MG Rover Deal

mkandy · Post by **mkandy** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 2:27 pm

Shanghai Automotive have signed a deal to continue production at Longbridge again.

This can only mean good news...

Rover220CoupeTurbo · Post by **Rover220CoupeTurbo** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 2:47 pm

Where you get that from?

Was saying on the radio yesterday that they would join with another company or something and production should start in 2007?

edit: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4681369.stm

mkandy · Post by **mkandy** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 2:53 pm

According to News24 the deal has now been signed.

mach1rob · Post by **mach1rob** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 5:20 pm

Sounds hopeful! Fingers crossed for a happy ending

smile · Post by **smile** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 5:39 pm

Awesome, I wonder... will they be able to gather the original workforce? should imagine a stiff V from their fingers - but I may be wrong

Go Rover... It's yo birthday!

Sheaf · Post by **Sheaf** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 6:12 pm

Is that good news or bad new then?

Atleast when it was all over they went out with some decent cars in the line up... rather that than carry one and make cheapo chinese things. I get the feeling with them in charge rover aren't going to be making efforts to up the build quality.

Then again I may be wrong and they may do well...

mkandy · Post by **mkandy** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 8:03 pm

Extract from the BBC Website:

The proposal by SAIC and Mr Leech involves a substantial amount of car making at Longbridge and a research centre for new models.

The SAIC-Leach offer - from investment vehicle Magma Holdings - and the Nanjing bid are likely to be the frontrunners among the expressions of interest in Rover's assets.

The SAIC-Leach plan could see the Rover 75 and sports cars built at Rover's Longbridge factory.

The plan would mean jobs for between 1,300 and 1,600 engineers and designers on a new technology site at Longbridge.

SAIC is expected to produce engines at a plant in China, using machinery from Longbridge.

talkingcars · Post by **talkingcars** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 8:47 pm

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/050714/325/fnd2e.html gives the latest news.

James

Post by **Stu** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 9:00 pm

mkandy wrote:According to News24 the deal has now been signed.

They have signed a deal with a partner to put in a bid.

They have not signed anything with PWC about buying the company.

There are 3 current with maybe a 4th bid coming soon for buying MGR as a going concern. All would have some production at Longbridge if what they say is to be believed.

ss1boy · Post by **ss1boy** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 10:28 pm

Lets hope it all goes through and production starts ASAP

Although as with everything in the motor industy I wont belive it till I see a new car come off the production line. Lets Hope they still make the ZR ZS ZT and TF, not just the Rovers

Ant 05 · Post by **Ant 05** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 11:55 pm

dose thismean they will still be doing the cityrover?

Bjorn · Post by **Bjorn** » Fri Jul 15, 2005 12:11 am

Saw in the Auto Express the new 75 and 45 - 75 looks

45 looks similar to the new Astra.

Its a kinda 'Rover is Back' spread

sneaky peek:

bbc story http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4681369.stm

Post by **TomcatDan** » Fri Jul 15, 2005 9:57 am

OK, this is going to be an unpopular view, but I think that the new 75 looks a bit rank... Kind of like an uglier rhubarb son of an Audi A6 and an Audi A4... Never liked the A6 anyway, but the headlights are reminiscent of the '4

114gta · Post by **114gta** » Fri Jul 15, 2005 12:19 pm

Don't always beleive what you read in that rather crappy magazine, it likes to make its own little concepts up in photo-shop.

malcolm_durant · Post by **malcolm_durant** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 11:19 pm

If they (whoever gets MG-R) are going to succeed they really need to produce a credible and modern looking successor to the 45. Rightly or wrongly the current R45 is seen as prehistoric...a new one must at least "appear" to be a clean break rather than an extensive revamp.

Sorry, unless MG is to become something like TVR, I just can't see a company surviving on just a MX5 sized roadster and a large saloon which inherently share few components (other than potentially the engine).

Suspect the Chinese backed bids will eventually mean a lot of low rent economy cars being assembled from crates in whats left of Longbridge to circumnavigate EU restrictions...

Malcolm

rover400turbo · Post by **rover400turbo** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 11:25 pm

We have a lot of ex Rover designers at work now.

They have 3 new car designs all ready to rock and roll

But nothing is new, as they have an 18 month design timeframe in all the motor industry.

george_chick · Post by **george_chick** » Sun Jul 17, 2005 11:39 pm

malcolm_durant wrote:If they (whoever gets MG-R) are going to succeed they really need to produce a credible and modern looking successor to the 45. Rightly or wrongly the current R45 is seen as prehistoric...a new one must at least "appear" to be a clean break rather than an extensive revamp.

Sorry, unless MG is to become something like TVR, I just can't see a company surviving on just a MX5 sized roadster and a large saloon which inherently share few components (other than potentially the engine).

Suspect the Chinese backed bids will eventually mean a lot of low rent economy cars being assembled from crates in whats left of Longbridge to circumnavigate EU restrictions...

Malcolm

Strange how Saab has go away with recycled bits floorpans engines etc from other manufacturers for years and it's never hurt them.
Only motor heads even know about it and the people who actually pay money for them don't know and wouldn't care.

75 large saloon? compare it to a 800, should have called it the 65 which is what it is, anyway I digress.

They've got a top end bod from Ford in on the deal, hopefully he'll tell them the score when it comes to branding, Ford tried for years to get into the premium brand sector with the Granada's and that went nowhere.
In the end they bought premium brands instead.

Still have no idea where they can go with just the MGF and 75 though, could probably go great guns in China, as long as get the fit and finish to A1 spec.

talkingcars · Post by **talkingcars** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 6:18 pm

Latest news is that SIAC are devinatly putting in an offer - they plan to resume some production making 100'000 cars a year at longbridge along with development and produce a similar number in China.

However the offer hasn't yet been accepted and there are others on the table.

rover400turbo · Post by **rover400turbo** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 6:41 pm

Well they are in the progess of building jigs in China.

So i reckon they are only interested in the tooling from longbridge to ship back to China, instead of making new tooling.

AL. · Post by **AL.** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 1:17 am

Radio earlier said that Shanghai Automotive had put in a 'generous' bid and that they were planning to take some of the Longbridge equipment to China and produce some different cars in Longbridge... I suppose they might have worked out a way to build some Asian cars over here to save on shipping or something

BlueRover · Post by **BlueRover** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 6:35 pm

I would definitely say "up yours" to SAIC. It is plainly obvious they have done this on purpose to get a cheap deal. I would prefer if PCW consider the deal from the non-Chinese bid, ok it's not as much money but at least the bidder is an enthusiast.
Apologies to any Chinese forum members who may not like my sentiment. It's not meant to be a racist commentary, just makes me angry.

george_chick · Post by **george_chick** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 8:33 pm

We've been down the enthusiast route with the Phoenix four.

We need someone with a shedload of money for new models or a market like China, where you can sell old Rover models until you've made enough money to develop new models and emerge on the world stage with something to sell.

Squaddiemodo · Post by **Squaddiemodo** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 9:27 pm

as a matter of principal i dont want to see SAIC own rover, however from an economic point of view it makes sense, if rover are to survive(and this is waht ALL of us want) they have to take the best offer on the table.

george_chick · Post by **george_chick** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 11:42 pm

This matter of principle is why Rover got into this situation.
Various people wanted Rover years ago Ford and GM IIRC and they were told to bog off.

Cut your nose to spite your face.

Suspect the blokes who are now on the rock n roll and using their collection of tools to put up yet more shelves indoors wouldn't be so picky.

BlueRover · Post by **BlueRover** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 8:12 pm

I understand the previous "enthusiast" ownership with Phoenix was perhaps wrong, although the accountants are surely to blame for not noticing or stopping the plundering of funds but who in their right mind believes the Chinese have any intention of keeping Rover as a company. Once they have their hands on the rest of the bits of the company, the only way you could buy a Rover will be to buy a second hand one. The cars produced will be for the Far East market and only available as imports, providing they get type approval etc.
I'm sorry to say but perhaps the MG brand may continue as a sports car manufacturer but nothing else, no more ZR,ZS,ZT models for us, just the TF, for a while anyway.