Sports car maker Caterham plans to relocate and increase production

Caterham, a British manufacturer of sports cars, will move to a new Kent location later this year to boost its manufacturing capacity by 50%.    In addition, Caterham's engineering, motorsports, and commercial teams will all be based at the new location.    Caterham's owners, Japan's VT Holdings, will invest multimillions of pounds in the 54,000 square foot facility in a brand new nine-acre industrial park development called Dartford X.  VT Holdings also owns the eponymous AM100 dealer group that trades as Wessex Garages, CCR Motor Group, and Griffin Hill. The facility will remain in Dartford.    The skilled workers who are in charge of hand-assembling each Caterham sports car are able to remain employed due to their proximity to the existing factory.    Caterham will be able to produce approximately 750 vehicles per year thanks to the investment made by VT Holdings.    Caterham intends to provide a variety of customer experiences at the location in the future, including factory tours, events, and vehicle handovers.  Caterham CEO Weave Laishley said: " It only makes sense that in the year of our 50th anniversary, we can make investments in brand-new facilities to support our goals for the Seven and the brand as a whole's future.    “The site not only enables us to advance our manufacturing capabilities into a modern setting but also increases our production capacity. It will be an excellent new home for the brand, our employees, and past, present, and future customers.   The South East of Britain has been home to Caterham since it began building vehicles in 1973 in the town of Caterham, Surrey.    Production moved to Dartford's Kennet Road in 1987, where its automobiles have been assembled ever since.    In 2021, VT Holdings purchased it. Since 2009, the company had been its distributor in Japan.    Starting around 2023, Caterham is addressed by more than 30 authority retailers across 15 key business sectors internationally.