Japanese importer buys Caterham Mike Ryan
Japanese Caterham importer buys company outright, intends to continue Seven production.
Another British motoring brand is in foreign hands with Caterham Cars sold to Japanese firm VT Holdings.
Caterham’s Japanese importer since 2009, VT Holdings also retails several other brands in the country, including Lotus and Royal Enfield, across a 200+ dealer network and has interests overseas.
Japan has been one of Caterham’s most successful overseas markets, with around 120 cars shipped there annually.
The transfer of the long-lived company from current owners, Tony Fernandes and Kamarudin Meranun, to VT Holdings was announced on 6 April, ending 48 years of British ownership.
Would you like to see the Caterham Seven launched in South Africa?
By Pritesh Ruthun
Share
JOHANNESBURG - In 1973, Caterham Cars (a dealership run by Graham Nearn that specialised in selling Lotus Cars) acquired the rights to manufacture the Lotus 7 from its creator, Colin Chapman.
Nearn built a respectable business, one that would eventually see its name on the wing of a Formula 1 car, but the business changed hands frequently as the motor car evolved and consumers tastes changed.
Caterham Seven 310R
Arguably one of the greatest driverâs cars ever made, and living on in several iterations to this day, the Caterham Seven remains a highly niche product that caters to very specific tastes. One could argue that this market is all but obliterated, due to the rise of the SUV and the new dawn of the electric car.
British Icon Caterham Cars Acquired By Japanese Automotive Group forbes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from forbes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Caterham bought by Japanese importer VT Holdings, taking over from AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes
6 April 2021 6:08 pm / 2 comments
It’s the footnote of a saga that started when AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes went racing in Formula 1 back in 2010. Caterham Cars, the iconic British kit car maker owned by the Malaysian entrepreneur and his business partner Kamarudin Meranun since 2011, has been bought over by the brand’s Japanese importer VT Holdings effective March 31.
The new owner has officially represented Caterham in the country since 2009, where it sells over 120 cars a year – an impressive figure for such a niche carmaker. The press release says that VT Holdings is one of Japan’s largest retailer groups, with over 200 showrooms nationwide and investments in the United Kingdom, Spain, Thailand and South Africa.
Britain s Caterham Cars bought by Japanese importer telegraph.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from telegraph.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.