So will Liz say howdy Audi? PM may be forced to ride in a German car

Save a thought for Liz Truss. Let alone the economic and political minefield that Britain’s new prime minister must negotiate. She also has to choose a new car.

And despite the desire to ‘buy British’, the new car will be German — one of a fleet of ten new ministerial Audi A8 armored limousines no less — as no suitable British alternative is available. It is also a dilemma many British motorists face.

Traditionally, British Prime Ministers proudly carry the flag by being driven in a British limousine.

Jaguars and variants with a Daimler badge have been the norm since the 1980s.

Before that it was Rovers, like the recently auctioned P5 that Margaret Thatcher drove and sold for £36,000, and before that the stately Humber Pullmans enjoyed Prime Ministers from Winston Churchill to Sir Alec Douglas-Home.

The current official vehicle in Downing Street is an armored Jaguar XJ limousine, built in a former Spitfire factory at Castle Bromwich in Birmingham. But it’s a bit true.

I attended its glitzy launch in July 2009 when this XJ (model codename X351) was unveiled at a star-studded party at London’s Saatchi Gallery by supermodel Elle Macpherson and American TV host Jay Leno.

Armored versions of this XJ have carried former Prime Ministers David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson.

In July 2019, Jaguar Land Rover confirmed it was planning to build a successor, an all-electric luxury XJ sedan, ahead of a planned launch in 2020.

But last year the bosses controversially scrapped it, noting “that the planned XJ replacement does not fit our vision for a revamped Jaguar brand”.

So that was that. Bosses say no new Jaguars will be unveiled until 2024, with the first on sale from 2025.

Dilemma: Prime Minister Liz Truss under pressure to ‘buy British’

The savvy Audi – part of the German giant Volkswagen Group – saw an opportunity and ducked in to offer a fleet of its armored flagship A8s through the Metropolitan Police for evaluation for Downing Street duties.

Audi first got a foot in the door years ago by discreetly chatting with the royal family – starting with Diana, then William and Harry, who were often photographed driving their latest models.

It was also aimed at celebrities and VIPs, with a fleet of Audi limousines that drop off and pick up guests at every major red carpet event.

It’s not the first time this has happened. Jaguar encountered a similar problem with Labor Prime Minister Tony Blair (with John ‘Two Jags’ Prescott as its transport secretary) when the launch of the then-new-generation XJ limousine (codenamed X350) was delayed.

The German BMW stepped in to offer No. 10 its new armored 7 Series – a story I wrote exclusively in the Daily Mail, with the headline ‘The Blair Panzer’.

So when it comes to ‘buying British’, the challenge for Miss Truss – and Mr Blair for her – is one shared by millions of British car buyers.

Miles on the clock: The current official vehicle in Downing Street is an armored Jaguar XJ limousine, built in a former Spitfire factory at Castle Bromwich in Birmingham

Because in the early 21st century and in a globalized car industry, the question remains: what exactly is a ‘British’ car?

Until the 1960s and early 1970s, this was simple. It was a car produced by a British car manufacturer in a British factory.

Many car companies in the UK had been nationalized and state-owned, but also suffered strikes and poor quality during British Leyland’s difficult years.

At the time, a Rover – like the P5 preferred by doctors and the comfortable mid-range – or a sporty MG was an easy choice.

However, unlike more protectionist Germany and France, the UK’s more laissez-faire policies of the 1980s saw much of our native car industry being picked up by foreign rivals.

Since then, experts have stopped talking about ‘the British car industry’ but about ‘the car industry in Britain’.

And nowhere was that more evident than at the Queen’s funeral, when a bevy of British luxury brands were on official duty.

• The Queen’s casket was carried in a converted and lengthened Jaguar XJ hearse. There were fleets of backup Range Rovers, old and new, also built in Britain.
• But while Jaguar Land Rover employs thousands in British factories and currently holds three Royal Warrants, it is owned by the giant Indian conglomerate Tata.
• Some key models, such as the new Defender and Discovery, are being built in a huge new factory in Nitra, Slovakia.
• Two State Bentleys and a number of Bentayga 4x4s were employed by the Crewe carmaker for the Queen’s funeral. But like Audi, Bentley is owned by the German Volkswagen Group.
• Rolls-Royce embodies British character, and the company’s latest models are built in an exclusive boutique factory in Goodwood near Chichester. But it is owned by the German BMW.
• MINI is another classic British car brand with vehicles mainly built in Oxford. But it is also owned by BMW, which builds some MINI models in China.
• Morgan, based in Malvern, Worcestershire, makes handcrafted classic sports cars, including the Plus Four and adrenaline-fueled Super 3 three-wheelers. Often regarded as the last British-owned carmaker, European investment group Investindustrial has a majority stake in the 113-year-old company.
• Aston Martin and McLaren have major foreign backers, while Lotus, MG and Rover are all Chinese-owned.

Not easy, right?

Nostalgia for lost cars from the 70s

‘Lost Cars of the 1970s’ is a nostalgic and informative look back at 60 diverse cars with captivating stories

Do you remember the Clan Crusader? Volkswagen derby? Or the Opel Firenza?

Most people don’t now either – although there is an example of the latter in the magnificent British Motor Museum in Gaydon, Warwickshire.

But in a quirky and entertaining book, award-winning author Giles Chapman spotlighted a decade of forgotten classics that both predicted what was to come, and pointed to a future that never quite came true.

Lost Cars of the 1970s (on sale October 6, The History Press, £17.99) is a nostalgic and informative look back at 60 diverse cars with fascinating stories.

Chapman says, “The victims and side issues of automotive history around the world are finally getting the recognition they deserve.”

One of the forgotten projects was Italy’s clever plan to update the Mini; America’s electric runabout that paved the way for Tesla; Britain’s stylish, home-made sports cars; the Japanese limousine was intended to go 25 mph; and the ‘safety car’ that became a Polish workhorse.