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BRAND OF CONFUSION
With reference to your ‘Lost in the archive’ column of 16 April, Kris Culmer credits PSA with having owned Alvis, but in fact Rover acquired Alvis in 1965 and thus British Leyland ended up with it. Given the labyrinthine history of the brands that PSA owned and Stellantis now owns, however, I can quite understand the confusion.
John Meuret
Bermondsey, London
I was indeed wrong – or rather Talbot boss François Perrin-Pelletier was, because my information came from our 1979 interview with him. Although I now realise that we printed ‘Avis’, not ‘Alvis’. Perhaps he had considered getting into hire cars…
– KC
THE NEXT MG
Current activity resembles, in some ways, the automotive industry in the early years of the 20th century, when new business and products were being launched daily, all with new claims but only very few resulting in market acceptance, as the majority failed and were forgotten.
I am certain that only a notable excellent few of the as-yet-unpronounceable electric vehicle brands from China will succeed in Western markets, and the reasons for success and failure, when they come to be analysed historically, will be clear.