Motor Industry

The West Midlands has always been the home of the motor industry. In 1861 Birmingham Small Arms commenced the manufacture of military arms before moving into the production of bicycles and motor bikes for which they are famous. Coventry was a major producer of cycles and also moved on to produce motor bikes and cars.

A barrow boy Joseph Lucas produced a cycle lamp called the 'King of the Road' in the 1880's the success of which resulted in the great electrical components giant that we know today.

Dunlop set up home at 'The Fort' and the massive Dunlop works became a major employer in the city. Herbert Austin created the mighty Austin empire which produced the Austin Seven in 1922, a world leader in its time. Vickers made aero engines, buses and cars. Morris made trucks originally and Wolsey made cars in Washwood Heath. The mini was designed by Alec Issigonis and became an overnight success. The Longbridge factory in Birmingham prospered and expanded. It has been said that for every letter of the alphabet there was a British motorcycle manufacturer and many of these were made in the West Midlands. Such was the extent of the motor manufacturing industry in the West Midlands. It's products and wares were known the world over.

During the first world war railway carriage companies produced trucks and aeroplanes with the expertise gained from the motor trade. In the second world war Rover produced engine parts for the British Hercules, aircraft were produced by Austin and Spitfires and Lancasters were built at Castle Bromwich by Vickers. From gun turrets by Lucas to armoured vehicles by Metro-Cammell and amphibious craft by Morris the West Midlands was of major importance. B.S.A produced much of the weaponry required for the allied war effort.

The 1970's and its associated strikes and management problems decimated the industry. Japanese imports made matters worse and the car and motor cycle industry went through many mergers and closures. The great names such as BSA and Triumph lost ground against the Suzuki's and Yamaha's from Japan and the Datsun and Honda's looked set to finish off what remained of the British Motor Industry.

Recent years have seen a turn around in the fortunes of car making in the West Midlands. Whilst many car manufacturers are foreign owned they have capitalised on the expertise that the region provides. There are more than 500 car component suppliers in the region and 40% of all new automotive investment in the UK is in the West Midlands.

The region is responsible for a third of the UK's automotive output. It is easy to forget that Rover is not the only car producer in the West Midlands. Land Rover, Jaguar and Peugeot all producing cars here and LDV produce commercial vehicles. Recent events at Longbridge and its impending deal with China could prove to be a significant step forward for the company and its future success.