Lord Digby-Jones, Minister of State for trade and former director of the CBI, has hailed the UK automotive sector as “the best in the world”.
Speaking at the British International Motor Show, taking place at the Excel Centre, London, until August 3, Lord Digby-Jones said: “Seven out of ten of the top global vehicle manufacturers recognise the UK as an excellent place to come and base themselves.”
While identifying the European supply prowess of BMW’s plant in Oxford and Nissan’s base in Sunderland as major assets to the country, Lord Digby-Jones also praised the work done by Lotus of Norfolk, in displaying exceptional standards of British engineering.
The overall sentiment was backed by General Motor’s Europe chief, Carl Peter-Forster, who, at the press day of the event on Tuesday, revealed the company were “seriously considering” a Vauxhall plant in Merseyside to become the European production base for its much-anticipated electric car, the Volt.
In a further boost for the industry, Gordon Brown used the show to announce £90 million pounds worth of investment, planned to aid eco-friendly automotive development in this country.
