Ryton plant
| Company type | Manufacturing plant |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | 1939 |
| Defunct | 2006 |
| Fate | Closed and demolished |
| Headquarters | Ryton-on-Dunsmore , England, United Kingdom |
Area served | United Kingdom, Europe |
| Owner | Rootes Group (1939–1967), Chrysler Europe (1967–1978), PSA Group (1978–2006), Trenport Investments Ltd (2007) |
The Ryton plant was a prominent automotive production site situated in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, England. Initially established by the Rootes Group in 1939 as part of the British government's shadow factory initiative, it was designed to manufacture aircraft engines during the Second World War. Subsequently, it became the main headquarters for Rootes.
Ownership of the facility transferred from Rootes to Chrysler Europe in 1967, and later to the PSA Group in 1978. Operations at the plant ended in December 2006. The following year, Trenport Investments Ltd redeveloped the location for industrial purposes before its demolition later in 2007.
Shadow factory
Under the British government's 1936 Shadow factory scheme, led by Herbert Austin, Ryton was created to boost aircraft engine output by utilizing existing automotive manufacturing capabilities. Positioned between Warwickshire’s A45 and A423 roads, the plant commenced production in 1940.
Post war
After World War II, Ryton functioned as the Rootes Group's headquarters. Financial difficulties during the 1960s resulted in its gradual takeover by American automobile manufacturer Chrysler, owner of the French marque Simca. By 1976, Rootes models were discontinued with production of vehicles such as the Hillman Hunter and Avenger moving to Linwood in Scotland. Ryton then concentrated on Simca-derived models including the Chrysler Alpine (starting in 1976) and Talbot Horizon (from 1981), closely reflecting output at Simca’s Poissy facility in France.
Due to financial challenges faced by Chrysler Europe, PSA Peugeot Citroën acquired Ryton and its European operations for a nominal US$1 in 1978. Peugeot revitalized the Talbot brand but ceased passenger car production under that name by the mid-1980s because of declining demand. The closure of Linwood in 1981 led Peugeot to consolidate manufacturing at Ryton, securing its operational future.
Production of the Peugeot 309 began at Ryton in October 1985, complementing manufacturing at Poissy, followed by introduction of the Peugeot 405 by late 1987. These models contributed to strengthening Peugeot’s share of the UK market during the late 1980s, building upon earlier success with the French-produced Peugeot 205 launched in 1983.
By 1989, all Peugeot 309 manufacturing had shifted to Poissy, while Ryton commenced production of its successor, the Peugeot 306, from late 1992. The 306 remained Ryton’s principal model after phase-out of the Peugeot 405 between 1995 and 1997, which was replaced by the France-built Peugeot 406.
In summer 1998, Ryton introduced a second production line with the Peugeot 206, which became its exclusive model following cessation of Peugeot 306 production in 2001. The 206 achieved significant commercial success. However, in January 2004, Peugeot announced that Ryton would not be selected to produce the forthcoming Peugeot 207, casting doubt over the plant’s future amid two years of uncertainty.
Despite these concerns, February 2004 marked a significant achievement with Ryton manufacturing its one millionth Peugeot 206 within six years of its launch.
Closure
Peugeot declared in April 2006 that Ryton would close by July 2007; this date was subsequently moved forward to December 12, 2006. The site was sold to Trenport Investments Ltd in March 2007 for industrial redevelopment and was demolished by November that year.
In October 2012, Network Rail purchased the location from Prologis and invested £25 million to establish a haulage distribution centre. This facility opened in 2013 as part of Network Rail's National Delivery Service network. Presently, Jaguar Land Rover operates three manufacturing divisions on this site—prototype construction, classics restoration, and SVO—using either "Oxford Road" or an internal codename "DC7" to dissociate from previous occupants.