List of Automobiles Manufactured in Britain
In the world of automotive production, the United Kingdom has seen a significant resurgence in recent years. According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders, the industry experienced a 7% growth in July 2013, with nearly 900,000 British-made cars produced in the first 7 months of the year.
Last year, Vauxhall manufactured an impressive 90,000 Astras at their Ellesmere Port factory in Cheshire. This is just one example of the vibrant car manufacturing scene in the UK.
One of the standout performers in the industry is Nissan. In 2012, they manufactured over half a million cars in the UK, including the Qashqui, Juke, and all-electric Leaf. Nissan's factory in Washington, near Sunderland, is Britain's largest car plant, employing over 6000 staff.
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, a subsidiary of BMW, continues to make its luxurious cars at the Bentley plant in Crewe. They are investing £800m into their UK factory, creating 1,000 new jobs. In 2011, Rolls Royce Motor Cars made 3500 cars, a 31% increase on the previous year.
Honda has been making cars at their Swindon factory since 1992 and has the capacity to make 350,000 cars in Britain a year. Meanwhile, Bentley motor company continues to manufacture its cars at the Bentley plant in Crewe, with the latest version of the Vauxhall Astra seeing General Motors invest £125m in the Ellesmere Port factory and create around 700 new jobs.
Mini, owned by BMW, makes the Mini, Clubman, and Cabrio models in Britain at their Oxford, Swindon, and Hams Hall factories. Jaguar, owned by India's Tata Motors Ltd, makes the XF, XK, and XJ models at their factory at Castle Bromwich, creating 350 new jobs to manufacture the new F-Type and anticipating exporting more than 75% of these.
Aston Martin makes the Cygnet, DB9, Rapide, Vanquish, and Vantage at Gaydon in Warwickshire. Toyota, with two factories in the UK, in Burnaston, Derbyshire, and Deeside North Wales, employs more than 3,800 people. Interestingly, Toyota exports around 85% of the vehicles it manufactures in the UK.
Morgan, the only entirely British-owned and British-made car company on the list, only produces a few hundred cars every year at their factory in Malvern, Worcester. Despite the small scale, they are a crucial part of the UK's automotive industry.
Land Rover, together with Jaguar, is owned by India's Tata Motors Ltd. They have created nearly 9000 jobs by their British car manufacturing over the last 2 years. In 2012, alongside Nissan models Qashqai, Juke, and Leaf, other vehicles such as the Nissan X-Trail and GT-R, BMW models including the 7 Series, 5 Series GT, 5 Series, Z4, X1, X3, 2 Series, 3 Series, X5, 4 Series, i3, and i8 were also produced in the UK.
The UK automotive industry peaked in 1972 with nearly 2 million cars made. However, with continued investment and growth, it seems that the industry is once again on the rise, providing jobs and boosting the economy.
