Designs for a concept car dubbed the Birmingham Bolt – because the technical expertise and componentry it uses have been sourced almost entirely from the UK’s ‘second city’ – are being shared with investors at the 11th Auto Expo, taking place in Delhi this week (5- 11 January).
The concept car is a virtual tour de force conceived by inward investment body Business Birmingham as a technical showcase for the Greater Birmingham area and highlights both the strength of the area’s existing supply chain and the significant potential for investors seeking to join it.
Revealing a first glimpse of the Bolt’s design ahead of the show, Business Birmingham’s transport technologies and manufacturing investment manager Martyn Mangan said: “The Bolt is a high performance, premium concept vehicle design that incorporates advanced engineering capability and precision parts sourced almost exclusively in the Birmingham area.
“Our established automotive supply chain means that the majority of The Bolt’s body, chassis, interior and underlying componentry could be supplied locally – seeing this design or one very much like it accelerate from the drawing board and onto roads in under 18 months using our existing research, development and manufacturing base.”
Business Birmingham is the only foreign direct investment organisation to attend the Auto Expo and will be using The Bolt Concept to illustrate the significant opportunity that the presence of such a strong automotive and advanced engineering supply chain presents for investors such as Indian investment funds and trading organisations.
Neil Rami, Chief Executive of Marketing Birmingham explains: “The message we’re sharing with investors in Delhi is that two thirds of all UK automotive R&D is conducted in the Greater Birmingham area and global vehicle manufacturers such as Jaguar Land Rover, Toyota and BMW source over 4billion GBP of components locally.
“We’re at the show to encourage and support joint ventures between UK businesses and Indian companies looking to enter the supply chain. There are also still opportunities for suppliers in as yet untapped niches – including specialist casting companies, specific engine components and electronics suppliers – so we believe there is a compelling commercial case for choosing Birmingham as a place in which to invest.”
