TVR to close sports car factory
Mark Milner
Tuesday April 25, 2006
The Guardian
Sports car maker TVR is to close its Blackpool factory, which employs 260 people, later this year, but pledged production would continue elsewhere.
The company, which was bought in 2004 by a Russian banker's son, Nikolai Smolensky, said it needed to move to smaller premises. "We have been talking about moving production for some time. There is no way this is the end of TVR," a spokesman said.
Output has fallen from around 15 cars a week to between six and 10, which has already led to 70 lay-offs, but the company said it was looking at ways of increasing its presence in markets in continental Europe and the far east. It said it had held talks with Nanjing Automotive, the Chinese car maker, about a joint production model.
Last night it was unclear where production would be moved to or how many jobs would be lost. "The company told us it intended to keep a presence in the UK, but did not say where it would be or if manufacturing was going to be transferred there," said Andy Robertson, the Transport & General Workers' Union regional organiser. "This is a further blow for car making in the UK."