Failed attempts to crack the UK

[garethj]

4 hours ago, bunglebus said:

I'm nitpicking here but it probably wasn't a WWII era Kubelwagen - more likely  Trekker, either LHD 181 or rarer RHD 182

Yes, we had one as family car in the early’80s.  Based on the Type 3 floorpan so roomier inside than a Beetle, running gear was mostly VW van with its raised ground clearance and low compression 1600 engine.  Limited slip diff was a handy optional extra for getting through the mud.

 They imported 200 here in 1974 / 75

[goosey]

4 hours ago, sierraman said:

The Hinos did ok as tippers, Lafarge and Tarmac ran them. Basic though by all accounts but quarry work requires something strong and simple, manual shift etc. 

Aston Haulage in Bilston had a couple of Hino tippers a few years ago, I remember the Astons mechanic showed me that they had no grease points or provision for an auto lube on the steering axle spring shackles which meant the spring shackles had to be replaced on a near enough monthly basis. A job which I’m sure he absolutely loved doing😂

[garethj]

In the 1930s, Chrysler in the US imported Plymouths from Canada in parts and assembled them in Kew, London.  I think they offered the Wimbledon, Kew, Kensington and some others.

RHD, but definitely a large car for UK buyers where the most common car on the road was an Austin 7

[Pieman]

Re Dacias surviving in the UK - I saw this photo a while ago (it may have been on here), I believe this one is in Glasgow somewhere.

[Mrcento]

9 hours ago, Soundwave said:

Tata Motors hovered around the fringes for a bit, but never seemed to get a decent foothold. Started off with the Loadbeta and Gurkha...

They tried again with the Safari. Didn't go well.

There are bizarrely, 2 or 3 of these still trundling around locally to me. Which has to be about 80% of the entire UK population of them.

Have my suspicions they're all owned by the same person/family that lives in the countryside that just use them as a shitty 4x4 beater to go into town.  Always seem to see them in the same areas time and time again.

[Mrs6C]

Mia electric cars, of various kinds...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mia_electric

Six-cylinder had a test drive in one at an electric vehicle promotional event in London, several years ago. The door 'handle' was a push button shaped like a five-petalled flower!

I recall one was for sale on eBay not so long ago.

EDIT: also one for sale with a Youtube video...

 

[Sheefag]

I was looking at this one for sale on Facebook Marketplace only the other day.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1136718723920718/?hoisted=false&ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3A044f6ba5-0f5e-4c86-a378-fe46440c5b96

Quote

2013 Mia Electric 2.0

£7,950

Listed 2 weeks ago in Guildford, England

About this vehicle

Driven 14,700 km

Automatic transmission

Exterior colour: Green · Interior colour: Black

Fuel type: Electric

2 owners

Seller's description

100% Electric Mia (Cargo) 2013 3 door hatchback Mini-Van with twin sliding doors.

14,700 miles.

Very rare car and continues to get attention everywhere it goes.

Slow charge domestic 3 pin plug charger.

Fully charged gives 72 mile range on eco mode.

Heating/Radio/ power steering. Single seat central driving position makes it a unique and fun drive.

New green bumper also comes with it

Takes 5/6 hours to charge

 

[RayMK]

9 minutes ago, Mrcento said:

There are bizarrely, 2 or 3 of these still trundling around locally to me. Which has to be about 80% of the entire UK population of them.

Have my suspicions they're all owned by the same person/family that lives in the countryside that just use them as a shitty 4x4 beater to go into town.  Always seem to see them in the same areas time and time again.

I saw two different Tata pick-ups today,  both looking well worn but still in work.  A few years ago I saw a Tata Nano on the A5 near Towcester,  presumably only in the UK to be road tested by journalists investigating the 'World's cheapest car.'  Its reception in India was ultimately only lukewarm so plans to sell it in Europe and even the UK were quietly forgotten.  Their Pixel, as far as I know, only got as far as concept/working prototype cars.  

[OM646]

9 hours ago, Soundwave said:

Tata Motors hovered around the fringes for a bit, but never seemed to get a decent foothold. Started off with the Loadbeta and Gurkha...





Which actually sold in OK-ish numbers, particularly the Loadbeta, being seen as a basic but cost-effective option for small businesses. Unfortunately build quality and rustproofing were lol-worthy, and most fell apart or disintegrated before they were a decade old.

They tried again with the Safari. Didn't go well.



Then they tried selling their Indica, but cunningly disguising it as a Rover. Again, nobody was fooled.




After that, Tata Motors as an entity haven't really been active in the UK, they're mostly notable nowadays for being the puppeteer's hand up JLR's arse.

The new Safari actually looks bloody decent 

It's said to be based on the Disco Sport chassis.

Which means it's likely a pretty comfortable car to sit in while waiting for the AA to send a tow truck

 

[J R Hartley]

Perodua Myvi.

 

[NorfolkNWeigh]

6 hours ago, 5speedracer said:

The most ill-conceived I can remember was the introduction of the Hindustani Ambassador to the UK market in the early 90's. Basically a Morris Oxford Mk3 made in India.

I remember reading about it in maybe, Autocar, but never saw one in the wild.

Most of them ended up as mini cabs in West London, some posh hippy twat owned a company called Karma Kabs or something similar.

[RayMK]

6 minutes ago, J R Hartley said:

Perodua Myvi.

 

They sold quite a few.  Even today there are 7 on Autotrader.  The Daihatsu version (Sirion) was of course common but the Subaru version (Justy) very rare.

[Split_Pin]

56 minutes ago, Pieman said:

Re Dacias surviving in the UK - I saw this photo a while ago (it may have been on here), I believe this one is in Glasgow somewhere.

I'm fairly sure I spoke to the owner of that at a brakfast car meet I was at last year, or someone I was with did. We tried to get the owner on here but as far as I know he hasn't signed up. It kind of doesn't count on this thread as it is a personal import, but great to see all the same.

[Split_Pin]

Can anyone think of another car that the original manufacturers stopped making and selling in the UK but was subsequently put back into production abroad and then sold again in the UK with little success?

The Dacia Denem was one.

I'm not thinking of the Ledbury Maestro as they were small volume kits, but I am sure there are others.

[GMcD]

2 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

Can anyone think of another car that the original manufacturers stopped making and selling in the UK but was subsequently put back into production abroad and then sold again in the UK with little success?

The Dacia Denem was one.

I'm not thinking of the Ledbury Maestro as they were small volume kits, but I am sure there are others.

MG TF?

[GMcD]

Was the LDV Maxus built in the UK before LDV went tits up?

Then it came back with a facelift and new name? I know it's not a car mind.

[inconsistant]

AROnline: Towards the end of 1979, with the Metro’s launch still almost a year away, Islington-based dealer London Garages Limited offered the Innocenti range in limited numbers, and offered the option to convert the car to right-hand drive.

[TheIsleofShite]

Sure it’s already been mentioned but the Sao Penza 

 

[lesapandre]

7 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

Can anyone think of another car that the original manufacturers stopped making and selling in the UK but was subsequently put back into production abroad and then sold again in the UK with little success?

The Dacia Denem was one.

I'm not thinking of the Ledbury Maestro as they were small volume kits, but I am sure there are others.

Overseas mongrels- 

Rover SD1 in India- it was badged as a 'Standard'. 

Likewise 4-door Triumph Herald.

Hillman Hunter as the Paykan.

The Hillman Avenger ended up in Brazil badged as a VW.

Farina BMC's ended up in Argentina as the Siam Di Tella - there was even a pick-up.

Etc etc...it's a very long and often sad list...

But none made it back as an official import. Although the SD1 spares were repatriated by Rimmers.

Some CKD Maestros came back from Bulgaria.

[Soundwave]

1 hour ago, Split_Pin said:

Can anyone think of another car that the original manufacturers stopped making and selling in the UK but was subsequently put back into production abroad and then sold again in the UK with little success?

The Dacia Denem was one.

I'm not thinking of the Ledbury Maestro as they were small volume kits, but I am sure there are others.

The only other one I can think of is the Mk2 Astra, which was later resurrected and came back to the UK as the Daewoo Nexia. Although... they were actually reasonably successful at the time, plus the styling was mildly tweaked. So not sure that entirely counts.

[62 Austin]

Nice to see all these upstart import attempts. The Mahindra Jeep-simulacra-mobile is just starting to show up here in Montana and Idaho.

There's no mention so far of the successful cracking of the market by the irrepressible Nash Metro. Ironically, they were built in England by Austin for AMC & most exported to the States. Over 1,200 were sold in the UK, including one special owner --

"There was also an even more special edition, the "Royal Runabout," a handsome black-and-gold one-off built for and presented to Britain's Princess Margaret." source: howstuffworks.com 

 

source: Hemmings.com.  Here's Princess Margaret's Austin-badged 1960 Metro. Green leather upholstery, green carpet, black exterior, RHD....and a quote from a 2018 article:

"Princess Margaret loved her little Met and drove it often, catching the attention of the press, and local hooligans as well. Four youths stole the car one day and took it for a joyride. When the London Daily Express heard what had happened, they duly reported that the Princess' "royal runabout," as they dubbed it, had been nicked by hoodlums. The car was eventually recovered, and one of the youths was caught."

...........I used to have a 1962 Nash Metro the same as this, except a coupe, and would posit that the 4 youths must have been little people(you're not allowed to say midgets except in MG circles anymore)😉. They would hold 3 people in the front seat if they were ectomorphs, but the "rear compartment" was comic in its lack of room.

 

[martc]

Four pages in and no mention of UMM? A Portuguese 4x4 competitor to the Land Rover. Introduced to the UK in the  '80's to a muted response the problem was the Land Rover was doing quite well at the time and farmers are a conservative lot. The UMM sank. They would probably do well today as there is no utilitarian 4x4 in the UK but unfortunately UMM are no longer with us.

It's difficult to find sales figures, but according to how many left there were 475 in 1995 but the survival rate isn't too  bad - 13 taxed and 91 sorn'd this year although I think a few Portuguese ones have been brought over.

 

[Split_Pin]

I remember those from my holiday in Portugal in 1995, they were, obviously, everywhere!

[NorfolkNWeigh]

30 minutes ago, martc said:

Four pages in and no mention of UMM? A Portuguese 4x4 competitor to the Land Rover. Introduced to the UK in the  '80's to a muted response the problem was the Land Rover was doing quite well at the time and farmers are a conservative lot. The UMM sank. They would probably do well today as there is no utilitarian 4x4 in the UK but unfortunately UMM are no longer with us.

It's difficult to find sales figures, but according to how many left there were 475 in 1995 but the survival rate isn't too  bad - 13 taxed and 91 sorn'd this year although I think a few Portuguese ones have been brought over.

 

There were at least two on here at one point, Breadbin had one as did the fella with the Messerschmitts, I think.

[sierraman]

I’d seen the UMM Alter in Spain, where they obviously were competing with the Santana. Another one... the Ebro Trade! Imported here in 85-86, think they also offered a larger 7.5 tonne type job as well. 

[Soundwave]

And of course, how can we forget the G-Wiz... once touted as the future of city motoring, reviled by Clarkson and co, sales didn't even clear 700. Much like many of the 2000s-era EV attempts, it was hampered by short range, low speed and a general reluctance to embrace new technologies. Also hampered by being only slightly better than a mobility scooter in a crash.



As a side note, I know there's at least one of these still in regular use around the Warwick area. I've managed to get stuck behind it a couple of times on the commute...

[sierraman]

Pegaso Troner, a mid size tractor unit designed to compete with Iveco and Scania, supposedly parts were a twat to get hold of so it didn’t do well. Happily one still survives in Northern Ireland awaiting restoration. 

Occasionally in rural areas of Spain you sometimes see Pegaso trucks despite being out of production 20 odd years. 

[TataBobu]

10 hours ago, Pieman said:

Re Dacias surviving in the UK - I saw this photo a while ago (it may have been on here), I believe this one is in Glasgow somewhere.

That's made in or after 1995. Looks a lot better than mine, which is of the same vintage.

[DVee8]

9 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

Can anyone think of another car that the original manufacturers stopped making and selling in the UK but was subsequently put back into production abroad and then sold again in the UK with little success?

The Dacia Denem was one.

I'm not thinking of the Ledbury Maestro as they were small volume kits, but I am sure there are others.

Not quite on track but. Nissan moved the tooling for the last Primera, production stopped around 06 and the tooling for the first Qashqai, produced stopped 2013. To their Russia plant.

Can't see them returning.

 

 

[sierraman]

32 minutes ago, DVee8 said:

Not quite on track but. Nissan moved the tooling for the last Primera, production stopped around 06 and the tooling for the first Qashqai, produced stopped 2013. To their Russia plant.

Can't see them returning.

 

 

I’d say they’re welcome to it, the last Primera was fucking shit! Not like the first type, which ironically was excellent. 

Back on topic but does anyone remember Fords badly thought out idea to bring Lincoln to the U.K.? In essence probably now it wouldn’t be a terrible idea, would have made more sense than the Vignale. Something like a Mach E type thing that was sufficiently different enough to be premium. Anyway in about 2000 they decided to haul over the Lincoln, the one they decided to import just looked like a Kia. Anyway at the last minute sense prevailed I believe and it was jettisoned.