Land Rover Defender specialist to invest further in its Yorkshire HQ
Defender specialist Twisted Automotive is extending its global reach while investing further in the company’s Yorkshire roots through a series of international brand licencing deals.
A consortium of investors will drive expansion in North America and the Middle East in a move Twisted founder Charles Fawcett believes will accelerate the brand’s global growth while ensuring continued investment in its Yorkshire base.
Fawcett said the spring lockdown had presented an opportunity to assess the direction the company was taking and to evaluate how best to roll out its international expansion.
As a result, a deal was struck for entrepreneur Tom Maxwell’s consortium to operate Twisted North America and Twisted Middle East under licence from the Twisted Group.
Maxwell, who originally joined Twisted 15 months ago to oversee the US arm of the business, has also acquired the licence to produce the Twisted EV, a fully electric Twisted.
Since launching in the US market in May with a limited run of 200 Twisted NA-V8 vehicles, the business has already overachieved against initial targets and secured $3m/£2.2m of sales.
Maxwell is planning further expansion with work on a new showroom and workshop in Texas due to start next month and plans in the pipeline for showrooms in California, New York and Miami.
Under Maxwell’s leadership, Twisted Middle East is also forging ahead with its expansion in the region and has plans to open a workshop facility in Dubai and retail space within the luxurious Dubai Mall and an additional location in Abu Dhabi.
The business already has a significant presence in the territory with customers in Qatar, the UAE, Oman and Kuwait, and enjoys a dedicated following among off-road enthusiasts.
The move has enabled ground-breaking investment to be made at the business’s UK headquarters in Thirsk.
It includes an expansion of its team of technicians, doubling production capacity with the business’s one man-one vehicle approach.
The workshop itself has also had a significant upgrade with the addition of new equipment and ramps.
Fawcett commented: “During lockdown, we had a rare chance to sit back and evaluate where we are going as a business.
“We celebrate our 20th anniversary next year and felt now was a good time to both accelerate our global presence while investing in our roots.
“While we are keen to progress the brand’s expansion, our Yorkshire HQ will remain the same and retain its original feel.
“We will still offer our customary down-to-earth Yorkshire welcome regardless of how far our global expansion takes us.”
