Several years after the Maestro was discontinued in the UK, a Chinese tobacco company acquired the production rights and set up a factory to build it for the local market...
The companies which came together to form BLMC each had their own history of selling designs to overseas manufacturers to be built under licence.
Much has been written in recent years about the irony of how BMW have ended up owning the Mini, when they started out building its ancestor, the Austin 7, under licence as the "Dixi". Similar parallels were drawn when BL decided to build the Honda Ballade in the UK and sell it as the Triumph Acclaim, as Austin had also helped to kick-start the Japanese motor industry when a deal was struck with Nissan for them to built the venerable Seven. And with MG Rover currently on the brink of launching their own version of the Indian-built Tata Indica, one can't help but note that this is almost a reversal of the process by which a succession of British designs, from the Morris Oxford through to the Montego, were sold on for manufacture in India.
Here you can take a look at some of the various companies who have built ex-BMC>Rover models under licence.
Etsong
Several years after the Maestro was discontinued in the UK, a Chinese tobacco company acquired the production rights and set up a factory to build it for the local market... |
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First Auto Works
The First Auto Works Group is one of China's most important automotive corporations, owning several car production facilities. Interestingly, two of these are intertwined with BMC>Rover's history... |
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Hindustan
Hindustan made their living producing recycled Morris models until an expansion of their range in 1980. Here you can find out more about the company, and in particular, the Ambassador – a fine example of an outmoded model remaining useful for a very long time... |
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Sipani Automobiles
Originally set up by Reliant as part of its empire-building exercise, Sipani's history in the Indian motor industry was to be littered with failures. Their attempt to build and sell the Montego was no exception... |
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Standard 2000
Standard Motor Products started out as a subsidiary company set up by Standard Triumph, but achieved independence from BLMC in 1973. Thus, the SD1-based Standard 2000 – launched in 1985 – was the only ex-Leyland car that they actually built under licence. |
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