Editing Morris Motors (section)

===Inter-war years===
After the war the Continental engine was no longer available so Morris arranged for [[Hotchkiss et Cie|Hotchkiss]] of France to make a near copy in their [[Coventry]] factory. This was used to power new versions of the basic Cowley and more up-market [[Morris Oxford bullnose|Morris Oxford]] cars.

With a reputation for producing high-quality cars and a policy of cutting prices, Morris's business continued to grow and increase its share of the British market overtaking [[Ford of Britain|Ford]] to become in 1924 the UK's biggest car manufacturer, holding a 51% share of the home market and remaining enormously profitable.

Possessed of a very large cash income Morris had a policy of personally buying up suppliers' businesses. For example, in 1923 he bought Hotchkiss's Coventry business which later became [[Morris Engines]] branch. He also brought in [[Frank George Woollard|F G Woollard]] which became [[Morris Commercial Cars]] to lead the re-organization of their engine production from batch to flow, thus increasing output from less than 300 units per week to 1200. By 1924 the factory was making 2000 units a week with only a small increase in work space and labour force.<ref>G. T. Bloomfield, ‘Harriman, Sir George William (1908–1973)’, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004</ref>

[[Cecil Kimber]], head of Morris's own original 1909-founded Morris Garage sales hire and repair operation in Oxford, began building sporting versions of Morris cars in 1924 labelling them [[MG Cars|MG]]. They were so successful a separate MG factory was soon established south of Oxford in [[Abingdon, Oxfordshire]].

Having admired Budd's all-steel bodies Morris founded [[Pressed Steel Company|The Pressed Steel Company of Great Britain Limited]] in 1926 as a joint venture with [[Budd Corporation|Edward G Budd Manufacturing Company - Budd International]] of Philadelphia, USA.<ref>Offer for sale of shares - Pressed Steel Company Limited. ''The Times'', Tuesday, 7 April 1936; p. 21; Issue 47343</ref> Pressed Steel's factory was located over the road from Morris's factory at Cowley and supplied Morris and many other motor manufacturers. Morris withdrew from the venture in mid-1930. Budd sold their share to British interests at the beginning of 1936.<ref>Pressed Steel Company.''The Times'', Friday, 10 January 1936; p. 19; Issue 47268</ref>

[[File:Morris cars on the forecourt of Mr J. Kellys garage at Catherine Street, Waterford.jpg|left|thumb|An array of Morris cars on the forecourt of Mr J. Kelly's garage at Catherine Street, Waterford, Ireland, 1928]]
The small car market was entered in 1928 with the [[Leonard Lord]]-designed [[Morris Minor (1928)|Morris Minor]], using an 847&nbsp;cc engine from Morris's newly acquired [[Wolseley Motors]]. Lord had been sent there to modernise the works and Wolseley's products. The Minor was to provide the base for the [[MG M-type|MG Midgets]]. This timely spread into the small car market helped Morris through the economic depression of the 1930s. At the 1934 [[London Motor Show]] the Minor was replaced by the [[Morris Eight]], a direct response to the [[Ford Model Y]] and, though Leonard Lord's handiwork, heavily based on it.

In 1932 W R Morris appointed Lord Managing Director of Morris Motors Limited and Lord swept through the Morris works, updating the production methods, introducing a proper moving assembly line and creating Europe's largest integrated car plant.<ref>R. J. Overy, ‘Morris, William Richard, Viscount Nuffield (1877–1963)’, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004</ref> But Morris and Lord fell out, and after 15 years Lord left in 1936—threatening to "take Cowley apart brick by brick".<ref>Graham Turner, The Leyland Papers, London 1971, p. 91</ref> Lord moved to Austin and they were to meet again in BMC—Morris, as Lord Nuffield, its first chairman. Lord succeeded him.

As of 1 July 1935 Morris Motors acquired from W R Morris, now Lord Nuffield, in exchange for a further issue of ordinary shares to him, the car manufacturing businesses of Wolseley Motors Limited and The MG Car Company Limited. A separate private company, [[Wolseley Motors#Aero engines|Wolseley Aero Engines Limited]],  was then formed to continue the development of his aviation interests.<ref>Wolseley And M.G. Companies.''The Times'', Friday, 14 June 1935; p. 20; Issue 47090.</ref> In 1936 Lord Nuffield sold [[Morris Commercial Cars|Morris Commercial Cars Limited]], his [[van|commercial vehicle]] enterprise, to Morris Motors.<ref>Morris Motors Limited, Notice issued in compliance with&nbsp;... ''The Times'', Tuesday, 13 October 1936; p. 22; Issue 47504.</ref>

[[File:1925 Morris Cowley 8051496928.jpg|thumb|1925 Morris—42 per cent of production]]
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%; text-align:center;" width=50%
|-
|+Car production in Britain 1919–1938 (per cent)<ref>Roy A Church, ''The Rise and Decline of the British Motor Industry'', p. 39, Cambridge University Press 1995 {{ISBN|0521552834}}</ref>
|-
!
! 1919
! 1921
! 1923
! 1925
! 1927
! 1929
! 1932
! 1935
! 1938
|-

| Morris
| 2
| 10
| 28
| 42
| 37
| 35
| 33
| 31
| 23
|-

| Austin
| 
| 7
| 8
| 10
| 23
| 25
| 27
| 23
| 21
|-

| Ford
| 
| 22
| 11
| 2
| 6
| 4
| 6
| 17
| 18
|-

| [[Rootes Group|Rootes]], [[Standard Motor Company|Standard]], [[Vauxhall Motors|Vauxhall]]
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 8
| 23
| 23
| 31
|-
|}
In 1938 William Morris, Baron Nuffield was raised to Viscount Nuffield. The same year he transferred his newly acquired<ref>Riley Motors. Purchase by Lord Nuffield, ''The Times'', Saturday, 10 September 1938; p. 17; Issue 48096</ref> [[Riley (motor-car)|Riley]] car business to Morris Motors Limited for £100.<ref name=obt>Obituary, Mr. Victor Riley. ''The Times'', Tuesday, 11 February 1958; p. 10; Issue 54072</ref>
[[File:Morris Iron Lung Thackray.jpg|thumb|Diorama of Both-Nuffield iron lung assembly at Morris Motors<br />[[Thackray Medical Museum]], Leeds]]