Virgin Cars Ltd was an Internet

Internet

The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...

 automobile

Automobile

An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...

 retail

Retail

Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...

er started by British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson and co-founded by Ian Lancaster in May 2000 as part of the Virgin

Virgin Group

Virgin Group Limited is a British branded venture capital conglomerate organisation founded by business tycoon Richard Branson. The core business areas are travel, entertainment and lifestyle. Virgin Group's date of incorporation is listed as 1989 by Companies House, who class it as a holding...

 brand of companies. The speed at which the company was launched was perhaps the most startling aspect, going from drawing board to fully fledged company with logistics, purchase, finance, admin and web-based sales operations all being set up between December 1999 and May 2000 using Logica, the London-based IT services company.

Branson predicted the company would sell 24,000 cars in the first year with a £300m turnover. By October 2000, the company had sold over 2,000 cars, generating £30 million.

In 2001, the company started a subsidiary Virgin Bikes. The company only managed to sell 12,000 cars in total by 2003. Branson opened Virgin Cars' first showroom

Showroom

The word showroom has two distinct meanings including:-Marketing location:A showroom is a large space used to display products for sale, such as automobiles, furniture, appliances, carpet or apparel. The World's most famous locations for a showroom are the Champs Elysees in Paris or the 5th Avenue...

 in Salford, Manchester

Manchester

Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...

 in May 2003. It is located at the end of the M602 motorway near the A6 / A57.

The company stopped all operations and trading in 2005. The building which it occupied was stripped of all branding, and in 2008 the site became the new home of the Robins and Day Manchester Peugeot

Peugeot

Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...

Dealership.