Borgward is Back

Borgward SUVs to be sold in UK and Ireland from 2019

Chinese-owned German brand continues its push into Western markets with its range of affordable premium SUVs

Reborn German car maker Borgward will begin selling its models in the UK and Ireland next year.

The Stuttgart-based firm has signed a deal with importer International Motors to begin importing right-hand-drive variants of its models, with a prospective start date in late 2019.

Founded in 1919 in Bremen, Borgward rivalled manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz throughout the 1950s, with cars such as the Hansa 1500, Isabella and P1000, before filing for bankruptcy in 1961.

Now owned by Beiqi Foton Motor, a subsidiary of Chinese giant BAIC, the reborn marque is targeting the global premium SUV market.

Petrol-engined variants of the Audi Q3-sized BX5 and larger BX7 are already available in Europe, but Borgward will soon reveal electric versions of each, the BXi5 and BXi7, taking aim at the Jaguar I-Pace and Mercedes-Benz EQC respectively.

The range-topping BX7 TS was revealed at the 2017 Guangzhou motor show and went on sale in Germany in early 2018, at a competitive price of €44,200.

An SUV-coupé, the BX6, was unveiled at the Beijing motor show earlier this year, with a right-hand-drive variant planned for South Africa.

Borgward’s entry into the British and Irish markets will follow similar launches in other international markets, including Russia and the Middle East, as the company expands westwards.

Birmingham-based International Motors is already responsible for bringing cars from East Asia to the UK, currently holding contracts with Great Wall, Isuzu and Subaru, and previously introduced Hyundaiand Ssangyong.

Prices for Borgward models here have not been announced but are likely to be less than those of primary competitors such as BMW and Audi.

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/industry/borgward-suvs-be-sold-uk-and-ireland-2019

967AE9B6-DEAA-495B-BB1E-5DE1F8358585.jpeg04B0A54D-80F0-42FE-993B-F0274168917B.jpeg
 
FiestaST said:
An SUV-coupé, the BX6, was unveiled at the Beijing motor show earlier this year, with a right-hand-drive variant planned for South Africa.
Click to expand...

That's very interesting, one of the members of the club (I am a member of the Borgward club) ordered or wanted to order one, but was told they would only make left hand drive models for the first few years.
Just for interest, it is actually Carl Borgwards grandson that is spearheading the project.
 
WATCH: Something vintage - the Legendary Borgward Isabella is still a SA-loved classic

We review a lovely old car with a lovely name: the Borgward Isabella. Built in 1954, it was the brainchild of engineer Carl F. W. Borgward.

In the 1950s, the German sports sedan was a cut above the competition.

The Borgward Isabella might sound like a fictional car from a Harry Potter movie, but it's not. The vehicle was manufactured by the Bremen-based auto-manufacturer Carl F. W. Borgward GmbH from 1954 to 1962 in Germany.

Initially, the Isabella would have been known as the Borgward Hansa 1500 but according to the automaker's history, the Isabella name was used on test vehicles and proved popular with engineering staff and media.

The production car was subsequently renamed and only the first few hundred examples were built without Isabella badging.

The Borgward Isabella even made its way to South Africa. When production of the vehicle ceased in Bremen during 1961, a small group of enthusiasts in Cape Town decided to come together to "create friendship and to ensure preservation of the brand".

The little club grew much favour and expanded nationally, even gaining club members from Namibia and Zimbabwe.

The local website is currently still active online and the club is still participating in local events. Although few and far between, there are still a few Borgwards around being given the utmost care by its owners.

https://www.wheels24.co.za/News/Cla...isabella-is-still-a-sa-loved-classic-20190308
 
Borgward BX3

The Borgward BX3 is the youngest member of Borgward's SUV family and it carries on the dynamic and sovereign appearance of its sister models. The characteristic muscular fenders pronounce sportiness and safety. The silhouette merges coupe-like character with a clear bodyline, and the two-tone concept merges modernity with elegance. The evolution of the octagon grille celebrates the iconic Borgward logo more than ever before. In short, the BX3 aim to be a consistently designed Crossover that ages well.

In the interior, the Borgward BX3 continues the fashionable yet pragmatic style of the Borgward sister models. Wing lines keep shaping the instrument panel, doors and seats. A 10.25-inch cluster display and 8-inch touch screen as head unit is also available, making the Borgward-unique B-Link system easy to use. The rich choice of interior colors also reflects the understanding of needs of the targeted consumers.

The design of the Borgward BX3 was created in a global process with its Design Studios in Stuttgart, Germany, and Beijing, China.

The Borgward BX3 is a A0 Class SUV with a price range of 96.800 to 130.800 RMB in the Chinse market. It is focusing on young, or young at heart, customers who seek a quality brand product. Besides the exciting yet coherent Design, this thinking is incorporated by the smart B-Link HMI system, generous interior space, electric tailgate with individual height adjustments, 360° parking camera, and many more thought through details that make every ride enjoyable and hassle-free. As an example, express delivery to the car is possible.

www.netcarshow.com

Borgward BX3 (2020)

Borgward BX3 continues the fashionable yet pragmatic style of the Borgward sister models. Wing lines keep shaping the instrument panel, doors and seats.
www.netcarshow.com

Borgward 1.jpgBorgward 2.jpgBorgward 3.jpgBorgward 4.jpgBorgward 5.jpgBorgward 6.jpgBorgward 7.jpgBorgward 8.jpgBorgward 9.jpg
 
Obstacles hinder revival of historic German marque Borgward

European operations appear to have been wound down amid slow sales and trouble for Chinese parent firm

The long-promised European reintroduction of historic German marque Borgward appears to have been put on hold as the Chinese-backed firm has quietly wound down its presence in the market.

German publication Automobilwoche reports that the revived brand has run into difficulties after Chinese commercial vehicle manufacturer Foton sold its majority 67% stake to ride-hailing and car-rental firm Ucar in 2019 for $614 million (£470m).

Ucar’s use of the Borgward BX5 and BX7 for its mobility services in China initially bolstered the brand’s struggling sales, but an innovative retail model is said to have become an obstacle to its wider roll-out.

Automobilwoche reports that Borgward has sold just 5000 vehicles in the first half of 2020 and faces further uncertainty as Ucar shareholder Charles Zhengyao Lu has become the subject of an accountancy scandal.

www.autocar.co.uk

Obstacles hinder revival of historic German marque Borgward | Autocar

European operations appear to have been wound down amid slow sales and trouble for Chinese parent firm
www.autocar.co.uk www.autocar.co.uk
 
Borgward Is Dead Again

Zombie Borgward was revived back in 2015 but didn't last long.

Back in 2015, Borgward announced it was back from the dead. The name and trademark had been sold to a Chinese company, and less than a year later, Zombie Borgward had a car to sell called the BX7. It didn’t last long, though, as the undead automaker is officially dead again.

Autocar reports that Borgward has declared bankruptcy and is looking for the court’s approval to liquidate its assets. The company reportedly owes creditors more than $750 million, with ownership currently split between Foton, a truck division of BAIC and Ucar, a Chinese mobility company.

While Borgward was officially headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, pretty much everything from engineering to production and even sales were done in China. Since their revival in 2015 and the reveal of the Audi-like BX7, they added three other crossovers to their lineup: the BX3, BX5, and BX6. And in 2019, they launched an electric version of the BX7 called the BXi7. An electric version of the BX5 was also planned but it doesn’t appear that the BXi5 ever made it into production.

In addition to the Chinese market, Borgward sold cars in a couple of other countries including Malaysia and Nepal, and it slowly expanded into Europe. By 2018, it announced plans to enter the Irish and UK markets. And while it was never a sales giant, it actually did sell a decent number of cars. At its peak in 2019, total sales were reportedly around 55,000. That same year, Foton sold 67 percent of Borgward to Ucar.

jalopnik.com

Borgward Is Dead Again - Jalopnik

Back in 2015, Borgward announced it was back from the dead. The name and trademark had been sold to a Chinese company, and less than a year later, Zombie Borgward had a car to sell called the BX7. It didn’t last long, though, as the undead automaker is officially dead again.
jalopnik.com jalopnik.com
 
Epic Fail: the little-known German car brand that failed not once, but twice

A hearty welcome back to... Borgward. Yeah, exactly

To misquote Oscar Wilde, for a car brand to die once may be regarded as misfortune. For the same brand to die twice looks like carelessness. But such was the fate that befell poor Borgward, the German car company that, in 2022, suffered the ignominy of kicking the bucket not for the first, but second time.

Borgward was founded in Bremen in the 1920s, and hit its zenith in the 1950s, when its Isabella briefly became one of Germany’s bestselling posh saloons. In 1953, Borgward’s Porsche-ish 1500 competed at the Le Mans 24 Hour Race.

It didn’t quite make it to the finish, but it went quite a long way and looked rather pretty while doing so. But in the early 1960s, Borgward suffered financial meltdown, blamed by some on a sprawling product portfolio, and by others on totally mad finances.

It would remain so for half a century, until the late 2000s when it was revived by Beiqi, an offshoot of China’s BAIC megacorp. Arriving with grand promises of conquering Europe and shifting 800,000 cars a year, by 2017 Borgward was selling a small range of powerfully forgettable SUVs, mostly in China.


1766556738250.png
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X