Euro type approval has helped boost sales
Caterham has today brought a welcome dash of good news to Britain’s motor industry, albeit on a rather small scale; The tiny Dartford-based manufacturer has announced that it will be increasing production by 10 per cent.
The move, says Caterham, is due to what it calls 'above-forecast' demand for the iconic Seven sports car. It means that Caterham will build around 420 Sevens in 2009, and is looking to add to its workforce of around 45 staff to help ease pressure on an order book that’s full until the middle of autumn.
“When we saw the first signs of sales activity stalling last year, we cut our cloth accordingly in terms of resource and costs,” says Caterham MD Ansar Ali. “I’ve always worked on the basis that I’d rather face the problem of how to build more cars, than the problem of how to sell them, so it’s gratifying to now be manning back up to cope with the extra demand.”
Adding to Caterham’s current sales success will also be the fact that it has recently gained European type approval for all its Sigma and Duratec Ford-engined models.
“Our international sales drive is delivering the results thanks not only to favourable exchange rates but more importantly the quality of business partners we have established in markets including France, Italy, Japan and Germany,” says Ali.