From today's Telegraph
www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/20...l
It seems Longbridge will become a kit assembly plant for about 15,000 cars a year and with only an extra 200 employed. A far cry from the 6,000 that used to work there producing 110,00 cars.
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Roger
I read frequently, but only post when I have something useful to say.
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Those numbers also assume that people will want to buy the TF any more.
I can't see people lining up for it, not in the face of the competition -- new MX5 for a start. Plus, will the Chinese manufacture and brand association damage the image of MG?
It's only a matter of time before even that small operation will close down too, and then the story will be finally over. Didn't Longbridge employ over 100,000 people in its hey day in the 1960s? How times change.
Looking at the plus side, the new developments on the Longbidge site could create a large variety of decent jobs for the future. That's great news for the area, but not much consolation for the terminally ill British car industry.
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I feel a bacon butty coming on !
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I hear the sound of a kitten getting reacquainted with it's maker...
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I shall believe it when I see it!
Considering the contradicting information regarding the US venture that first was going to be a BIG thing and then turned into a mayby, sort-of, nearly, possible car plant buildingy thing. And considering the apparent "Oh, by the way there will also be a morsel of work for the UK" that was announced in a rather apologetic manner, I really don't forsee that reality will match the currently spun information.
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It might come down to pricing - an MGTF range £10,000 - say £13,000, assuming good quality could sell.
However a 10/12 yr old designed car will not sell against a new 2005 MX5 at the same price
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41 cars a day to be built with a workforce of 200 bolting bits on to a already built engine/subframe eh? big deal in my opinion ...... not........
sounds to me like a back door way to get round chinese import tariffs/barriers?
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The company plans to build 15,000 MG TF sports cars annually and the Longbridge factory will begin production next year. Nanjing plans to sell vehicles in Britain and Europe from late 2007.
The company said last month that MG's headquarters outside Asia will be in Oklahoma in the United States. It is building a facility in Ardmore, Oklahoma, that will make between 12,000 and 16,000 vehicles a year for the North American market. Car analysts have expressed surprise at these sales forecasts, claiming that they are extremely optimistic. Worldwide, Nanjing is proposing to build more than 30,000
MG TFs a year. In 2004, the year before Rover went into administration, MG sold 10,000 vehicles.
Andrew Wright, analyst at CSM Worldwide, said: "Their sales forecasts are rather optimistic. I am looking at 2,000 sales in the UK and Europe and perhaps 5,000 in the US. It is just not believable that they could get much more than that."
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Back to my point about pricing - get it right and the sales may boom - always assuming the quality & reliability is there
On a non motoring comparison C&A lost money for years in the UK and pulled out of the UK a few years back - in the 12 mth sell off they made money - prices were marked down and volumes increased dramatically.
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I think its time the remains of the leyland dog were put to rest. Yes i have bought rovers up until recently and wanted to support british manufacturing, but resurection by some chinese company nobody had ever herd of until recently and some cottage industry manufacture at longbridge is a joke. Its time the Rover dog and MG were put down for good.
What I do find ammusing is that over on a pro rover mg website called mg-rover.org there is a load of delluded people saying how great it is the return of MG, and because allegedlly part of the Rover 75 line is still at longbridge volume production models will eventually return, dream on.
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Its time the Rover dog and MG were put down for good.
Yes, I have a friend too, with whom I don't talk anymore which in part is because he is a Rover/MG fanatic and belongs to the MG Car Club where I believe good discounts can still be obtained on such makes.
He still believes that they were the finest cars ever made and that anything 'German' or 'Japanese' should not be entertained by British people because of certain past connotations and is now, I would imagine, annoyed with me because I have a more liberal and sensible view and bought recently, what I thought would be the best value for my hard-earned cash. Yes, after owning two successive new Rovers up until 2004, decided to call it a day and bought a new MK 5 Volkswagen Golf.
I could not believe the difference there was in say, my last Rover (Rover 400i 5dr HB) and my present Golf, the latter being a world apart in terms of quality and perceived feel - it exudes class in all respects in contrast with the Rover although that wasn't a bad car in many respects.
No. Rover/MG should be left where it is and not resurrected. There is currently now too much competition offering better, up to date products. Rover would be left high and dry.
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I thought they'd taken all the stuff back to China?
Sounds like a front for something, all this country has left is small volume specialised car manufacturers.
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£14,999was £15,499Details
£17,657was £18,157Details
£31,499was £31,999Details
£17,309was £20,399Details
