ABSTRACT
The passing of the Locomotive on Highways Act in 1896 gave the all clear signal to an industry in which there were already a number of British pioneers, such as F. W. Lanchester, but the first car to be produced on any scale in this country was a German car-the Daimler. The British motor industry effectively came into existence in 1896, the year which saw the repeal of restrictive legislation which had hitherto throttled the development of the industry. The most remarkable feature of the period that followed 1929 was that the great depression affected the British motor industry far less than it affected the motor industries of the other main producing countries. The supply of commercial vehicles was easier than that of cars, and civilian registrations on the home market exceeded the peak pre-war level by 1946. The production of commercial vehicles developed at first more slowly than that of cars.
