So BMWs arent good?

Mercdriver

bigadaj said:

fred246 said:

I remember going to Germany listening to a load of Germans saying that their cars were  unreliable rubbish. I was wondering why the UK public seem to think the opposite is true.

That was in 1948 though.

Before Youtube too, so they would have had to have the cause of the break down sorted out properly.

bigadaj

Haynes guide presumably.

AdrianC

rafhelp said:

maybe cos they comparing to british made brands like Ford?

"British-made", Ford?

Dagenham stopped assembling cars in 2002, when their second-fiddle Fiesta line closed, and now assembles engines only.
Halewood stopped assembling Fords in 2000, when the Escort was discontinued - since then, it built Jag X-types before being transferred to JLR in the 2008 sale.
Southampton stopped building Transits in 2013, and was closed completely.
Ford Britain has been no different from any other national importer/subsidiary of Ford Europe (based out of Koln) since 1967.

Next, you'll be telling us you actually believe the "Vauxhall - British Brand" ad strapline...? (Clue: It's nothing but the UK subsidiary/importer of Opel, with a badge-swap. RHD Vivaros and about half of Astras are assembled here.)

Until Covid, the UK motor industry built as many cars per year as it ever did, and exported a much higher proportion than it ever had. Employment was way down, of course, because of automation.

Dr_Crypto

Adrian you might enjoy this 
https://para-rigger.posthaven.com/top-ten-car-producing-countries-1950-2019
Graphic illustrating car production by country. Amazing how few cars the USSR has given its size and that India was a top 10 maker in the 50s but didn’t become so again until recently. 

AdrianC

Dr_Crypto said:

Adrian you might enjoy this 
https://para-rigger.posthaven.com/top-ten-car-producing-countries-1950-2019
Graphic illustrating car production by country. Amazing how few cars the USSR has given its size and that India was a top 10 maker in the 50s but didn’t become so again until recently. 

You're right, I do like that. Thanks.

Factor in the effects of post-war economic rebuilding, and it shows just how badly complacency and entitlement stultified the UK in this, as in so much else. We're still at it.

1951 - US 8m, UK 800k
Germany overtook UK in 1957, c.1.4m/yr
Japan overtook UK in 1963, c.1.9m (Germany up to 2.5)
France overtook UK in 1964, c.1.95m (D 2.8, JP 2.4)
Italy overtook UK in 1975, c.1.75m (F 3.0, D 3.8, JP & US 8m)
USSR overtook UK in 1975, c.1.55m
Canada overtook UK in 1980, c.1.35m
Spain overtook UK in 1983, c.1.35m (JP 11.5m)
South Korea overtook UK in 1992, c.1,6m
UK overtook Italy in 1995, c.1.75m
China overtoook UK in 1998, c.2m
Mexico overtook UK in 2000, c.1.8m
Brazil knocked the UK out of the top ten in 2001, c.1.8m
UK knocked Brazil out of the top ten in 2003, c.1.8m
India knocked UK out in 2006, c.1.9m

Output has remained the same as the peak - c.2m - but in a MASSIVELY growing global market, we're an irrelevance. It also illustrates very well how the rise is in low-capital-cost countries.

It also puts the lie to "Thatcher killed the motor industry"... 1979 - 1.4m and falling, 1992 - 1.6m and rising.

'course, people mean "the British-owned motor industry" - forgetting that the only UK-owned player was BL, since Rootes were rescued by Chrysler from incipient bankruptcy in the 60s.

Car_54

AdrianC said:

rafhelp said:

maybe cos they comparing to british made brands like Ford?

Next, you'll be telling us you actually believe the "Vauxhall - British Brand" ad strapline...? (Clue: It's nothing but the UK subsidiary/importer of Opel, with a badge-swap. RHD Vivaros and about half of Astras are assembled here.)
Southampton stopped building Transits in 2013, and was closed completely.

You're out of date! Vauxhall (and Opel) are now owned by Peugeot/Citroen.

Was it really a subsidiary of Opel? They were both part of GM.

AdrianC

Car_54 said:

AdrianC said:

rafhelp said:

maybe cos they comparing to british made brands like Ford?

Next, you'll be telling us you actually believe the "Vauxhall - British Brand" ad strapline...? (Clue: It's nothing but the UK subsidiary/importer of Opel, with a badge-swap. RHD Vivaros and about half of Astras are assembled here.)

You're out of date! Vauxhall (and Opel) are now owned by Peugeot/Citroen.

Was it really a subsidiary of Opel? They were both part of GM.

Yes, I'm well aware that GM Europe was purchased by PSA in 2017, thanks - or, as it'll soon be with the FCA merger, Stellantis.

That doesn't affect the fact that Vauxhall is just a UK-only badgeswap for the Opel range, which is currently transitioning from a GM-based product range to PSA-based ones, hence dropping all the bought-in GM Korea (ex-Direwoolet) models like the Mokka, with GM Europe products like the various Insignia derivatives being dropped by the various GM brands and distributors outside Europe.

And, yes, that makes the ad not strictly dishonest... It is a "British brand". It's just that it's absolutely no more than that. The last car Vauxhall had any part at all in developing was the HC Viva, but even the HA Viva had been developed as a joint project with the Kadett A.

Mercdriver

AdrianC said:

rafhelp said:

maybe cos they comparing to british made brands like Ford?

"British-made", Ford?

Dagenham stopped assembling cars in 2002, when their second-fiddle Fiesta line closed, and now assembles engines only.
Halewood stopped assembling Fords in 2000, when the Escort was discontinued - since then, it built Jag X-types before being transferred to JLR in the 2008 sale.
Southampton stopped building Transits in 2013, and was closed completely.
Ford Britain has been no different from any other national importer/subsidiary of Ford Europe (based out of Koln) since 1967.

Next, you'll be telling us you actually believe the "Vauxhall - British Brand" ad strapline...? (Clue: It's nothing but the UK subsidiary/importer of Opel, with a badge-swap. RHD Vivaros and about half of Astras are assembled here.)

Until Covid, the UK motor industry built as many cars per year as it ever did, and exported a much higher proportion than it ever had. Employment was way down, of course, because of automation.

I thought I saw sarcasm in that post you have quoted...

AdrianC

Mercdriver said:

I thought I saw sarcasm in that post you have quoted...

It's entirely possible. My sarcasm detector has had far too many false-positives lately, so I've tried to turn it right down.