1956: The Engineer assesses the UK's car industry in Geneva

The UK’s strong showing at the 1956 Geneva Motor Show failed to mask a self-inflicted malaise befalling Britain’s carmakers

The 2018 edition of the automotive showcase witnessed over 110 world and European premieres alone, along with 180 exhibitors displaying their wares. By contrast, and just over a decade after the end of the Second World War, the 1956 show hosted 82 makes of car with the UK contributing 29 models to the line-up.

“This impressive number indicates that the British motor industry is fully aware of the importance of the Swiss market and, generally speaking, of the necessity to increase its export drive on the Continent,” wrote The Engineer’s correspondent.

But while the UK had the numbers, they did not necessarily have the products that would allow them to compete with European manufacturers, specifically those from a resurgent Germany, which was ‘probably the greatest motor exporter of the world’ by 1955.

Volkswagen in particular was singled out for reinvigorating market interest in its pre-war ‘people’s car’ – known latterly as the VW Beetle – by building up an organisation, offering cheap and easily available after-sales service and fixed-price maintenance, thereby establishing a dealer-to-customer relationship equal to the best American standards.