Branding at Austin Rover

Abstract

In 1985, about 35 million cars were purchased around the world and car brands — from Mercedes to Chevrolet, from Nissan to Volvo — are some of the most pervasive brands in existence. Austin Rover, Britain’s leading indigenous car manufacturer, manufactured only a small proportion of those cars built in 1985 — something over 1 per cent — yet Austin Rover’s experience and problems in the tricky area of car branding is unparalleled. After all, the company is the successor to a process of merger and amalgamation going back decades and, over this period, has inherited brands, loyalties and prejudices which have provided branding opportunities and problems on an unprecedented scale.