Harbour: Cautious welcome for LDV announcement
Posted, May 06, 2009 @ 10:00
Conservative West Midlands MEP, Malcolm Harbour has given cautious welcome to the announcement this evening that LDV will be taken over by its Malaysian collaborator Weststar.
He said:
"This step will provide some reassurance to the workers at LDV and the scores of companies that service it.
"I started my career in the motor industry at LDV's predecessor and I know too well that it is an icon of the West Midlands that we should strive to save.
"LDV has a great product and hopefully it can continue to build on its already strong relationship with Weststar to achieve a more sustainable position in the European van market.
"The government is providing incentives for electric cars that are not yet in production when it could prioritise electric vans which are. I drove a prototype LDV electric van when I visited them just a few weeks ago. If the government were to provide incentives for electric vans, it could make a real difference to LDV's long term business prospects."