End of the road for BMC in the UK?
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By Kevin Swallow
BMC'S UK FUTURE is in doubt following intervention by the Turkish government.
The Turkish government's seizure of its national truck and coach maker BMC has put the brand's future in the UK in doubt, according to the marque's UK and Ireland importer Pelican Engineering. BMC, which makes CVs, municipal and military vehicles and buses and coaches, was seized in May by Turkey's Savings Deposit Insurance Fund, the
governing body for fund management and insurance in the Turkish banking system.
Pelican Engineering, a Wakefield-based Daf, Hino and MAN dealership, is the official importer for BMC buses and coaches, and has an agreement to be responsible for new CVs launched in the UK. Hurriyet Daily News,
which covers Turkey, reported that BMC was one of several businesses seized from its owner cukurova Group, due to the parent company's debts.
Izmir-based BMC was formed in 1964 after beginning life as a subsidiary of the British Motor Corporation.
cukurova Group acquired BMC in 1989, and in 1996 began to build and export the Professional series of trucks. It started to export them to the UK in 2003. The last BMC CV registered in the UK was in February 2012.