This post was inspired by an article about cars that are currently built in Britain that appeared on the MSN news website in October 2024. 

Introduction

In the years after WWII the U.K. boasted the second largest motor industry in the world, the U.S. being the largest. How things changed in the intervening years, by the 1960s both Germany and France were vying for that second place. During the 1970s a completely new player was on the scene, Japan, at one time that country’s car manufacturers, led by Toyota and Nissan were even challenging for the leading position. Those companies realised that it made better economic sense to establish local manufacturing plants rather than shipping cars around the world, as a result Japan’s challenge for being number one receded but that didn’t prevent Toyota from becoming the world’s largest car manufacturer.

New Players in the Market

In the second millennium two new far eastern countries have made great strides in the automotive world, China and South Korea. China is already world’s  largest producer of cars by a wide margin. It is worth mentioning that in 1974, Hyundai, South Korea’s dominant car manufacturer, recruited Englishman George Turnbull, CEO of British Leyland’s Austin Morris division, together with other British engineers, to create the first Hyundai car plant and its first car, the Pony.

British Car Manufacturing – A Change of Scene

Meanwhile, back in Britain, lack of investment, poor management, industrial unrest etc. plagued the British motor industry. In an attempt to streamline the industry and use its resources more effectively many mergers took place. The first and largest, the merging of Austin and Morris (Nuffield Organisation) was a result of economic expediency after WWII rather than any other reason. Nuffield had already absorbed Wolseley and Riley in the 1930s and created the MG (Morris Garages) brand in the 1920s.   

BMC

The name given to this new entity was the British Motor Corporation (BMC), at first it was a great success accounting for over 40% of the British market in the 1950s. Its various marques were exported to the four corners of the globe but especially to the U.S. where the MG TC sports car was much sought after by affluent young men and women. These successes were underpinned by motor sport and record breaking successes, first by MG then joined by the Austin Healey 100, the design of which was bought by Leonard Lord of Austin from Donald Healey at the 1952 London Motor Show.

1954 MG EX 179 drivem by Capt. George Eyston.
Photo Source – Car Scene International

1955 Austin Healey 100 S

BMC bought Jaguar in 1966 to form British Motor Holdings (BMH) and in the late 1960s Leyland Motors (a truck manufacturer) had bought both Solihull based Rover and Coventry based Standard Triumph to form Leyland Motor Corporation (LMC), headed up by Lord Stokes – Donald Stokes a former Leyland apprentice. In 1968 BMH and LMC merged to form British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC). This was a merger too far, its complex and in many cases outdated manufacturing facilities, not to mention brand management difficulties, caused it to get into financial difficulties; it was bailed out by the U.K. Government (nationalised) in 1975.

BL

This resulted in a Government owned holding company called British Leyland (BL). Significant rationalisation took place under this regime and in 1984 Jaguar was spun of as a separate company with its shares traded on the London Stock Exchange: six years later it was acquired by Ford and formed part of its short lived ‘Premier Automotive Group’ along with Volvo and Aston Martin.

Austin Rover/Rover Group/MG Rover

The company names listed above provides some evidence of the tortured life the remaining car manufacturing entity went through from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. So tortured in fact that I am not going to cover it here; if you’re interested the subject is adequately covered by many articles to be found on the internet. Suffice it to say that in 1994 BMW bought what was then know as the “Rover Group” from British Aerospace who had bought from the British Government in 1988. By 2000 BMW had had enough of trying to make sense of the business and sold it to a consortium by the name of “Phoenix”. They renamed the company MG Rover but were only able to keep the company going for another five years before filing for bankruptcy.

TATA buys Jaguar Land-Rover

The Chinese and Indian motor industries were the beneficiaries of that disaster. The MG brand was bought by Nanjing Automobile who later merged with SAIC and the Indian conglomerate, TATA, bought Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford. The later was formed into the company JLR who’s headquarters are located in Coventry. MG, Jaguar and Land Rover have become very successful marques under their new owners. Jaguar is currently undergoing a major revision based on an electric power only platform with the aim of moving the brand even further “up market”.

The Rootes Group/Chrysler/Peugeot/Stellantis Story

Rootes

In the late 1920s and 1930s another large British car manufacturing group was being formed – the Rootes Group. Brothers William and Reginald Rootes had established a very successful vehicle sales and distribution company. In order to have more control over the products they were selling they decided to enter into vehicle manufacturing. In 1929 they bought Coventry based Humber and Hillman car companies then Luton based commercial vehicle builder Commer, founded in 1906. In 1935 they bought the London based STD (Sunbeam Talbot Darracq) company and in 1956 Birmingham based (having started in Coventry) Singer Motors was purchased. These are some of the recognised vehicle manufacturers Rootes bought but there were many automotive suppliers bought too.

Chrysler Europe

The seeds of the demise of this group were sown when in 1960 Rootes were encouraged by the then British Government to build a manufacturing plant in Linwood, Glasgow, Scotland to build their brand new small car, the Hillman Imp. Personally I am a great fan of the Imp, both my wife and myself having owned one but from an economic, mass production point of view, it was not a good design. That, together with a raw workforce that had no experience of building cars, resulting in high warranty claims together with a brilliant but expensive Coventry Climax designed engine, meant that the Imp was a financial disaster. That, plus the industrial relations problems the rest of the British motor industry was experiencing meant that by the late 1960s the Rootes Group were in financial difficulties resulting in its sales to the American Chrysler Corporation who had also bought Simca in France; the new entity was referred to as Chrysler Europe.

Hillman Imp
Photo Source – Car Scene International

PSA

Chrysler themselves were not in great financial shape and less than ten years later Chrysler Europe was sold to PSA, owners of Peugeot Citroen in France. Peugeot did a great job of managing its  UK operations, including closing the Linwood facility but even they had to close its remaining car production plant at Ryton, Coventry in 2006.

Stellantis

In 2017 PSA bought General Motor’s European operations which included the Vauxhall and Opel brands. PSA made a good job of integrating the former GM operations into the PSA family; that success must have gone to the management’s head when, in 2021, they agreed to merge with the Fiat Chrysler Automobile (FCA) to form Stellantis. That merger hasn’t gone so well particularly in the USA. The current American problems do not directly stem from the merger other than causing management’s attention to be distracted.

Rolls Royce and Bentley

Rolls Royce

1906 saw the formation of one of the most famous motor manufacturers in automotive history, Rolls-Royce, although cars bearing the Rolls-Royce name had been produced since 1904. The company was formed by businessman, super salesman and pioneer aviator, Charles Rolls and perfectionist engineer, Henry Royce. The aim of this company was to produce cars of supreme comfort and reliability which would appeal to the wealthiest echelons of British and international society. The fact that their cars are still made and sought after today is testament to the fact that the duo’s ambitions were achieved and exceeded.                 

Bentley

Another British marque that made a major impact on the world stage particularly in Le Mans 24 Hours races in the 1920s and 30s, is Bentley. Like most motor manufacturers particularly those operating in the low volume high price arena Bentley went through financial difficulties and in 1931 W. O. Bentley’s company was absorbed by Rolls Royce. Initially, inevitably there was a degree of badge engineering indulged in the early years of Bentley’s ownership by Rolls Royce. However, in 1952 a Bentley was launched that was in the true spirit of W.O.’s company, the R Type Continental with H.J. Mulliner fastback coupe style body. Only 207 were built most being R.H.D., they are much sought after day and concours condition cars can fetch close to £1M.

1952 Bentley R-Type Continental Sports Saloon
Photo Source – Bonhams

In the 1970s and 80s Rolls Royce Motors and its subsidiary Bentley, went through a number of changes of ownership. One of the most significant being the separation from the aero engine company Rolls Royce plc. In 1998 Rolls Royce Motors was bought by Volkswagen after a battle with BMW. BMW was a supplier of engines to Rolls Royce that gave them a lever to persuade Volkswagen to sell the Rolls Royce brand to BMW. A new factory was built at Goodwood in West Sussex and BMW owned Rolls Royce cars commenced production in 2003. The Bentley marques was retained by Volkswagen and continue to be built at the previous Rolls Royce factory in Crewe in east Cheshire. The Name and RR log is owned by Rolls Royce plc. the aero engine maker and is leased to BMW.

Both Volkswagen and BMW have done the two iconic British brands proud, continuing to produce headline grabbing cars ever since taking charge of these two iconic British brands.

Summary

The above deals mainly with the former, mostly British owned, mass producers of cars in Britain. Low volume producers, Rolls Royce and Bentley have been included because of their worldwide status and what happened to them, in terms of takeovers and Government involvement, albeit indirectly, was very similar to what happened to the mass production manufacturers. 

The other great British marques, still existing, are covered below. Not one of them now is majority owned by British capital. After the demise of MG Rover in 2005 Morgan was often referred to as the last British owned car company, that ceased to be the case in 2019 when Italian investment company Investindustrial became the majority shareholder. The Morgan family and some employees continue to have small stakes in the company. Its a similar story for Caterham, the other low volume manufacturer, in that case a Japanese investment company is the majority shareholder.

On a positive note – no other country in the world has such a rich and diverse range of car manufactures, long may it continue.

Cars currently being produced in Britain

ASTON MARTIN

2024 Aston Martin Vanquish
Photo source – Aston Martin

Aston Martin is as British as they come and it’s a brand which continues to play a key role in the U.K’s motor manufacturing industry. It currently produces its Vantage and Vanquish models at its Gaydon, Warwickshire, facility where the cars are also designed. Its popular DBX performance SUV is built in a specially-developed facility located in St Athan, Wales. The marques has had many owners over the years possibly the most well known being the engineer David Brown (hence the DB nomenclature). The current and arguably the most committed owner ever, is Canadian Lawrence Stroll who also owns the Aston Martin F1 tram. 

BENTLEY

Bentley Continental Mulliner
Photo Source – Bentley Motors
Bentley is another car company which is rooted in the UK with its main base being in Crewe, Cheshire. This where its new Continental GT models are built alongside the Bentayga luxury SUV.

CATERHAM

Caterham Seven 620 F3Q

In the 1960s Graham Nearn owned Caterham Cars a car dealership and Lotus agent based in the eponymous town in Surrey. In 1973 he bought the rights to build the the Colin Chapman designed Lotus Seven which was renamed Caterham Seven. It has remained a popular sports/race car ever since moving to a new Dartford, Kent, based factory in 1987. Cateraham is now owned by a Japanese investment company, VT Holdings.

JAGUAR LAND ROVER (JLR)

Jaguar F Pace
Photo Source – JLR
Range Rover SE
Photo Source – JLR

JLR, owned by India’s Tata Group, is largely based in the Midlands, its Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Velar models are built at its Solihull plant. The Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque are assembled at its second UK site in Halewood near Liverpool.

At this time, end of 2024, it is difficult to talk about Jaguar because a few years ago JLR’s management took the decision to plan for a completely different range of, electric only, range of “up market” Jaguar cars. Further details will be announced shortly but customers are unlikely to be able to take delivery of one of the new range until the end of 2025 See “tease photo below). In the meantime the ‘F Pace’ , shown above will continue to be available. The days of Sir William Lyons’ concept of building exceptional value for money cars, proven on the race track, are truly over. In future Jaguar will be a luxury, niche market, brand competing with the likes of Bentley. 

2025 Jaguar GT A Symphony of Style and Performance & FIRST LOOK!

LONDON ELECTRIC VEHICLE COMPANY (LEVC)

London Taxi TX4
Photo Source – LVC

Probably one of the most recognisable vehicles in the world and one that it is as evocative of London as are the “Beefeaters” (Yeomen of the Guard), is the London Taxi or Black Cab. The regulations which caused the London Taxi to be designed were first introduce in 1906. “London Taxis” are also used in other cities in the U.K. and around the world. The London Electric Vehicle Company (LVC), based at Ansty Park to the north east of Coventry, is owned by Chinese powerhouse Geely who also own Volvo, Polestar and Lotus, amongst other brands. 

LOTUS

Lotus Emira
Photo Source – Lotus Cars

Lotus is another Geely-owned firm which has undergone a period of immense transformation over recent years. While the production of a few of its vehicles has been moved to China – the electric Eletre SUV, for example, is made there – its key sports cars are still made in Hethel, Norfolk. This is where Lotus has a large design and production facility together with an on-site test track.

MCLAREN

McLaren 750S
Photo Source – McLaren Automotive

Woking-based McLaren Automotive is another brand which has had a big impact on the automotive scene over recent years. Today, it produces a number of lightweight and dramatic super and sports cars, including the 750S and hybrid Artura.

The McLaren Technology Centre (MTC) is something of an icon in itself, with the large facility being located right next to an eye-catching lake. McLaren Automotive is a subsidiary of the McLaren Group which also owns the Fi team, the group is owned by the Kingdom of Bahrain wealth fund, Mumtalakat Holding Company.

MINI

MINI JCW Electric
Photo Source – BMW Group

The ‘original’ BMC Mini, designed by Alec Issigonis, became a symbol of the “swinging sixties” and of Britain in general soon after it was launched in 1959. BMW took over the Rover Group in 1994 but by 2000 decided that it was a “lost cause” and sold off the various parts, what was ti become JLR to Ford and MG Rover to the hastily formed, British capitalised, Phoenix Group. BMW were wise enough to retain the Mini brand and production facility in Oxford, the former Morris Motors factory. BMW had been working on a new Mini design (Mini Hatch) when it owned the Rover Group, they launched the New Mini in 2001 a year after disposing of the Rover group. To say that BMW and its British workforce in Oxford has made a resounding success of this investment, is something of an understatement. Having said that, in recent years the Mini’s Britishness has been diluted somewhat by the fact that some derivatives, electric versions initially, are now built in China. However, to most car buyers around the world, the Mini will always be seen as a quintessentially a British brand.

MORGAN

Morgan Plus 8 GTR
Photo Source – Morgan Motor Company

The Morgan Motor Company provides a fitting antidote to mass-produced automotive manufacturing, bringing with it an exceptional mix of traditional craftsmanship and appropriate modern technology. Famous the world over for its unique blend of craft, heritage and pure driving experience, the Morgan Motor Company has been manufacturing quintessentially British vehicles in Malvern, UK, for more than 110 years. Morgan have always used proprietary engines in their cars whether it be Matchless and JAP in the Three Wheelers or Ford, Triumph Nissan or Rover in the four wheeled cars. Currently the Plus Four and Plus Six cars use BMW power plants and the Soper 3 uses a a Vee Twin sourced from S&S in the States.

As mentioned above, the Morgan Motor Company is now majority owned by an Italian investment company called Investindustrial.

NISSAN

Nissan Qashqai
Photo Source – Nissan UK
In the 1980s Mrs. Thatcher, the then prime minister of the U.K., realised that the British car industry was in a bit of a mess and needed an injection of far eastern enterprise and investment. She persuaded both Nissan and Toyota to build factories in the U.K. Nissan’s plant is located near Sunderland and Toyota’s is near Derby. Both enterprises have been successful with Nissan’s Sunderland plant being regarded as one of the company’s most efficient. The popular Qashqai and Juke cars are produced here together with the electric Leaf model. Nissan UK is Britain’s largest car exporter. It is worth stating that at just before the establishment of the Nissan and Toyota operations in the U.K. Honda had opened its own plant in Swindon without government support. Sad to say that plant was closed in 2021 as a result of Honda’s worldwide manufacturing plant rationalisation programme.

ROLLS ROYCE

Rolls-Royce Spectre Semaphore
Photo Source – Rolls-Royce
1906 saw the formation of one of the most famous motor manufacturers in automotive history, Rolls-Royce, although cars bearing the Rolls-Royce name had been produced since 1904. The company was formed by businessman, super salesman and pioneer aviator, Charles Rolls and perfectionist engineer, Henry Royce. The aim of this company was to produce cars of supreme comfort and reliability which would appeal to the wealthiest echelons of British and international society. The fact that their cars are still made and sought after today is testament to the fact that the duo’s ambitions were achieved and exceeded.
The rights to build Rolls-Royce cars was bought by BMW from Volkswagen in 1998. Work on a new production facility located at Goodwood, West Sussex was completed in 2002 and the first BMW produced Rolls-Royce, a Phantom, was handed over to its owner at 1.01 am. on January 1st 2003.
All car manufacturers must produce only electric powered vehicles by the 2030s (varies by country), Rolls Royce has introduced its first all electric car, the Spectre shown above.

STELLANTIS

Vauxhall Combo Electric | Electric Compact Van| Vauxhall

Stellantis is a multinational automotive manufacturing company formed in 2021 as a result of the merger between the Italian–American conglomerate Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and the French PSA Group. In 1979 PSA took over Chrysler Europe which in the U.K. comprised the former Rootes Group that manufactured cars and commercial vehicles. Peugeot continued to produce cars at the Ryton, Coventry factory until 2006 when it was closed. In 2017 PSA bought GM Europe (Opel/Vauxhall) this included Vauxhall’s manufacturing plants in Elsmere Port (Astra) and  Luton (Vauxhall vans). Since the forming of Stellantis both the U.K. production facilities have been retained with the Elsmere Port plant being converted to producing commercial vehicles.  

TOYOTA

Toyota Corolla Hatchback
Photo Source – Toyota UK
See the Nissan feature above for details of how Toyota’s U.K. plant came about. It doesn’t seem that Toyota has had same level of commitment to its U.K. manufacturing plant as Nissan has at Sunderland. Both volume and variety of cars produced being dwarfed by its Japanese rival. At the time of writing the future direction of the plant is in question, production of the Corolla ends in 2027 and no decision has been reached on what the plant will be used for after that. In addition to the Toyota Corolla Hybrid, a badge engineered Suzuki Swace is also produced at Burnaston.

 This article is subject to copyright and should not be republished in part or as a whole without permission from the author.

Nick

 

 

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