Following on from the earlier thread here, where I speculated that SAIC were interested in Rover for Powertrain, Rover's engine making business (having begun development on a camless engine using Camcon technology), here is what the Observer had to say:
observer.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,6903,1406...l
"Central to the deal will be the Powertrain engine business, which manufactures the company's K Series engine. Sources indicate that under the deal, the engine production line will be shipped to China after an agreement to supply engines to Solihull-based Land Rover expires next summer.
"This will give SAIC access to engine production and development techniques, a key priority in its negotiations with MG Rover. Last month, Powertrain casting equipment was packaged and sent to China as part of an earlier agreement to share technology and intellectual property."
"The Rover 75 production line is also likely to be shipped to China, where SAIC believes the car will sell well. "
Half the workforce faces redundancy, too, apparently ...
At least the Chinese will be able to appreciate the K-Series head gasket problems, too ...
:-)
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A Chinese made Rover 75.
Wow! That should sell well.
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iirc the reason why Rover went to the current owners was because they would preserve jobs! (as opposed to the other bidders who would have slimmed the organisation down.. so it could make money..)
madf
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Having had to endure BL, Austin-Rover, Leyland, Rover, Ching Chong Motors, Muttley Motors whatever they are called this week stories since I was a kid, I just wish they sort something out either positive or otherwise and get their act together.
Listening to the Rover story reminds me of one those movie villains that whatever you do to him refuses to die...perhaps they ought to cryogenically freeze Rover and re-animate the firm when everyone has forgotten about them...say in 300 years?
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God it's amazing how much rubbish is speculated on in the absence of any concrete news!
Time for some facts - this is not speculation:
1. The Rover 75 line is not being shipped to China. Rover needs that line to continue building Rover 75s at Longbridge alongside the new medium car, which will be built on the same line (it is that flexible).
2. A new line is being built at a facility in China to build Rover 75s for the Chinese market and probably other Asian markets, under the joint venture company being set up between Rover and SAIC.
Of course the engines to go in the Chinese Rovers will need to be built in China, and it appears some casting equipment was shipped there to show the Chinese some of the casting technology Powertrain has.
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A Chinese Rover 75 should sell quite well - after all they bought this Maestro/Montego Hybrid!
www.austin-rover.co.uk/index.htm?fawlubaof.htm
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And according to Auto-Express we are about to re-import them !
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God those wheel arches don't match! And are they clear-lensed headlights I see? I thought you could only get mods like that through demon-tweaks!
My dad had several Montegos and he still argues that they were the best cars he's ever had. Of course, he never had them long enough for them to develop the common Montego/Maestro rot.
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God those wheel arches don't match
Yes - a 'cut and shut' straight off the production line!
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You won't hear me say anything bad about Maestro / Montego.
It looks OK to me!!
I did have my fingers crossed behind my back, as I typed this!!
VB
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Of course the engines to go in the Chinese Rovers will need to be built in China, and it appears some casting equipment was shipped there to show the Chinese some of the casting technology Powertrain has.
So, with Chinese production lines churning out zillions of the engines, why would Powertrain bother to keep a UK plant churning out a few dozen a month to meet the miniscule demand for MG/Rovers?
They could buy them from China for a whole lot less.
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>> Of course the engines to go in the Chinese Rovers will >> need to be built in China, and it appears some casting >> equipment was shipped there to show the Chinese some of the >> casting technology Powertrain has. So, with Chinese production lines churning out zillions of the engines, why would Powertrain bother to keep a UK plant churning out a few dozen a month to meet the miniscule demand for MG/Rovers? They could buy them from China for a whole lot less.
For one thing, the Chinese are only likely to be interested in the larger of the engines. The smaller four pots are needed mainly for the European market, so it makes sense to continue building them here.
Secondly, the Chinese won't be interested in the diesel L-series, which is being updated with common-railing and other enhancements. Some of the parts for this engine are being built in India by Sonalika but the engines themselves are still being assembled at Powertrain AFAIK.
Thirdly, shipping costs and the logistics of having engines arriving just in time from thousands of miles away instead of from next door probably somewhat outweigh the low cost of labour advantages. What may well happen instead is that parts for the engines will be shipped from China but they will continue to be assembled at Longbridge.
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Bit off topic, but MG Rover oriented!
Since the facelift of the 2 ranges, I've seen a few faceifted Rovers, but I think only one MG. I wonder if this is a direct result of the bland MG restyle.
cheers, SS
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The hard reality is that in Europe at least, if you put a Rover badge on even the latest Mercedes it still would not sell. Customers do not want Rovers any more.
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retrokid - do you *EVER* post *ANYTHING* other than comments about how lousy Rover is ?
If that is all you have to contribute, then go away and bore someone else, and we'll just make sure we remember, every tiem there is a Rover conversation, that you would have had something bad to say.
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Thirdly, shipping costs and the logistics of having engines arriving just in time from thousands of miles away instead of from next door probably somewhat outweigh the low cost of labour advantages.
I thought that the Japanese manufacturers in Europe managed it OK.
And in any case, logistics more a headache if you sell lots of vehicles. Stockpiling a few dozen Rover engines every month won't tie up much capital -- not enough to justify the cost of mainataing a production line to trickle them out.
What may well happen instead is that parts for the engines will be shipped from China but they will continue to be assembled at Longbridge.
That possibility makes some sense, but considering that shipping costs would remain much the same, why not have them assembled in China?
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