GPWizard F1 Forum
Everything Else => General Automotive => Topic started by: Wizzo on October 18, 2006, 03:57:48 PM
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TVR has announced that it will no longer manufacture cars in the UK, despite recently promising it intended to stay.
The sports car maker is to close its plant in Blackpool, meaning 250 people will lose their jobs.
There had been some uncertainty over the future of the firm and in April of this year it was announced that 71 members of staff would be made temporarily redundant.
Flagging sales were cited as the main reason for this and it looked as though TVR was set to leave the UK to benefit from cheaper labour elsewhere.
However, Russian owner Nikolai Smolensky said the firm would be staying in Blackpool and would soon be moving to a new site in the town.
Obviously this hasn't materialised and Smolensky released a statement today (October 18th) which detailed the closure.
"We are extremely sorry that, after a period of uncertainty and raised hopes that we could continue production ourselves in Blackpool, we have had to make this decision," he said. "We need to secure the future of the company and move it forward. I am afraid we see no other way to do so."
The Transport and General Workers Union has described the closure as "a bitter blow".
It is the latest piece of bad news for the British motor industry, with Peugeot announcing that it will close its Ryton plant in January, leaving 2,300 unemployed.