Industry | Car industry |
---|---|
Fate | Merged in 1968 with Leyland Motor Corporation |
Predecessor |
Morris Motors Limited Austin Motor Company Limited Pressed Steel Company Ltd Jaguar Cars Limited |
Successor | British Leyland Motor Corporation |
Founded | 14 December 1966 |
Defunct | 17 January 1968 |
Headquarters | Longbridge, Birmingham, England, UK |
Key people
|
Sir George Harriman (Chairman) |
British Motor Holdings Limited (BMH) was a British vehicle manufacturing company known until 14 December 1966 as British Motor Corporation Limited (BMC). BMH was created as a holding company following the BMC's takeover of both Jaguar Cars and the Pressed Steel Company in that year.
Thirteen months later on 17 January 1968 under direct pressure from its national government BMH merged with Leyland Motor Corporation (Standard-Triumph, Rover and Alvis cars, Leyland trucks and buses, Alvis fighting vehicles) to form British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC).
The Wilson Labour Government (1964–1970) came to power at a time when British manufacturing industry was in decline and decided that the remedy was to promote more mergers, particularly in the motor industry. Chrysler was already buying into the Rootes Group, Leyland Motors had acquired Standard Triumph in 1961 (and would buy Rover in 1967) and had become a major automotive force. The British Motor Corporation (BMC) was suffering a dramatic drop in its share of the home market. Tony Benn, appointed Minister of Technology in July 1966, brought pressure to bear on the industry and one result was BMH's merger with Leyland to form British Leyland.