View source for British Motor Corporation

{{Short description|Automobile manufacturer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2013}}
{{Infobox company
| name = The British Motor Corporation Limited
| logo = BMC rosette.png
| fate = Merged with [[Jaguar Cars]] to form [[British Motor Holdings]]
| predecessor =[[Morris Motors|Morris Motors Limited]]<br />[[Austin Motor Company|Austin Motor Company Limited]]
| successor = [[British Motor Holdings]]
| foundation = April 1952 
| founders={{Plainlist|
*[[Leonard Lord]]
*[[William Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield|William Richard Morris]]
}}
| defunct = 14 December 1966
| location = [[Longbridge plant|Longbridge]], United Kingdom
| industry = Motor vehicles
| key_people =[[Leonard Lord]]<br />[[George Harriman]]
| products = (include) [[Morris Minor]], [[Morris Mini|Mini]], [[BMC ADO16|1100]],<br />[[MG MGB|MGB]], [[Austin-Healey]]
| num_employees = <!--peak number of employees-->
| parent = <!--former parent companies, if any-->
| subsid = <!--former subsidiaries, if any-->
}}

'''The British Motor Corporation Limited''' ('''BMC''') was a [[United Kingdom|UK]]-based vehicle manufacturer formed in early 1952 to give effect to an agreed merger of the [[Morris Motors|Morris]] and [[Austin Motor Company|Austin]] businesses.<ref name=Times>Morris-Austin Merger Company Named. ''The Times'', Friday, 29 February 1952; pg. 9; Issue 52248</ref>

BMC acquired the shares in Morris Motors and the Austin Motor Company. Morris Motors, the holding company of the productive businesses of the [[Nuffield Organization]], owned [[MG Cars|MG]], [[Riley Motor|Riley]], and [[Wolseley Motors|Wolseley]].<ref name=Times/>

The agreed exchange of shares in Morris or Austin for shares in the new holding company, BMC, became effective in mid-April 1952.<ref>City News in Brief. ''The Times'', Monday, 21 April 1952; pg. 9; Issue 52291</ref>

In September 1965, BMC took control of its major supplier of bodies, [[Pressed Steel Company|Pressed Steel]], acquiring [[Jaguar Cars|Jaguar's]] body supplier in the process. In September 1966, BMC merged with Jaguar Cars.<ref>"Jaguar Group of companies is to merge with The British Motor Corporation Ltd., as the first step towards the sitting up of a joint holding company to be called British Motor (Holdings) Limited." Joint merger statement, 11 July 1966 issued at the press conference at the Great Eastern Hotel, London</ref> In December 1966, BMC changed its name to [[British Motor Holdings|British Motor Holdings Limited]] (BMH).<ref name=NLabel>British Motor Takes That New Label ''The Times'', Thursday, 15 December 1966; pg. 17; Issue 56815</ref>

BMH merged, in May 1968, with [[Leyland Motor Corporation|Leyland Motor Corporation Limited]], which made trucks and buses and owned both [[Triumph Motor Company#Leyland and beyond|Standard-Triumph International Limited]] and the [[Rover Company]] to become [[British Leyland]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=British giants merge {{!}} 19th January 1968 {{!}} The Commercial Motor Archive |url=https://archive.commercialmotor.com/article/19th-january-1968/29/british-giants-merge |access-date=2023-09-15 |website=archive.commercialmotor.com}}</ref>

==Organisation==
[[File:Scripophily BMC 1959.jpg|thumb|A BMC share certificate]]
[[File:British Motor Corporation ambulance reg BPF 281 H.jpg|thumb|A BMC ambulance]]
[[File:1963 MkI Mini.jpg|right|thumb|A 1963 Austin [[Mini]] Super-Deluxe. The Mini was BMC's all-time best seller.]]
[[File:1965.riley.4slash72.arp.jpg|right|thumb|A 1965 Riley 4/72]]

BMC was the largest British car company of its day, with (in 1952) 39% of British output, producing a wide range of cars under brand names including Austin, Morris, MG, [[Austin-Healey]], Riley, and Wolseley, as well as commercial vehicles and [[agricultural tractor]]s. The first chairman was Lord Nuffield ([[William Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield|William Morris]]), but he was replaced at the end of 1952 by Austin's [[Leonard Lord]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Lord Nuffield's Retirement |newspaper=[[The Times]] |date=18 December 1952 |page=6 |issue=52498}}</ref> who continued in that role until his 65th birthday in 1961, but handing over, in theory at least, the managing director responsibilities to his deputy [[George Harriman]] in 1956.

BMC's headquarters were at the Austin [[Longbridge plant]], near [[Birmingham]] and Austin was the dominant partner in the group mainly because of the chairman. The use of Morris engine designs was dropped within three years and all new car designs were coded ADO from "Austin Drawing Office".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.austinmemories.com/styled-95/index.html | title=ADO Codes }}</ref> The Longbridge plant was up to date, having been thoroughly modernised in 1951, and compared very favourably to Nuffield's 16 different and often old-fashioned factories scattered over [[the Midlands]]. Austin's management systems, however, especially cost control and marketing, were not as good as Nuffield's and as the market changed from a shortage of cars to competition, this was to tell. The biggest-selling car, the [[Mini]], was famously analysed by [[Ford Motor Company]], which concluded that BMC must have been losing £30 on every one sold. The result was that although volumes held up well throughout the BMC era, market share fell as did profitability and hence investment in new models, triggering the 1966 merger with [[Jaguar Cars]] to form [[British Motor Holdings]] (BMH), and the government-sponsored merger of BMH with [[Leyland Motors|Leyland Motor Corporation]] in 1968.

At the time of the mergers, a well established dealership network was in place for each of the marques. Among the car-buying British public was a tendency of loyalty to a particular marque and marques appealed to different market segments. This meant that marques competed against each other in some areas, though some marques had a larger range than others. The [[Riley (car)|Riley]] and [[Wolseley Motors|Wolseley]] models were selling in very small numbers. Styling was also getting distinctly old-fashioned and this caused Leonard Lord, in an unusual move for him, to call upon the services of an external stylist.

As well as the car manufacturing arms, the company had its own printing and publishing firm, the [[Nuffield Press]], inherited from the Morris Motors group.

==BMC Farina==
In 1958, BMC hired [[Battista Farina]] to redesign its entire car line. This resulted in the creation of three "Farina" [[sedan (car)|saloons]], each of which was [[badge engineering|badge-engineered]] to fit the various BMC car lines.

The compact Farina model debuted in 1958 with the [[Austin A40 Farina]]. This is considered by many to be the first mass-produced [[hatchback]] car: a small estate version was produced with a horizontally split tailgate, its size and configuration would today be considered that of a small hatchback. A [[Austin A40 Farina|Mark II A40 Farina]] appeared in 1961 and was produced through 1967. These small cars used the [[BMC A-Series engine|A-Series]] engine.

The mid-sized Farinas were launched in 1958 with the [[Wolseley 15/60]]. Other members of the group included the [[Riley 4#Riley 4 / Sixty Eight|Riley 4/68]], [[Austin Cambridge#A55 Cambridge Mark II|Austin A55 Cambridge Mk. II]], [[MG Magnette#Magnette Mark III|MG Magnette Mk. III]], and [[Morris Oxford Farina#Oxford series V (1959–1961)|Morris Oxford V]]. Later, the design was licensed in [[Argentina]] and produced as the [[Siam Di Tella]] 1500, Traveller station wagon and Argenta pick-up. The mid-size cars used the [[BMC B-Series engine|B-Series]] [[straight-4]] engine. Most of these cars lasted until 1961, though the Di Tellas remained until 1966. They were replaced with a new Farina body style and most were renamed. These were the [[Austin Cambridge#A60 Cambridge|Austin A60 Cambridge]], [[MG Magnette#Magnette Mark IV|MG Magnette Mk. IV]], [[Morris Oxford Farina#Oxford series VI (1961–1971)|Morris Oxford VI]], [[Riley 4#Riley 4 / Seventy Two|Riley 4/72]], and [[Wolseley 16/60#Wolseley 16/60|Wolseley 16/60]], and in 1964 the [[Siam Di Tella|Siam]] Magnette 1622 alongside the Siam Di Tella in Argentina. Most remained in production until 1968, with no [[rear-wheel drive]] replacement produced.

The third and largest Farina car was the [[Austin Westminster|Austin A99 Westminster]]/[[Vanden Plas Princess|Vanden Plas Princess 3-Litre]]/[[Wolseley 6/99]], launched in 1959. They used the large [[BMC C-Series engine|C-Series]] [[straight-6]] engine. The large Farinas were updated in 1961 as the [[Austin Westminster|Austin A110 Westminster]], [[Vanden Plas Princess|Vanden Plas Princess 3-Litre Mk. II]], and [[Wolseley 6/110]]. These remained in production until 1968.

==BMC cars==

===Inherited models===

====Austin====
* [[Austin Sheerline|Austin A125 Sheerline]] (1947–1954)
* [[Austin Princess|Austin A135 Princess]] (1947–1956)
* [[Austin A40 Sports]] (1950–1953)
* [[Austin A70|Austin A70 Hereford]] (1950–1954)
* [[Austin A30]] (1951–1956)
* [[Austin Atlantic|Austin A90 Atlantic]] (1949–1952)
* [[Austin A40 Devon]] (1947–1952)

====MG====
* [[MG TD]] (1949–1953)
* [[MG T-type|MG TF]] (1953–1955)
* [[MG Y-type]] (1947–1953)

====Morris====
* [[Morris Minor]] (1948–1971; until 1972 in New Zealand)
* [[Morris Oxford MO]] (1948–1954)
* [[Morris Six MS]] (1948–1953)

====Riley====
* [[Riley RM|Riley RM series]] (1945–1955)

====Wolseley====
* [[Wolseley 4/50]] (1948–1953)
* [[Wolseley 6/80]] (1948–1954)
* [[Nuffield Oxford Taxi]] (1947–1955)

{{Clear}}

===BMC designs===
<div style="float:left; width:48%;">

====Austin====
* [[Austin A40 Somerset]] (1952–1954)
* [[Austin Cambridge|Austin A40 Cambridge]] (1954–1956)
* [[Austin Westminster|Austin A90 Westminster]] (1954–1968)
* [[Nash Metropolitan|Austin Metropolitan]] (1954–1961)
* [[Austin A35]] (1956–1959)
* [[Austin Lancer]] (1958–1962; Australia)
* [[Austin Princess|Austin Princess IV]] (1956–1957)
* [[Austin A40 Farina]] (1958–1967)
* [[Austin Cambridge|Austin A55 Cambridge]] (1957–1961)
* [[Austin Cambridge|Austin A60 Cambridge]] (1961–1969)
* [[Austin Mini|Austin Seven (Mini)]] (1959–1989)
* [[Austin Freeway]] (1962–1965; Australia)
* [[BMC ADO16|Austin 1100/1300]] (1963–1974)
* [[Austin 1800]] (1964–1975)
* [[Austin 3-Litre]] (1967–1971)
* [[Austin Maxi]] (1969–1981; designed in the BMC era)

====Austin-Healey====
* [[Austin-Healey 100]] (1953–1959)
* [[Austin-Healey 3000]] (1959–1968)
* [[Austin-Healey Sprite]] (1958–1971)

====MG====
* [[MG MGA|MG A]] (1955–1962)
* [[MG Magnette]] ZA/ZB (1953–1959)
* [[MG Magnette]] Mk III/Mk IV (1959–1968)
* [[MG Midget]] (1961–1974)
* [[MG MGB|MGB]] (1962–1980)
* [[MG 1100|MG 1100/1300]] (1962–1973)
* [[MG MGC|MGC]] (1967–1969)

====Morris====
* [[Morris Oxford MO]] (1948–1954)
* [[Morris Oxford Series II]] (1954–1956)
* [[Morris Oxford Series III]] (1956–1959)
* [[Morris Oxford Farina]] (1959–1971)
* [[Morris Cowley]] (1954–1959)
* [[Morris Isis]] (1955–1958)
* [[Morris Marshal]] (1957–1960; Australia)
* [[Morris Major]] (1958–1964; Australia)
* [[Morris Mini|Morris Mini Minor (Mini)]] (1959–2000)
* [[BMC ADO16|Morris 1100/1300]] (1963–1974)
* [[BMC ADO17|Morris 1800]] (1964–1975)

</div><div style="float:right; width:48%;">

====Princess====
* [[Austin Princess#Austin Princess IV and Princess IV|Princess IV]] (1957–1959)
* [[Austin Princess#Princess 3-litre and Vanden Plas Princess 3-litre|Princess 3 litre]] (1959–1960)

====Riley====
* [[Riley Pathfinder]] (1953–1957
* [[Riley Two-Point-Six|Riley 2.6]] (1958–1959)
* [[Riley One-Point-Five|Riley 1.5]] (1957–1965)
* [[Riley 4/68]] (1959–1961)
* [[Riley 4/72]] (1961–1969)
* [[Mini#Variants|Riley Elf]] (1961–1969)
* [[Riley Kestrel]] (1965–1969)

====Vanden Plas====
* [[Vanden Plas Princess#Vanden Plas Princess 3-litre|Vanden Plas Princess 3-Litre]] (1960–1964)
* [[BMC ADO16|Vanden Plas Princess 1100/1275/1300]] (1963–1974)
* [[Vanden Plas Princess#Vanden Plas Princess 4-litre R|Vanden Plas Princess 4-Litre R]] (1964–1968)

====Wolseley====
* [[Wolseley 4/44]] (1952–1956)
* [[Wolseley 6/90]] (1954–1959)
* [[Wolseley 15/50]] (1956–1958)
* [[Wolseley 1500]] (1957–1965)
* [[Wolseley 15/60]] (1958–1961)
* [[Wolseley 16/60]] (1961–1971)
* [[Wolseley 6/99]] (1959–1961)
* [[Wolseley 6/110]] (1961–1968)
* [[Mini#Variants|Wolseley Hornet]] (1961–1969)
* [[Wolseley 24/80]] (1962–1967; Australia)
* [[Wolseley 1100|Wolsleley 1100/1300]] (1965–1973)
* [[BMC ADO17|Wolseley 18/85]] (1967–1972)

</div>{{Clear}}
----

===BMC project numbers===

{{Main|Amalgamated Drawing Office}}
[[File:Mgb.bristol.750pix.jpg|right|thumb|A 1966 MGB (ADO 23)]]

Most BMC projects followed the earlier Austin practice of describing vehicles with an 'ADO' number (which stood for 'Austin Design Office' but after the merger 'Amalgamated Drawing Office'). Hence, cars that had more than one marque name (e.g. Morris Mini Minor and Austin Mini) would have the same ADO number.<!--need this be even thought?--> Given the often complex badge-engineering<!--any examples of this "complexity"?--> that BMC undertook, it is common amongst enthusiasts to use the ADO number when referring to vehicles which were a single design (for example, saying 'The ADO15 entered production in 1959'- this encompasses the fact that when launched, the ADO15 was marketed as the Morris Mini Minor and, later, the Austin Seven—soon replaced with Austin Mini).  The ADO numbering system did continue for some time after the creation of British Leyland – notable models being the [[Austin Allegro]] (ADO67) and the prototype version of the [[Austin Metro]] (ADO88).

==Commercial vehicles==
Most BMC-era commercial vehicles were sold as Morris, but there were sometimes Austin equivalents. Radiator badges on the larger vehicles were often BMC.

===Car-based light vans===
[[File:Morris Cowley MCV Van.jpg|right|thumb|A Morris Cowley MCV Van]]
*Morris Z-series ¼-ton ([[Morris Eight]] Series E) 1940–53
*Morris ¼-ton O-Type ([[Morris Minor]]-based van) 1953–71
*[[Morris Cowley#Morris Cowley MCV|Morris Cowley MCV]] van 1950–56
*[[Austin A30]] van 1954–56
*[[Austin A35]] van 1956–68
*[[Austin A35]] pick-up 1956–57
*[[Morris Cowley#½-ton series III|Morris ½-ton Series III]] van 1956–62
*[[Austin A55 Cambridge|Austin A55]] van 1958–62
*[[Austin A55 Cambridge|Austin A55]] pick-up (Australian built) 1958–62
*[[Mini]] van 1960–82
*[[Mini]] pick-up 1961–82
*[[Austin A40 Farina]] van (export only) 1961–67
*[[Austin 1800]] Utility (Australia built) 1967–74

===Light vans===
[[File:Morris Commercial JB 1957.jpg|right|thumb|A 1957 Morris JB Van]]
*Austin K8 1948–1954
*[[Morris J-type]] 1949–1960
*Morris LD 1952–1968
*Morris J2 1956–1967
*[[Morris 250 JU]]<ref name=Autocar1967>{{Cite magazine| title = New Dormobiles|magazine=[[Autocar (magazine)|Autocar]] | volume = 127 (nbr 3739)| pages =91–92 |date = 12 October 1967}}</ref> 1967–
*[[Morris Commercial J4|Austin/Morris J4]] 1960–1974

===Taxi cabs and hire cars===
*[[Austin FX3]] Taxi 1949–58
*Austin FL1 Hire Car 1949-58
*[[Austin FX4]] Taxi 1958-82
*Austin FL2 Hire Car 1958-82

===Light lorries===
*Morris LC4 1952–54
*Morris LC5 1954–60
*Morris FV-series (Series I) 1948–54
*Morris FV-series (Series II) 1954–55
*Morris FE-series (Series III) 1955–59
*Morris FG 1960–68
*Morris FM 1961–68
*[[Morris WE]] 1955–64
*Morris WF 1964–81
*Morris FF 1958–61
*Morris FH 1961–64
*Morris FJ 1964–68
*BMC VA 1958–76

==BMC agricultural vehicles==
With the merger of the Nuffield and Austin interests, the [[Nuffield Organization]]'s tractor range, the [[Nuffield Universal]], was incorporated into BMC.

==BMC abroad==
In the 1950s and the 1960s, BMC set up 21 plants overseas, some as subsidiaries, and some as joint ventures, to assemble its vehicles. One was [[British Motor Corporation (Australia)]] which was established in 1953 at the Nuffield Australia site on the one-time [[Victoria Park Racecourse, Sydney]].<ref>The Macquarie Dictionary of Motoring, 1986, page 62</ref> This facility went from a marshalling area for fully imported Morris cars (Austins were up until then being assembled in [[Melbourne]] from an earlier Austin Motors establishment), to a facility for making [[Knock-down kit|CKD]] cars, to the total local fabrication and construction of vehicles, engines, and mechanicals.<ref name="whisler">{{Cite book
|title=The British Motor Industry 1945–1994
|author=Timothy R. Whisler
|year=1999
|publisher=Oxford University Press
|isbn=0-19-829074-8
}}</ref>

[[Denmark]] was a particularly strong market for BMC products in Europe. In the postwar period, the Danish government closely regulated exports and imports to maintain the country's [[balance of trade]]. High-value imports such as cars were heavily taxed. 

From 1963 to 1975, a company was established in Spain to produce BMC cars under licence, its name was: 'AUTHI' -'Automoviles de Turismo Hispano-Ingleses' -'Spanish-English Tourism Automobiles'. The factory was in Pamplona, Navarra, Spain, and when the production of Austin and Mini cars was discontinued, Sociedad Española de Automóviles de Turismo ([[SEAT]]), owned by the state and some banks and industrial investors, purchased the factory. After the takeover of SEAT by Volkswagen, SEAT made an 'internal' resale of the Pamplona factory, formerly Authi, to Volkswagen, which soon started producing there the 'Polo'.

In 1964, BMC Turkey was established in cooperation with the British Motor Corporation. The Turkish partners retained the 74% of the capital while 26% held by the UK-based British Motor Corporation.

==Government takes over==
The [[Labour Government 1964-1970|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]], and [[Leyland Motors]] had acquired [[Standard Motor Company|Standard]] [[Triumph Motor Company|Triumph]] in 1961 (and would buy [[Rover Company|Rover]] in 1967), becoming a major automotive force. BMC was suffering a dramatic drop in its share of the home market. [[Tony Benn#In government (1964–1970)|Tony Benn]], appointed [[Minister of Technology]] in July 1966, brought pressure to bear on the industry.

===British Motor Holdings Limited===
In mid-1965 BMC offered to buy its major supplier Pressed Steel and took control in September with 27,000 employees.<ref>B.M.C.-Pressed Steel's Defensive Merger  ''The Times'', 23 July 1965; pg. 17; Issue 56381</ref><ref>B.M.C. Gets 89 p.c. Of Pressed Steel ''The Times'', 10 September 1965; pg. 15; Issue 56423</ref> Twelve months later, BMC merged with Jaguar Cars adding a further 7,000 employees.<ref>"...after lengthy and cordial discussions with Sir George Harriman, we have mutually agreed to a merger of our two organisations" Letter to suppliers by Sir William Lyons, July 1966</ref> On 14 December 1966 BMC shareholders approved the change of its name to [[British Motor Holdings]] (BMH) and it took effect from that date.<ref name=NLabel/>

===British Leyland===
{{Main|British Leyland}}
Little more than 12 months later in January 1968, under pressure from the [[Labour Party(UK)|Labour]] [[British government]] and Minister of Technology [[Tony Benn]], a further wave of mergers occurred in the British car industry. BMH merged with the [[Leyland Motor Corporation]] (LMC) to form the [[British Leyland|British Leyland Motor Corporation]] (BLMC).<ref>£410m British Leyland group to storm the world market ''The Times'', Thursday 18 January 1968; pg. 17; Issue 57152</ref> BMC Ltd (which contained most of the operations of the former British Motor Corporation) remained a subsidiary company of BLMC after the merger, although its name was later changed to "Austin-Morris Ltd" - reflecting the new ''Austin-Morris'' division of BLMC, with the BMC name subsequently disappearing from public view.

Within the new conglomerate, the various marques were grouped together into two main divisions, based largely on the original BMC and LMC businesses; with the former mass market BMC marques becoming part of the ''Austin-Morris'' division of BLMC, whilst LMC stablemates [[Rover (marque)|Rover]] and [[Triumph Motor Company|Triumph]] joined Jaguar in the Specialist Division.

This basic structure remained in place right up until the creation of the [[Austin Rover Group]] in the early 1980s, by which time BLMC had been nationalised and renamed [[British Leyland|British Leyland Limited]]<ref>Government takes over the restyled Leyland, British Leyland today joins the ranks of nationalized industries ''The Times'', Monday 11 August 1975; pg. 13; Issue 59471</ref> (later just BL plc), although by this time both Jaguar and Land Rover had been placed in their own independent subsidiaries which were separate from the old BMC/LMC divisions.

==Post mortem==
Following the merger with Leyland, a review of company records undertaken with the support of the new board, author Graham Turner stated that at the time of the merger, 16 versions of the Mini were being produced, yielding an average profit of just £16 per car, while every [[Morris Minor]] sold lost the group £9 and every [[Austin Westminster]] sold lost £17.<ref name=Autocar197110>{{Cite magazine|magazine=[[Autocar (magazine)|Autocar]] |title = The cars then and now| page =57| date = 28 October 1971}}</ref> This helps to explain why the Westminster and Minor were among the early casualties of the merger, as well as the introduction of the [[Mini#Mini Clubman and 1275GT: 1969–1980|Mini Clubman]], capable of being built for less, but sold for more than a standard Mini thanks to simplified ("modernised") front panels.

Even the UK's best seller, the [[BMC ADO16|Austin/Morris 1100]], had to be subjected to an emergency cost-reduction programme which removed about £10 from the cost of each car, applying changes that included the omission of lead sealing from body joints (£2.40 per car), removing provision for optional reversing lamps (£0.10) and "changes in body finish" (£0.75).<ref name=Autocar197110/>

Rebuilding the [[Plant Oxford|Cowley plant]] to include "new automated body building facilities" saved £2.00 in transport costs per car for bodies that no longer needed to be transported from the corporation's [[Swindon]] plant and in the longer term further transport costs were saved by concentrating assembly of the model at a single plant, rather than splitting it between plants at Cowley and Longbridge.<ref name=Autocar197110/>

Because of the high proportion of auto-production costs represented by fixed costs that needed to be allocated over a planned production volume, and the use in the 1960s of investment appraisal criteria that were ill-suited to accounting for volume fluctuations and the rapidly changing value of the UK currency in the 1960s, the precise figures quoted may be open to challenge, but the new management's diagnosis that BMC's profitability was insufficient to fund support and new model investment to cover its disparate range of brands and models was hard to refute.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}

Throughout the 1960s, the failure of the United Kingdom to join the [[European Economic Community]] meant that the company could not exploit the lucrative European markets due to high import tariffs, whereas BMC's key rivals Ford and General Motors both had German subsidiaries producing and selling within the bloc, and were therefore immune from those import tariffs.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}

In 2002, [[BMC (Turkey)]], a [[Turkey|Turkish]] commercial vehicle builder, originally set up by the British Motor Corporation to build its designs under licence in the 1950s, began exporting its vehicles to Britain. This allowed the return of the BMC brand to British roads for the first time in over 40 years.

==See also==
* [[:Category:BMC engines|BMC engines]]
* [[Bathgate|Bathgate Lorry Plant]]
* [[British Motor Corporation (Australia)]]
* [[Authi]] - A Spanish collaboration between BMC and [[Nueva Montaña Quijano]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|British Motor Corporation}}
* [http://www.austinmemories.com Austin Memories]

{{British Motor Corporation cars, 1952-1968}}
{{British Leyland}}
{{British Car Industry}}
{{Automotive industry in the United Kingdom}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:BMC vehicles| ]]
[[Category:British Leyland]]
[[Category:Luxury motor vehicle manufacturers]]
[[Category:Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of England]]
[[Category:1952 establishments in England]]
[[Category:1966 disestablishments in England]]
[[Category:Companies formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange]]
[[Category:Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1952]]
[[Category:Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1966]]