Rootes group
Rootes Motors Limited
|
|
---|---|
legal form | Limited Company |
founding | 1935 |
resolution | 1967 |
Reason for dissolution | Acquisition by Chrysler |
Seat | London , UK |
Branch | Automotive industry |
The Rootes Motors Limited , better known as Rootes Group , English Rootes Group was a British automobile - Group , the Hillman , Humber , Sunbeam , Commer , Karrier , Singer and the English portion of Clement Talbot belonged.
history
The group of companies was founded in 1935 by William Rootes , a former car salesman who gradually bought up the individual manufacturers. The Rootes parent plant was located northwest of Ryton-on-Dunsmore and was built in 1940 to build aircraft engines and bombers. In 1978 it was taken over by Peugeot and closed at the end of 2006.
The badge engineering under the group brands was noticeable . The 18 car types offered in 1962 were based on just three different basic engine types, three floor assemblies and two slightly different chassis. The entry-level brand was Hillman; Sunbeam was responsible for sporty vehicles and Humber and Singer for luxury vehicles . Rootes was never represented in the automotive top class. The attempt to construct a state car with the Sunbeam Thirty failed in 1936 after three or four prototypes were built.
After economic difficulties, triggered among other things by the problems with the less successful Hillman Imp , the company was taken over by the US Chrysler group in 1967 and part of Chrysler Europe together with Simca (France) and Barreiros (Spain) . In the mid-1970s, all brands of the Rootes Group were given up in favor of the Chrysler name . In 1978 Chrysler sold its European business to Peugeot, which initially continued the Chrysler Europe models under the brand name Talbot . However, since Talbot was not able to operate economically, the brand was abandoned in 1986 and merged with Peugeot.
Even after the end of the Rootes Group, two vehicles of this group remained in production with licensees for a long time: the Hillman Avenger , built in Argentina as the Dodge 1500 from 1971 , was used from 1982 - after Volkswagen took over the South American Chrysler / Dodge plants in 1980 - Sold as VW 1500 until the end of production in 1990 (not related to the German VW model of the same name Type 3 ). The Hillman Hunter was built in Iran by Iran Khodro as Paykan 1600 with a different engine until 2005.
The Rootes group in Germany
Rootes Autos Deutschland GmbH was based in Düsseldorf, once on Emmastraße, then with the expansion of the workshop and sales area on Oberhausener Straße 17 in Düsseldorf-Rath. This was also the importer and maintained a fenced area for the storage of vehicles that had not yet been cleared. This was all the more important because the Rhine Army of the English occupation troops was based in Düsseldorf with barracks at the end of Oberhausener Strasse. Former officers of the Rhine Army also worked in the company.
In the course of the association (ROOTS and SIMCA), it was agreed with effect from July 1, 1967 that Deutsche Simca Vertriebsgesellschaft mbH would be responsible for importing, distributing and servicing Rootes products for the German market. The facility at Oberhausener Strasse 17 in Düsseldorf-Rath continued to be operated to look after and maintain the Simca, Rootes and Chrysler vehicles.
It was not until December 31, 1969, that operations at Oberhausener Strasse 17 in Düsseldorf were completely stopped.
gallery
Timeline
Timeline of the Clement Talbot / Automobiles Talbot / Talbot (PSA) / Chrysler Europe / Simca / Rootes / Matra models from 1945 to 1986 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Type | SIMCA until 1957 , Rootes Group independent until 1967 |
Entry of Chrysler , formation of Chrysler Europe | Part of PSA (Peugeot) from the end of 1978 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
40s | 50s | 60s | 70s | 80s | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4th | 5 | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4th | 5 | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4th | 5 | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4th | 5 | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||
Small car | Imp / Imp Californian / Husky 4 | Sunbeam 5 | Sunbeam 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chamois 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stiletto 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
... | 5/6 | 1000/900/1005/1006 | Samba 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Compact class | Avenger 5 | Avenger 5 | Avenger 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
... | 8 / 8/1200 | 1100 7 | 1100 7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Horizon 7 | Horizon 7 | Horizon 7 | Arizona | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Middle class | ... Minx (Mk I-Mk VII) / Husky Mk I | Minx / Husky (SI-SIII) 1 | Minx / Super Minx / Husky 2 | New Minx / Hunter 3 | Hunter 3 | Hunter 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SM 1500 | Hunter | Gazelle 1 | Gazelle / Vogue 2 | New Gazelle / Vogue 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
... Ten / 2L | 80 / 90 (MkI) | 90 (MkII) | Mk III | Rapier (SI – V) 1 | New Rapier / Rapier H120 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Scepter I + II 2 | New Scepter 3 | Solara 6 | Solara (GB: Minx / Rapier) 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hawk (Mk I-III) | Hawk (Mk IV – VI) | Hawk (SI-IV) | Alpine 6 | Alpine 6 | Minx / Rapier 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 Aronde | Aronde | Aronde (P60) | 1300/1500 | 1301/1501 | 1301/1501 | 1307/1308 6 | 1510 6 | 1510 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
upper middle class | ... Snipe / Super Snipe (I-III) | Super Snipe (VI) | Super Snipe (SI – V) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
infant | Ariane | 160/180 | 160/180 / 2L | 1610 / 2L | 1610 / 2L | Tagora 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Upper class | Pullman / Imperial (Mk I IV) | Imperial | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Record | Vedette | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coupé / convertible | Imp Sport 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1000 coupe | 1200 p | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alpine MkI / III | Alpine SI – IV / Tiger | New Alpine 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Comète | America | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sports car | T26 Grand Sport / Saoutchik | Sports | Djet | jet | 530 | Bagheera | Bagheera | Murena | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SUV | Rancho | Rancho | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Box van | 1100 VF2 / VF3 | City truck | City truck | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1 common platform of the Rootes group based on the Hillman Minx 1956 |
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Rootes car. In: Motor vehicle technology 08/1962, pp. 338–341.