1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140 
Paying lip-service to public opinion
Page 19
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
ALTHOUGH likely to elicit outrage and disappointment among blameless Midlands engineering workers, the government's decision not to bail out LDV is correct.
Since its antecedents in British Leyland, the firm has constantly played catch-up with its rivals for years, selling largely outmoded models, mainly to utilities and local councils wishing to buy British, all the while hampered by inadequate investment and R&D.
Ill-fated attempted alliances with Renault and Daewoo failed, and by the time new product finally entered production, the market already had a surfeit of van suppliers.
There's no doubting the blow LDV's collapse would render the regional manufacturing skills base, but the claim by the management to switch to an electric vehicle builder seems more like a sop to public opinion in the hope of securing grant funding. Britain already has such an enterprise (Smiths), and with no credit available no one is buying new vans ask the remaining 20 light commercial makers and importers struggling in the UK.
Dave Young North London