The Rootes Group

The Rootes Group started as an automobile dealership in Kent, and was founded by William Rootes in 1913, and by 1924 they were the largest car and lorry distributor in the whole United Kingdom.

Acquisitions

Roots Group acquired a long list of British automotive brands.

Hilmann Motor Car Company Limited

Rootes bought the majority of Hilmann in 1928

Humber Limited

Humber was bought in 1929, but the bicycle division and the “Humber Cycles” name was sold to Raleigh in 1932.

Commercial Cars Limited (Commer)

Bought in 1929

Tilling-Stevens

Tilling Stevens was bought in 1950

Vulcan motors

Vulcan Motors was a part of Tilling-Stevens when it was acquired in 1950.

Singer Motors Limited

Singer Motors was acquired in 1956.

Post Rootes

Shortly after the death of William Edward Rootes, the company was sold to Chrysler Corporation, and later taken over by the PSA group.

Chrysler

Chrysler Corporation acquired 30% of Rootes in June 1964, which was raised to aprox. 66% in the end of June 1970.

Chrysler Corporation renamed the company from Rootes to Chrysler United Kingdom.

Chrysler European efforts were not a financial success, and in 1977 their business collapsed.

PSA Peugeot-Citroën

The PSA Group overtook the remains of Chrysler European activities, of which Chrysler united Kingdom was a part, in 1978.

They revived the Talbot name from the Roots era and rebranded a large part of the previous “Simca” and “Chrysler” products as “Talbot”

In 1987 PSA stopped producing cars under the Talbot brand, and in 1992 the commercial line stopped as well.