Colt Car Company

The Colt Car Company Ltd
Private limited company
Industry Motor vehicle import and distribution
Founded UK (March 21, 1974 (1974-03-21))
Headquarters Watermoor, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, UK
Key people
 Lance Bradley (Managing Director)
Revenue £554 million[1]
Number of employees
 350[1]
Parent Mitsubishi Corporation[2]
Subsidiaries Spitalgate Dealer Services
Shogun Finance
Colt Mid West
Website Mitsubishi-Cars.co.uk

The Colt Car Company Limited is a privately owned business established in 1974 as part of Mitsubishi Motors' global expansion programme for the purpose of importing and distributing cars and light commercial vehicles in the United Kingdom.[3] For the first decade of its existence, British market Mitsubishis were sold under the "Colt" marque until the rebranding to Mitsubishi, which then brought the marque in line with the rest of the world.

It was a 51/49 joint venture between Colt Automotive Ltd and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation.[2][4] Three subsidiary companies exist: Spitalgate Dealer Services, which specialises in dealer wholesale stocking, Shogun Finance, the retail finance company, and Colt Cars Mid West, which owns eight Mitsubishi dealerships across the south of England.[3]

Sales since 1995

For the first twenty years of its existence, business was restricted by voluntary import quotas, which limited the company to around 10,000 sales per year.[3] The relaxation of these quotas in 1996, together with the introduction of European-built models at the NedCar facility in Born which were unaffected by the quota, allowed for a rapid expansion in the late 1990s.[3]

In 2008, David Blackburn retired his shareholding of the company and his stake was sold to the Mitsubishi Corporation, specifically to its subsidiary MC Automobile (Europe) NV (MCAE). As result, Colt Car Company is now a wholly owned subsidiary of MCAE.[3]

Year Total sales
1995 c.12,000
1996 c.17,700
1997 c.23,800
1998 c.23,500
1999 c.20,600
2000 18,087
2001 22,133
2002 26,419
2003 32,882
2004 37,545
2005 37,812
2006 34,467
2007 30,953

(Sources: Facts & Figures 2000, Facts & Figures 2005, Facts & Figures 2008, Mitsubishi Motors website)

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Gloucestershire Top 100 Companies 2006 (Colt Car Co Ltd ranks sixth by revenue)
  2. 1 2 Company structure
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Official company history, Mitsubishi Cars UK website
  4. ↑ "Subsidiaries and Affiliates", Mitsubishi Motors website

External links

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