During 2024, Bicester has proved a key destination for ambitious motoring companies on the road to high growth.
The town is embedded in Motorsport Valley, an area that extends from Oxfordshire to the Midlands and employs around 40,000 people – including 80% of the world's high-performance engineers (source: BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/23048643) – and has long been a draw for inward investment.
With Bicester’s central location and access to automotive technology experts, it is not surprising that Bicester Motion, a centre for innovative future mobility technology on a 444-acre estate in the heart of Oxfordshire, has seen some significant new occupants during the year since it opened its latest facility, the £60 million future mobility Innovation Quarter.
Bicester Motion was already home to over 50 companies including NEOM McLaren Electric Racing, Motorsport UK, EV brand Polestar, urban electric two-wheeler manufacturer Zapp and synthetic fuel developer Zero, when it announced in March that Mercedes Benz-owned electric motor specialist Yasa had chosen it for its UK HQ. Construction of the three connected low carbon buildings began in September. Yasa, originally a spin-out from Oxford University, will relocate to its 90,000 sq ft premises in January 2026 for the next exciting phase of its expansion.
In June Bicester Motion welcomed TUAL, an innovator in high-performance electric van powerbanks. Bicester will become Tual’s headquarters, complementing its planned assembly line in Glasgow, as it continues to scale up and address the urgent need to keep electric light commercial van fleets on the road. Its portable powerbanks can be integrated into the van’s interior space, helping fleets overcome lost productivity from vehicle charging time and providing overnight charging, regardless of location.
US-based commercial electric van company Canoo arrived at Bicester Motion in November, choosing the location for its move into right-hand drive vehicles, having already secured many significant fleet contracts in the US. Tony Aquila, Canoo’s executive chairman and CEO, says he chose the location because the automotive campus reflected his company’s spirit of innovation and commitment to sustainability.
Another US company that also headed for the Oxfordshire town is Penske Racing Shocks. Founded in Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1988, it is now the premier supplier of damper technology for Formula One. It will open a dedicated service and support facility at Bicester Motion.
Other key sites in Bicester are also attracting motoring specialists. Bicester Catalyst, a new sustainable business park for the technology sector which counts EV leader Tesla and electric flight specialist Evolito among its tenants, has very recently added luxury EV manufacturer Forseven. Led by ex-Jaguar Land Rover employees, Forseven’s first range is scheduled to launch before 2030.
Looking ahead to 2025, Bicester will be boosting the availability of its logistics space when Cabot Park completes in March. The project has five high environmental performance buildings ranging from 19,000 to 51,000 sq ft, and the developers chose Bicester for its connectivity to major UK cities.
Other parts of the region have of course built thriving automotive-related businesses from inward investment, as evidenced by the recent news that TI Fluid Systems, which supplies carmakers worldwide with thermal management systems, and has a base at the ARC business park in Oxford, was the subject of a takeover that valued the company at £1 billion. The US-headquartered company was bought by Canadian rival ABC.
Image provided by Bicester Motion