Rootes Australia was the Australian affiliate of the Rootes Group, a British motor vehicle manufacturing company.[1]
The company was formed immediately after the Second World War[1] initially operating as an importing and distribution firm.[2] It began assembling Hillman Minx vehicles at Port Melbourne in Victoria in 1946. [3] This was the first instance of a British motor manufacturer establishing a production line in Australia. [4] By 1954 the company had gained a 5.4% share of the local market and subsequently announced plans to create a full local manufacturing facility.[1] A 35 hectare site was acquired for this purpose at Harrisfield, near Dandenong in Victoria however the proposed plant was never built.[1]
Hillman, Humber and Singer models were assembled successfully for a number of years with the company also producing models which were hybrids of the three makes.[2] However by the mid 1960s falling sales and an ageing model line-up meant the Rootes Group was in trouble both in Britain and Australia .[5] In December 1965 Rootes Australia was merged with Chrysler Australia and assembly was gradually moved from Port Melbourne to the latter’s existing facilities in Adelaide, South Australia.[1] Chrysler was quick to phase out the Humber brand however new Hillman Arrow and Hunter models were introduced. Chrysler Australia ceased production of Hillmans in 1973.[5]
Significant models produced by Rootes Australia included the following:
- Hillman Minx - assembled from 1946.[2]
- Humber Super Snipe - assembled from 1953. [6]
- Humber Hawk – assembled to 1964 [7]
- Singer Gazelle - assembled from 1957 to 1961 [8]
- Humber Vogue - assembled from 1962 to 1965.[6]
References
- ^ a b c d e The Macquarie Dictionary of Motoring, 1986, page 413
- ^ a b c The Macquarie Dictionary of Motoring, 1986, page 216
- ^ Pedr David, Wheels Across Australia, 1987, page 208
- ^ Shaun Birney, A Nation on Wheels, 1987, page 187
- ^ a b Shaun Birney, A Nation on Wheels, 1987, page 188
- ^ a b The Macquarie Dictionary of Motoring, 1986, page 226
- ^ Australian Humber History Retrieved from web.archive.org on 23 January 2009
- ^ .The Macquarie Dictionary of Motoring, 1986, page 436
External links
- http://www.sa.hillman.org.au/BV_ADLbrochure01a.htm Hillman Minx Series IIIC Special (1962)sales brochure - Retrieved on 21/6/08
- http://www.geocities.com/tazydevilbear/hmhumbervogue.html Humber Vogue Mk2 image - Retrieved on 21/6/2008
- http://www.sa.hillman.org.au/RootesFactory.htm Rootes Australia Factory - Retrieved on 22/6/08
- http://www.sunbeam.org.au
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