Crisis in the British car industri by 1960

By the 1960s the motor industry was in crisis. Everything that could be wrong with the industry was wrong with it. Productivity was low, prices were too high. Reliability was terrible, and car deliveries were erratic. Most importantly – the British were losing the international race. In 1950 Britain exported 50% of the world’s cars. In 1962 that figure was 24%. In 1967 19%. In 1956 Germany overtook the UK in the number of cars produced. And the productivity of German manufacturing was so much higher than the UK that a VW could sell at two thirds of the price of it closest UK competitor the Morris Minor. The moment of truth was approaching when the patient has to say “I’ll have to go to the doctor. There must be something wrong with me.” By the 1960s it was recognised that “something had to be done.” The search was on for a cure.

THE ITALIAN CAR INDUSTRY HAS BEEN DOMINATED BY ONE BIG COMPANY AND FIAT MADE ITS NAME MAKING SMALL SIMPLE CARS IN HUGE NUMBERS

2008-05-14