Abstract
A CLEAR picture of the British motor industry is presented in a broadsheet prepared by Political and Economic Planning (No. 284). The broadsheet traces first the development of the industry before the War, examining factors such as taxation which influenced demand in the United Kingdom and the growth of the Nuffield Organisation, the Ford Motor Co., the Austin Motor Co., Vaůxhall Motors, the Rootes Group, and the Standard Motor Co. The effect of conversion to war demands and subsequent reconversion is then described, and, after a review of the post-war structure and home demand, the labour force of the industry is analysed, and its trade organisations and export markets are considered. The broadsheet makes no recommendations as to future policy, but indicates that if the shortage of foreign exchange could be left out of account, there is sufficient shortage of vehicles in the world to give both Britain and the United States ample scope for some time to come. Such comparison with pre-war figures as is practicable suggests that the industry‘s labour force is about 25 per cent greater than before the War.
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Motor Industry in Britain. Nature 162, 646 (1948). https://doi.org/10.1038/162646b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/162646b0