Four Millionth Austin

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29719, 12 January 1962, Page 7

Four Millionth Austin

TYURING the first day’s production of 1962 at the Austin Motor Company’s Longridge works, the fourmillionth vehicle left the assembly line. Three million have been built since the war.

The car was an A4O Mk 11. So far 183.000 of the A4O Farinas have been built since the model was introduced in September, 1958. Production of its predecessors, the A4O Devon and Somerset series, ran to more than 600.000 from October. 1947, to August. 1954. The time taken to make the fourth million is just three years and a half—the third million was completed in August. 1958. An indication of the rapid increase in productivity is given by the fact that in 1939, 19.000 employees at Austin turned out 1700 cars in a 52-hour wsek. and in 1956 23.000 produced 5600 vehicles in a 421-hour week. In July, 1960, 23,000 made 6758 vehicles in a week.

Production capacity of the Longridge works, which is responsible for just over half of the British Motor Corporation’s total output, is about 8000 vehicles. When a new car assembly building is completed later this year, the capacity of the Austin works will be raised to 10.500 vehicles a week. This drive

on productive capacity has been linked with further development of the inspection system. Special inspection lines and test bays will ensure that a high standard of quality control is more comprehensive than ever before.