [64] In an interview with Reuters in the same month, Carl-Peter Forster, the Chief Executive of Tata Motors, exposed that Jaguar Land Rover would be investing over £5 billion in product development over the succeeding five years. [65]

In June, Nissan announced that the replacement for its Qashqai model would be designed and built in the UK, in a total investment of £192 million safeguarding around 6,000 jobs. [66] [67] In June BMW announced an investment of £500 million in the UK over the subsequent three years as part of an expansion of the Mini range to seven models. [68] [Sixty nine] In September 2011, Jaguar Land Rover confirmed that it would be investing £355 million in the construction of a fresh engine plant near Wolverhampton, to manufacture a fresh family of four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines. [70] [71] Later in the same month it was announced that the Jensen marque would be revived, with a fresh version of the Interceptor to be built by CPP Holdings at the former Jaguar factory Browns Lane in Coventry. [72] [73] [74] In November, Toyota announced plans to make the UK its foot European manufacturing base for hatchback versions of its next C-segment family car, resulting in the investment of over £100 million in its Burnaston plant and the creation of around 1,500 fresh jobs. [75] [76]

In September two thousand thirteen it was announced that a fresh National Automotive Innovation Campus would be built at the University of Warwick’s main campus at a cost of £100 million, with £45 million to be contributed by Jaguar Land Rover. [77] [78]

In the half-year from January to June 2014, the UK had its best year in fresh car sales in nine years. 1.28 million fresh cars were sold during the period, a rise of 10% compared to the same period in 2013. [ citation needed ] In 2014, more than 1.Five million cars were produced, the highest since 2007. [79]

Automotive industry in the United Kingdom

Automotive industry in the United Kingdom

The automotive industry in the United Kingdom is now best known for premium and sports car marques including Aston Martin, Bentley, Caterham Cars, Daimler, Jaguar, Lagonda, Land Rover, Lister Cars, Lotus, McLaren, MG, Mini, Morgan and Rolls-Royce. Volume car manufacturers with a major presence in the UK include Honda, Nissan, Toyota and Vauxhall Motors (subsidiary of Adam Opel AG, subsidiary of the French automotive company Groupe PSA). [1] Commercial vehicle manufacturers active in the UK include Alexander Dennis, Ford, GMM Luton (possessed by Adam Opel AG), Leyland Trucks (wielded by Paccar) and London Taxis International (possessed by Geely). [1]

In two thousand eight the UK automotive manufacturing sector had a turnover of £52.Five billion, generated £26.6 billion of exports and produced around 1.45 million passenger vehicles and 203,000 commercial vehicles. [1] In that year around 180,000 people were directly employed in automotive manufacturing in the UK, with a further 640,000 people employed in automotive supply, retail and servicing. [1] This declined to 147,000 including supply industry in two thousand fourteen (-18%) [Two] The UK is a major centre for engine manufacturing and in two thousand eight around Three.16 million engines were produced in the country. [1] The UK has a significant presence in auto racing and the UK motorsport industry presently employs around 38,500 people, comprises around Four,500 companies and has an annual turnover of around £6 billion. [Three]

The origins of the UK automotive industry date back to the final years of the 19th century. By the 1950s the UK was the second-largest manufacturer of cars in the world (after the United States) and the largest exporter. [Four] However, in subsequent decades the industry experienced considerably lower growth than competitor nations such as France, Germany and Japan and by two thousand eight the UK was the 12th-largest producer of cars measured by volume. [Four] Since the early 1990s many British car marques have been acquired by foreign companies including BMW (Mini and Rolls-Royce), SAIC (MG), TATA (Jaguar and Land Rover) and Volkswagen Group (Bentley). Rights to many presently dormant marques, including Austin, Riley, Rover and Triumph, are also wielded by foreign companies.

Contents

1896 to one thousand nine hundred Edit

The inception of the British motor industry can be traced back to the late 1880s, when Frederick Simms, a London-based consulting engineer, became friends with Gottlieb Daimler, who had, in 1885, patented a successful design for a high-speed petrol engine. Simms acquired the British rights to Daimler’s engine and associated patents and from one thousand eight hundred ninety one successfully sold launches using these Cannstatt-made motors from Eel Pie Island in the Thames. In one thousand eight hundred ninety three he formed The Daimler Motor Syndicate Limited for his various Daimler-related enterprises. [11]

In June one thousand eight hundred ninety five Simms and his friend Evelyn Ellis promoted motorcars in the United Kingdom by bringing a Daimler-engined Panhard & Levassor to England and in July it ended, without police intervention, the very first British long-distance motorcar journey from Southampton to Malvern. [11]

Simms’ documented plans to manufacture Daimler motors and Daimler Motor Carriages (in Cheltenham) were taken over, together with his company and its Daimler licences, by London company-promoter H J Lawson. Lawson contracted to buy The Daimler Motor Syndicate Limited and all its rights and on fourteen January one thousand eight hundred ninety six formed and in February successfully floated in London The Daimler Motor Company Limited. It then purchased from a friend of Lawson a disused cotton mill in Coventry for car engine and chassis manufacture where, it is claimed, the UK’s very first serial production car was made. [11]

The claim for the very first all-British motor car is contested, but George Lanchester’s very first cars of one thousand eight hundred ninety five and one thousand eight hundred ninety six did include French and German components. In one thousand eight hundred ninety one Richard Stephens, a mining engineer from South Wales, returned from a commission in Michigan to establish a bicycle works in Clevedon, Somerset. Whilst in America he had seen the developments in motive power and by one thousand eight hundred ninety seven he had produced his very first car. This was entirely of his own design and manufacture, including the two-cylinder engine, apart from the wheels which he bought from Starley in Coventry. This was very likely the very first all-British car and Stephens set up a production line, manufacturing in all, twelve vehicles, including four- and six-seater cars and hackneys, and nine-seater buses. [12]

Early motor vehicle development in the UK had been effectively stopped by a series of Locomotive Acts introduced during the 19th century which severely restricted the use of mechanically propelled vehicles on the public highways. Following intense advocacy by motor vehicle enthusiasts, including Harry J. Lawson of Daimler, the worst confinements of these acts, (the need for each vehicle to be accompanied by a team of three, and a two mph (Three.Two km/h) speed limit in towns), was lifted by the Locomotives on Highways Act 1896. [13] Under this regulation, light locomotives (those vehicles under three tons unladen weight) were exempt from the previous limitations, and a higher speed limit – fourteen mph (23 km/h) was set for them. To feast the fresh freedoms Lawson organised the Emancipation Run held on fourteen November 1896, the day the fresh Act came into force. This occasion has been commemorated since one thousand nine hundred twenty seven by the annual London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. [14]

1900 to one thousand nine hundred thirty nine Edit

The early British vehicles of the late 19th century relied mainly upon developments from Germany and France. By one thousand nine hundred however, the very first all-British 4-wheel car had been designed and built by Herbert Austin as manager of The Wolseley Sheep Shearing Machine Company. In 1901, backed by (Vickers Limited) brothers ‘Colonel Tom’ and Albert Vickers, Austin began what became Wolseley Motors Limited in Birmingham and UK’s largest car manufacturer until Ford in 1913. [15]

The fine bulk of the pioneering car producers, many of them from the bicycle industry, got off to a shaky embark. Of the two hundred British makes of car that had been launched up until 1913, only about one hundred of the firms were still in existence. In one thousand nine hundred ten UK vehicle production was 14,000 units. By one thousand nine hundred thirteen Henry Ford had built a fresh factory in Manchester and was the leading UK producer, building seven thousand three hundred ten cars that year, followed by Wolseley at 3000, Humber (making cars since one thousand eight hundred ninety eight in Coventry) at 2500, Rover (Coventry car maker since 1904) at one thousand eight hundred and Sunbeam (producing cars since 1901) at 1700, with the plethora of smaller producers bringing the one thousand nine hundred thirteen total up to about 16,000 vehicles. [16] Car production virtually came to an end during the war years 1914–1918, albeit the requirements of war production led to the development of fresh mass-production technologies in the motor industry.

By one thousand nine hundred twenty two there were one hundred eighty three motor companies in the UK, and by 1929, following the slump years, there were fifty eight companies remaining. [17] In one thousand nine hundred twenty nine production was predominated by Morris (founded by William Morris in one thousand nine hundred ten in Oxford) and Austin (founded by Herbert Austin in Birmingham in one thousand nine hundred five after he left Wolseley) which inbetween them produced around 60% of total UK output. Singer (Coventry motorcycle manufacturer began building cars in 1905) followed in third place that year with 15% of production. [16]

In one thousand nine hundred thirty two the UK overtook France to become Europe’s largest car producer (a position which it retained until 1955). In one thousand nine hundred thirty seven the UK produced 379,310 passenger cars and 113,946 commercial vehicles. [Legal] To feast the granting of his peerage, William Morris upon becoming Viscount Nuffield, reorganised his motor vehicle companies in 1938, which by then included not only Morris Motors and MG, but also Wolseley and Riley (bicycle company founded in Coventry in one thousand eight hundred ninety and making cars since 1913), into the Nuffield Organisation. In one thousand nine hundred thirty nine the top producers were Morris: 27%, Austin: 24%, Ford: 15%, Standard (founded in Coventry in 1903): 13%, Rootes (which had acquired Humber and Sunbeam): 11%, Vauxhall (building cars since 1903, acquired by GM in 1925): 10%. [16]

1939 to one thousand nine hundred fifty five Edit

During the 2nd World War car production in the UK gave way to commercial and military vehicle production, and many motor vehicle plants were converted to aircraft and aero engine production. Following the war the government managed the supply of steel, and priority was given to supplying foreign-revenue-raising export businesses. In one thousand nine hundred forty seven steel was available only to businesses which exported at least 75% of their production. This, coupled with the inevitably limited competition from continental Europe, and with request for fresh vehicles in America and in Australia being greater than the American industry alone could supply, resulted in British vehicle exports reaching record levels and the UK became the world’s largest motor vehicle exporter. In one thousand nine hundred thirty seven the UK provided 15% of world vehicle exports. By 1950, a year in which 75% of British car production and 60% of its commercial vehicle production was exported, the UK provided 52% of the world’s exported vehicles.

This situation remained until the mid-1950s, by which time the American industry production had caught up with American request, and European production was recovering. By one thousand nine hundred fifty two the American wielded producers in the UK (Ford and GM’s Vauxhall) had inbetween them a 29% share of the British market, which exceeded the share of either of the UK’s two top domestically wielded manufacturers. It was in that context that Viscount Nuffield agreed to the merger of his company, the Nuffield Organisation, with Austin, to form the British Motor Corporation (BMC). Thus BMC, comprising Austin, Morris, MG, Riley and Wolseley was formed in one thousand nine hundred fifty two and commanded a 40% share of the British market. [15] German production was enhancing yearly, and by one thousand nine hundred fifty three it had exceeded that of France, and by one thousand nine hundred fifty six it had overtaken that of the UK. [15]

1955 to one thousand nine hundred sixty eight Edit

By one thousand nine hundred fifty five five companies produced 90% of the UK’s motor vehicle output: BMC, Ford, Rootes, Standard-Triumph and Vauxhall. Of the dozen or so smaller producers Rover and Jaguar were strong niche producers. By one thousand nine hundred sixty the UK had dropped from being the world’s 2nd largest motor vehicle producer into third place. Labour-intensive methods, and broad model ranges hindered opportunities to reduce manufacturing costs – the UK’s unit costs were higher than those of their major Japanese, European and American competitors. [Nineteen] Albeit rationalisation of motor vehicle companies had began, utter integration did not occur. BMC continued to produce vehicles under the marque names of its incorporated companies, many of which competed with each other. [20] Standard-Triumph’s attempts to reduce costs by embracing a modern volume production strategy almost led to their bankruptcy in 1960, the result was that they were purchased by the commercial vehicle manufacturing company Leyland Motors. In 1966, BMC and Jaguar came together, to form British Motor Holdings (BMH). Leyland had achieved some sales success with Leyland-Triumph and in one thousand nine hundred sixty seven it acquired Rover. By one thousand nine hundred sixty six the UK had slipped to become the world’s fourth largest motor vehicle producer. Following a gradual process which had begun in 1964, Chrysler UK (CUK) had fully acquired Rootes by 1967.

In the context of BMC’s broad, sophisticated, and expensive-to-produce model range, Ford’s conventionally designed Cortina challenging for the number one spot in the domestic market, and the strong reliance of the British economy on motor vehicle production, in one thousand nine hundred sixty eight the Government brokered the merger of the successful Leyland-Triumph-Rover and the fighting BMH, to form Europe’s fourth-largest car maker, the British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC). The fresh company announced its intention to invest in a fresh volume car range, and to equip its factories with the latest capital-intensive production methods. [Nineteen]

BMC’s Mini, designed by Alec Issigonis, had revolutionized the puny car market in 1959, and the car remained among the UK’s best selling cars for more than twenty years after its launch, the last version eventually rolling off the production line on four October two thousand after a run of forty one years. The Rootes Group launched the similar-sized Hillman Imp four years later, but by the end of the 1960s Ford and Vauxhall had yet to launch a comparable product, and even with foreign imports leisurely embarking to build up ground on the British market, Italy’s Fiat five hundred was one of the few comparable alternatives to the virtual monopoly of the Mini and Hillman Imp in this sector of the market.

Also designed by Alec Issigonis was the Morris Minor, which was strongly updated in one thousand nine hundred fifty six having originally gone into production in 1948. It earned a reputation for low running costs, good reliability and competitive pricing, and continued to sell well via the 1960s in spite of the popularity of BMC’s 1100/1300 range which was launched in 1962, The Morris Minor was also the very first British car to reach one million in production in one thousand nine hundred sixty one with this record number reached a special model of the Morris Minor was created and sent to all of the main dealerships under the name “Morris Million”.

Ford’s competitor in this sector was the Anglia, which featured unconventional styling but was still one of the country’s most successful cars from its launch in one thousand nine hundred fifty nine up to the end of production in 1967, after which it was substituted by the Escort. Other British competitors in this sector were the Vauxhall Viva and Hillman Minx.

Larger family cars liked strong sales in the 1960s, namely the Ford Cortina (launched in 1962), Austin/Morris one thousand eight hundred (1964) and Vauxhall Victor (1957). Later in the 1960s, the Rootes Group launched a fresh competitor in this growing sector of the market – the Hillman Hunter.

The Rover P6, launched in one thousand nine hundred sixty three and the very first winner of the European Car of the Year award, was arguably the most popular luxury model in the UK during the 1960s.

The iconic Jaguar E-Type sports car, designed by Malcolm Sayer, with a top speed of one hundred forty five mph and the choice of a coupe or roadster bodystyle, was launched in one thousand nine hundred sixty one and would remain in production until 1975. Cheaper sports cars also loved strong sales during the 1960s, including the MG B and Triumph Spitfire which were launched in the early part of the decade, and the Ford Capri which was launched just before the decade’s end.

The 1960s eyed a slow but sure increase in the popularity of foreign cars on the British market. Volkswagen of West Germany had imported the iconic Beetle to Britain since 1953; this car was very first launched in one thousand nine hundred thirty seven as a “people’s car” for the German market under the Nazi regime. Its arrival on the UK market less than a decade after the end of World War II was met with hostility, with many examples being vandalised soon after being distributed, but it quickly became popular, with almost Ten,000 being sold in 1959. Volkswagen also began importing examples of its people carrier and van models, and by one thousand nine hundred sixty three had sold 100,000 cars in Britain. [21] Renault of France had actually built UK market versions of its cars at a site in Acton, West London, from one thousand nine hundred two until 1962, but its popularity actually enhanced after the end of UK production, helped by the arrival of the Renault four minicar in one thousand nine hundred sixty one and the world’s very first production hatchback model, the Renault 16, in 1965. By the end of the decade, it had launched a smaller hatchback model, the Renault 6, and a mid-range saloon, the Renault 12, and was continuing to grow in popularity. [22] Renault’s French rival Peugeot also liked success in the 1960s with its four hundred four saloon and even more so with its successor, the 504, which was launched in 1968. [23] This set the scene for even more sales for foreign carmakers on the UK market during the next two decades, as their market share continued to grow.

Japanese cars also embarked to emerge on the UK market during the 1960s, albeit they were a uncommon on British roads until exploding in popularity during the early 1970s. The Daihatsu Compagno was the very first Japanese car to be sold in Britain when imports began during 1964. This car was not popular with British buyers and was withdrawn from sale within a few years, albeit Daihatsu would come back to the UK market in the early 1980s. [24] A year later, Toyota became the 2nd Japanese carmaker to import cars to Britain. It was followed shortly afterwards by Nissan (which used the Datsun brand for the UK market) and Mazda. Honda was also liking superb success on the motorcycle market by this stage, albeit it didn’t begin importing passenger cars to the UK until 1972. [25]

1968 to one thousand nine hundred eighty seven Edit

By one thousand nine hundred sixty eight UK motor vehicle production was predominated by four companies: BLMC, Chrysler (UK), Ford, and Vauxhall (GM). The Rootes Group had taken on the name Chrysler UK after its takeover by the American car giant Chrysler, which had also taken over French carmaker Simca.

The national champ, BLMC (British Leyland from 1968), was handicapped in its attempts to modernise by internal rivalries. Unattractive fresh products (particularly the Austin Allegro and Morris Marina) which were widely criticised by the motoring press, retention of legacy marques and models, labour disputes, quality issues, supplier problems and inefficient use of fresh equipment thwarted the fantasy of efficient high volume production. Enlargened overseas competition, arising from lowered tariffs and membership of the European Union, and high unit costs, led to low profits, which in turn jeopardised investment plans. Albeit the cars continued to sell well in Britain, they were less popular on overseas markets. As well as that, the company often produced several cars to rival in the same market sector. For example, it produced four competitors for the Ford Cortina at the same time – the Morris Marina, Austin Maxi, Triumph Dolomite and Leyland Princess.

Japanese cars, particularly the Datsun badged cars built by Nissan liked a strong surge in popularity during the very first half of the 1970s, while French carmaker Renault and West German carmaker Volkswagen also loved an upturn on the British market, helped by the arrival of well received fresh cars.

The fortunes of foreign carmakers on the British market were also assisted by the fact that most British manufacturers adopted the hatchback bodystyle, mostly featuring front-wheel drive, considerably later than their continental rivals. For example, the arrival of the front-wheel drive Volkswagen Golf hatchback in one thousand nine hundred seventy four came four years before any of the four British-based carmakers had launched an equivalent car. By the time the very first puny British-built hatchback, the Vauxhall Chevette, was launched in 1975, the French Renault five had already been in production for three years. However, British Leyland’s larger Austin Maxi had been sold with a hatchback and front-wheel drive since its one thousand nine hundred sixty nine launch, albeit it sold similar-sized cars like the Morris Marina and Triumph Dolomite alongside it as a rear-wheel drive saloon alternative, with the Dolomite being sold further upmarket than the Marina. For buyers wanting six-cylinder and larger four-cylinder engines, the Princess was launched in 1975. Chrysler launched the Alpine for this market sector in 1975, featuring front wheel drive and a hatchback, but kept the Hunter in production alongside it until one thousand nine hundred seventy nine for buyers who still preferred rear-wheel drive and a saloon or estate bodystyle. At the luxury end of the market, British Leyland was actually one of the very first manufacturers in the world to put a hatchback on an upmarket car when it launched the Rover SD1 in 1976.

The popularity of Nissan’s range of Datsun-badged cars in the 1970s was largely down to their low prices, cheap running costs, good equipment levels and a reputation for better reliability than most British cars, albeit these cars also went on to build up a reputation for being prone to rust.

BLMC’s share of the UK market dropped from 40% to 32% inbetween one thousand nine hundred seventy one and 1973, with its fresh Morris Marina and Austin Allegro family cars selling well on the British market but not proving popular on many export markets, with the motoring media being critical of the styling of these fresh models as well as questions regarding the level of quality.

By one thousand nine hundred seventy four the UK’s position as a world motor vehicle manufacturer had dropped to sixth place. In 1974, both BLMC and Chrysler UK appealed to the Government for financial help. The Government rejected the idea of a merger inbetween the two companies, and instead Chrysler UK received a loan and BLMC was subjected to a series of studies to determine its future. The Government’s official BLMC enquiry, led by Lord Ryder, suggested that BLMC’s strategy was sound, but required hefty Government investment to improve productivity by providing mechanisation and improving labour relations.

Despite the effective nationalisation of BLMC as British Leyland (BL) in 1975, the recovery never happened. Chrysler sold its European interests (including those in the UK) to Peugeot in 1978, to permit it to concentrate on its own difficulties in America. The UK interests were renamed Peugeot-Talbot, with production of the Chrysler-developed cars continuing, with the last Rootes-developed car, the Avenger, being discontinued in 1981. Peugeot also developed a saloon version of the Alpine called the Solara, and also launched the larger Tagora, which had been in development by Chrysler when it sold its European operations. It also substituted the entry-level Sunbeam with the Peugeot based Samba in 1981. [Nineteen] [26]

As in most other developed countries, the 1970s spotted major switches to the cars produced in the UK. Front-wheel drive, which had been pioneered by BMC on several fresh models inbetween one thousand nine hundred fifty nine and 1965, now became a common feature on family cars after decades of producing only rear-wheel drive models. The hatchback bodystyle, which had debuted in Europe on the French Renault sixteen in 1965, became more popular.

By the end of the 1970s Ford, Peugeot-Talbot and Vauxhall (GM) were well integrated with their parent companies’ other European operations. BL stood alone in the UK as an increasingly junior player. As part of the drive for enhanced productivity in the late 1970s, BL diminished its workforce and number of plants, and strived to centralise its management activities. The city of Coventry suffered particularly badly, with many thousands becoming unemployed after the closure of the Triumph car factory in the city in 1980.

In 1979, BL struck a collaboration deal with Honda to share the development and production of a fresh mid-sized car (Triumph Acclaim/Honda Ballade), which was launched in 1981. The fresh car combined Honda engine and transmission designs with a BL assets, as did its successor model – the Rover two hundred Series – in 1984. The next plan was to work on a fresh luxury car together, the end product being the Rover eight hundred Series, which arrived in 1986.

Albeit the UK political scene switched in one thousand nine hundred seventy nine with the election of the Thatcher government, the Government continued to support BL with funds for the development of a fresh mass-market model range (Mini Metro, Maestro, Montego and another Honda collaboration the Rover 800), which were all launched inbetween one thousand nine hundred eighty and 1986. The Metro was the most successful of these cars.

Car assembly, with the exception of Jaguars, was concentrated into two central plants – Longbridge and Cowley. In July one thousand nine hundred eighty six BL was renamed the Rover Group. [26]

By the mid 1980s, front-wheel drive was now the rule rather than the exception on mass market cars, with most fresh models having a hatchback bodystyle as at least an option. Albeit Ford had adopted front-wheel drive for its fresh Spanish built Fiesta supermini in one thousand nine hundred seventy six and the third generation Escort in 1980, it had curiously retained rear-wheel drive for its larger Sierra (the Cortina replacement) in 1982, albeit the Sierra did feature a hatchback bodystyle and was not available as a saloon until 1987. In 1983, it recognised the continuing request for smaller and medium-sized family saloons by introducing the Orion, which was based on the Escort floorpan.

The supermini sector had expanded rapidly since the early 1970s. BMC’s Mini had remained popular beyond its 20th anniversary, but successor organization British Leyland had embarked work on a more modern and practical alternative by the mid 1970s, the final result being the Austin Metro in one thousand nine hundred eighty – the fresh car featured more modern styling and a hatchback bodystyle. Chrysler Europe had axed the long-running Hillman Imp (launched by the Rootes Group in 1963) in one thousand nine hundred seventy six and substituted it with the Chrysler Sunbeam hatchback a year later. General Motors had already adopted this bodystyle with the Vauxhall Chevette (which was also available as a saloon or estate) and Ford with the Fiesta. Comparable foreign products like the Fiat 127, Renault five and Volkswagen Polo were also proving popular in the UK.

Ford had now divided its European operations inbetween its British factories and other European plants in Spain, Belgium and West Germany. General Motors had commenced importing some of its West German and Belgian built Opel products to the UK to be badged as Vauxhalls, and by one thousand nine hundred eighty three its Nova supermini (badged as the Opel Corsa on the continent) was built solely in its Spanish factory. Peugeot was dividing production of most of the Talbot badged vehicles inbetween the Ryton plant near Coventry (the Linwood plant in Scotland closed in 1981) and its French factories by the early 1980s, and began producing its own models at Coventry in one thousand nine hundred eighty five after determining to axe the Talbot marque due to falling sales.

Foreign carmakers continued to build up ground on the British market during the 1980s, with the likes of Renault, Peugeot, Citroen (France), Volvo (Sweden), Volkswagen (West Germany) and Fiat (Italy) proving particularly popular.

The Russian-built Lada, very first sold in Britain in 1974, also sold well in Britain despite its outdated Fiat-sourced design, with buyers mostly being attracted by its low price. By the late 1980s, with the four-wheel drive Niva and a front-wheel drive hatchback, the Samara, complimenting the long-running Riva, Lada sales in Britain had amounted to more than 30,000 a year (some 1.5% of the fresh car market), but tailed off after one thousand nine hundred ninety as a result of growing competition and a lack of fresh model launches. Imports to Britain eventually ceased in one thousand nine hundred ninety seven due to Lada’s difficulties in meeting emissions requirements. Skoda also loved similarly decent sales of its well-priced rear-engined saloon cars during the 1970s and 1980s, going from strength to strength in the 1990s following its takeover by Volkswagen and the launch of fresh model ranges with modern technology and styling. Zastava’s Yugo-badged cars, based on Fiat designs from the 1970s, also sold reasonably well in Britain during the 1980s, but the carmaker was coerced to halt imports in one thousand nine hundred ninety two due to sanctions imposed on Yugoslavia as a result of the civil war there. Grind carmaker FSO imported its version of the Fiat one hundred twenty five to Britain from 1975, later launching a hatchback model (the Polonez) alongside it. However, by 1998, Skoda was the only Eastern European carmaker still importing cars to Britain, now challenging with budget-priced Far Eastern cars from the likes of Daewoo, Kia, Hyundai and Proton.

Nissan had axed the Datsun brand by one thousand nine hundred eighty four and used its own name on all cars, and in one thousand nine hundred eighty six opened a factory in Britain near Sunderland, which produced the mid-range Bluebird hatchbacks and saloons, albeit it was the Japanese-built Micra which was the company’s best-selling car in Britain during the 1980s.

The decade also spotted the arrival of purpose-built people carriers on the British market, kicking off with the Japanese Mitsubishi Space Wagon in 1984, and then the market-leading Renault Espace in 1985, but by the end of the decade this type of vehicle still had only a very petite share of the British market and there were still no British-built people carriers available, albeit a few seven-seater estate models including Austin Rover’s Montege were being produced.

The decade also eyed a fall in request for sports cars, perhaps due to the rising popularity of “hot hatchbacks” (high spectacle versions of hatchback cars), and so a number of manufacturers pulled out of the sports car market. British Leyland finished production of its MG and Triumph sports cars early in the decade, with no replacement. General Motors had launched coupe versions of its Cavalier mid-range model in the 1970s, but did not produce any equivalent models of the MK2 Cavalier which arrived in 1981. It did, however, proceed to suggest the German-built Opel Manta to British buyers until the end of production in 1988, substituting it with the Calibra (also built in Germany) a year later. Ford had liked success in the 1970s with its Capri coupe, but this declined in popularity after one thousand nine hundred eighty and when production ended in 1986, there was no direct replacement.

As well as the rebranding of the former Rootes Group and its eventual integration into Peugeot, the 1980s also witnessed the disappearance of several long-established car brands. Production of MG sports cars finished when the Abingdon factory closed in 1980, albeit the brand was quickly revived on higher spectacle versions of the Metro, Maestro and Montego. One thousand nine hundred eighty also witnessed the closure of the Triumph factory at Canley, Coventry, albeit the marque survived until one thousand nine hundred eighty four – the same year that the Morris marque was discontinued after more than seventy years. The Morris Ital’s successor, the Montego, was sold under the Austin and MG brands, while the Triumph Acclaim’s successor was sold as the Rover two hundred Series. By 1988, however, the Austin marque had also been phased out, with the former Austin-badged products now being incorporated into the Rover brand.

General Motors liked an upturn in Britain during the 1980s, as its Vauxhall-badged cars enlargened their market share and the company’s picture also improved. At the beginning of 1980, it substituted the Viva with a fresh front-wheel drive range of hatchback and estates – the Astra, which was built in Britain and also in Opel factories on the continent. The MK2 Cavalier was launched in 1981, and became the company’s best selling car of the decade. Its replacement for the Chevette was the Nova, a rebadged version of the Spanish built Opel Corsa, which was launched in 1983. The MK2 Astra was voted European Car of the Year shortly after its launch in 1984, as was the flagship MK2 Carlton (Opel Omega on the continent) two years later.

1987 to two thousand one Edit

In July 1986, Nissan became the very first Japanese carmaker to set up a production facility in Europe, when it opened a fresh plant in Sunderland. The plant primarily produced the Bluebird and from one thousand nine hundred ninety its successor, the Primera, with the MK2 Micra joining it in 1992. [ citation needed ] Toyota opened a fresh plant in Burnaston near Derby at the beginning of 1992. [27]

Peugeot embarked production of the Peugeot three hundred nine hatchback at Ryton (originally a Rootes Group factory) in October 1985, followed by the Peugeot four hundred five two years later. [ citation needed ] During the 1990s, production of the three hundred six and two hundred six also began at Ryton. [ citation needed ]

Honda’s venture with Austin Rover/Rover Group spotted a number of different designs collective inbetween the two marques. The venture came to an end in February one thousand nine hundred ninety four when British Aerospace sold Rover Group to the German carmaker BMW for £800 million. [28] The takeover meant that, for the very first time in one hundred twelve years, the United Kingdom no longer had a British-owned volume car maker. [28] BMW’s ownership of the Rover Group spotted the development of several newer, more upmarket models, providing the British brand an picture to match that of its parent company. BMW also revived the MG marque in one thousand nine hundred ninety five on a fresh affordable sports car, the MGF, as well as strengthening Land Rover’s position in the off-roader market. In March two thousand BMW controversially announced the break-up of the Rover Group. [29] [30] It retained the rights to the Mini marque, while selling Land Rover to Ford. [31] The MG and Rover marques were sold to the Phoenix Consortium, who branded the remains of the group as MG Rover and concentrated all production at the Longbridge plant. After the split from Rover, Honda continued making the Civic range in the UK at a fresh plant in Swindon. [ citation needed ]

Ford acquired Aston Martin for an undisclosed sum in September one thousand nine hundred eighty seven [32] [33] and Jaguar for US$Two.38 billion in November 1989. [34] Production of the fresh petite Jaguar, the X type, began at Halewood in late 2000. By the end of the century, Ford had also acquired Land Rover. [35]

In one thousand nine hundred ninety eight Vickers plc put Rolls-Royce Motors, including Bentley, up for auction. [36] Volkswagen Group won the auction with a bid of US$780 million, but Rolls-Royce plc, which had the right to block a transfer of the Rolls-Royce name to non-British owners, agreed to sell the rights to BMW for US$65 million. [36] It was subsequently agreed that control of the Rolls-Royce marque would pass from Volkswagen to BMW in 2003. [36]

In 1995, Ford eventually entered the decade-old people carrier market with its Galaxy, which was built in Portugal alongside the identical Volkswagen Sharan and Seat Alhambra as part of a venture inbetween Ford and Volkswagen. Vauxhall entered this sector of the market a year later with the American-built Sintra, but this was not popular with British buyers and was discontinued after just three years when the smaller, German-built Zafira was launched, and proved far more popular than Vauxhall’s original entry into the MPV market.

The affordable sports car market liked a revival in the 1990s after going into virtual hibernation in the 1980s. Sparked by the popularity of the Japanese-built Mazda MX-5 after its launch in 1989, Rover began development on a fresh sports car in the early 1990s, ultimately launching the MG F two-seater roadster in 1995, fifteen years after the demise of the last volume MG sports cars. The one thousand nine hundred ninety six Lotus Elise also loved relatively strong sales in this market sector, as did the Vauxhall VX220 (based on the Elise) which was launched in 2000. Ford, which had exited the sports car market by one thousand nine hundred eighty seven with the demise of the Capri to concentrate on quicker versions of its best-selling hatchbacks and saloons, returned to this market sector in one thousand nine hundred ninety four with the American-built Probe, and then liked more success with its smaller Puma inbetween one thousand nine hundred ninety seven and 2002.

2001 to two thousand eleven Edit

In May two thousand Ford announced that passenger car assembly as its Dagenham plant would cease in 2002, ending ninety years of Ford passenger car assembly in the UK. [37] At the same time Ford announced that it would invest US$500 million in the expansion of a diesel engine factory at the site, making Dagenham its largest diesel engine center worldwide and creating about five hundred fresh jobs to offset the 1,900 lost in vehicle assembly. [37] In December two thousand four Ford announced a further investment of £169 million in the Dagenham plant, enlargening annual output to one million diesel engines. [38]

The closure of Vauxhall’s Luton car assembly plant in March two thousand three left Ellesmere Port as the foot Vauxhall assembly plant remaining in the UK. General Motors also retained the former Bedford works in Luton for producing vans such as the Vivaro and the Movano as well as Renault and Nissan badged variants. In April 2007, it was confirmed that the Ellesmere Port would produce the next generation Astra from 2010. [39]

Losses at Jaguar led to closure of the company’s Browns Lane plant in Coventry in 2004. [40] [41] Spare capacity at Halewood permitted Land Rover Freelander production to be transferred there in 2006.

MG Rover spent the early part of the 2000s investigating possible ventures with other carmakers in order to develop a fresh range of cars. Proposed links with foreign organisations including Malaysian carmaker Proton failed to materialise, [42] [43] and by late two thousand four Chinese carmaker SAIC Motor had shown an interest in taking over the Longbridge-based rock hard – which was now hundreds of millions of pounds in debt. [ citation needed ] Talks broke down and the stiff went into receivership in April two thousand five with the loss of more than 6,000 jobs. Three months later, the hard’s assets were purchased by another Chinese carmaker – Nanjing Automobile – and Longbridge partially re-opened over the summer of two thousand seven with an initial workforce of around two hundred fifty preparing to restart production of the MG TF which was relaunched in August 2008.

In April two thousand six Peugeot closed its Ryton plant and moved two hundred six production to Slovakia. [44] [45] In 2007, Ford sold Aston Martin to a British-led Consortium backed by Middle East investors, retaining a puny stake in the company and agreeing to proceed the supply of components including engines. [46] [47] In two thousand eight Ford sold Jaguar Land Rover to Tata Motors of India for £1.15 billion. [48] [49] In November 2009, Dutch sportscar maker Spyker Cars announced that it would be moving production from Zeewolde to Whitley, Coventry, and UK production began in February 2010. [50] [51]

In March two thousand ten McLaren Automotive unveiled its MP4-12C model, alongside plans to produce around Four,000 cars per year at its Woking factory by the middle of the decade. [52] [53] At the Paris Motor Demonstrate in September two thousand ten Lotus Cars unveiled five fresh models due to go on sale by 2016, alongside plans for an investment of £770 million over ten years, the finish redevelopment of its Hethel factory and an increase in production from under Trio,000 cars per year to 6,000 to 7,000. [54] In December two thousand ten it was announced that Renault had sold its remaining 25% shareholding in its eponymous Formula one team to Lotus Cars, and that the team would be renamed Lotus Renault in 2011. [55]

2011 to present Edit

In January two thousand eleven BMW announced that it would be extending the Mini range with the launch of two fresh two-door sports crossover vehicles based on the Mini Paceman concept car, with a coupe version to come in production in two thousand eleven and a roadster in 2012. [56] [57] In March two thousand eleven Jaguar Land Rover announced that it would be hiring an extra 1,500 staff at its Halewood plant, and signed over £2 billion of supply contracts with UK-based companies, to enable production of its fresh Range Rover Evoque model. [58] [59] In April two thousand eleven the MG Motor subsidiary of SAIC Motor announced that mass production had resumed at the Longbridge plant, as the very first MG six to be produced in the United Kingdom came off the production line. [60] In May two thousand eleven Jaguar unveiled plans to build the C-X75 petrol-electric hybrid supercar in the UK from 2013, with production to be in association with Williams F1; [61] [62] Jaguar announced the cancellation of the project in December two thousand twelve due to the ongoing global economic crisis. [63]

In May 2011, Aston Martin Lagonda confirmed that it was planning to revive the Lagonda marque, with the launch of two or three fresh models. [64] In an interview with Reuters in the same month, Carl-Peter Forster, the Chief Executive of Tata Motors, exposed that Jaguar Land Rover would be investing over £5 billion in product development over the succeeding five years. [65]

In June, Nissan announced that the replacement for its Qashqai model would be designed and built in the UK, in a total investment of £192 million safeguarding around 6,000 jobs. [66] [67] In June BMW announced an investment of £500 million in the UK over the subsequent three years as part of an expansion of the Mini range to seven models. [68] [Sixty-nine] In September 2011, Jaguar Land Rover confirmed that it would be investing £355 million in the construction of a fresh engine plant near Wolverhampton, to manufacture a fresh family of four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines. [70] [71] Later in the same month it was announced that the Jensen marque would be revived, with a fresh version of the Interceptor to be built by CPP Holdings at the former Jaguar factory Browns Lane in Coventry. [72] [73] [74] In November, Toyota announced plans to make the UK its foot European manufacturing base for hatchback versions of its next C-segment family car, resulting in the investment of over £100 million in its Burnaston plant and the creation of around 1,500 fresh jobs. [75] [76]

In September two thousand thirteen it was announced that a fresh National Automotive Innovation Campus would be built at the University of Warwick’s main campus at a cost of £100 million, with £45 million to be contributed by Jaguar Land Rover. [77] [78]

In the half-year from January to June 2014, the UK had its best year in fresh car sales in nine years. 1.28 million fresh cars were sold during the period, a rise of 10% compared to the same period in 2013. [ citation needed ] In 2014, more than 1.Five million cars were produced, the highest since 2007. [79]

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