Virgin Cars Ltd was an
internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
automobile
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...
retail
Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and t ...
er, established by British entrepreneur
Sir Richard Branson
Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is a British billionaire, entrepreneur, and business magnate. In the 1970s he founded the Virgin Group, which today controls more than 400 companies in various fields.
Branson expressed ...
and co-founded by Ian Lancaster in 2000 as part of the
Virgin
Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...
brand of companies.
Branson predicted the company would sell 24,000 cars in its first year, with a £300m turnover. By October 2000, the company had sold more than 2,000 cars, generating £30 million.
In 2001, the company launched a subsidiary, Virgin Bikes. By 2003, the company had still sold only 12,000 cars. In May of that year, Branson opened Virgin Cars' first
showroom in
Salford, Greater Manchester
Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county aft ...
.
In 2005, the company stopped all operations and ceased trading.
References
External links
*
C
Automotive companies of the United Kingdom
Defunct companies based in London
Retail companies established in 2000
Internet properties established in 2000
Transport companies established in 2000
Retail companies disestablished in 2005
2000 establishments in England
2005 disestablishments in England
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