The British car industry entered a coma in the 70s with Leyland, it's been on a life support machine ever since.
The British car industry entered a coma in the 70s with Leyland, it's been on a life support machine ever since.
Word.quote:Originally posted by KJ_innit
Rover never embraced the future.
Good potted history here about it - read both pages!
http://cars.msn.co.uk/CarNews/RoverApril2005/
This is telling:-
quote:In 1993 Rover Group, as it had become, and as a subsidiary of British Aerospace since 1988 (Rover’s ownership transferred with the aid of substantial government ‘sweeteners’, facilitated by Margaret Thatcher), was still Britain’s largest car manufacturer, building around half-a- million cars a year. It was our biggest car exporter, selling in 150 markets worldwide. It employed 33,000 people and it retained its 20 per cent ‘cross-shareholding’ with Honda’s UK manufacturing division. It was building the 200, 400, 600 and 800 ranges, the Metro, the Mini, the Maestro, Montego, Land Rover and Range Rover – and since October 1992 the MG RV8, a 3.9-litre V8-powered reincarnation of the classic MGB.
Just a thought. The Pheonix group apparently paid BMW £10 for Rover when they bought it off of them.
I say that we all get together and try to convince BMW that they should sell us their MINI production for £15! You think that they'd go for it????
You sound like a conservative, no offence, but that depends on whether or not your are or otherwise.quote:Originally posted by mainmini
its a real shame, most other countries embrace their car manufacturing businesses the UK has just abandoned it!
coupled with the fact that most consumers will buy any old foreign rubbish as its a lot cheaper! - tax breaks should of been given a long time ago.
Sadly it looks like 20k plus jobs will go from Rover and associated industries, and the original mini will be in danger due to lack of avialable parts (i know this will please some!).
My thoughts go out to those who have lost their livelyhoods
People buy foreign cars because they are better. The reason this site is here is because its for owners of a car built in Britian but created by a foreign company... but is one of the most popular cars around not just because of its style but because of the quality of the car itself.
Granted people buy cheap foreign cars because they are more affordable, but looking at a rover and then looking at a hyundai, i know which one i'd rather have, and its not British. If you want to help british industry, encourage foreign companies to embrace the quality skills of British labour; as British industry seems too incompetent... hardly the fault of the government or customer spending habbits.
As for car parts for original mini being in danger; independant component makers have been creating parts for the mini for years, i dont see this changing.
Of course i feel sorry for those people who will loose their jobs and those who will also feel the fallout from this, but its not over till the fat lady sings as they say, and even if it is, i'm sure they'll find employment in similar industry...
ducks in e'mmmmmm ducks out and waits for KJ
great cause I'm bored @ work today:evil:
Cooper Coupe...
My tuppence worth:
"(i know this will please some!)" please don't encourage these kind of debates - theres enought of that cr@p elsewhere!!
"The management of Rover has been terrible - If Rover hadn't of sold out (again) and produced the MINI think they'd have a problem" - yes - I for one wouldn't have bought one! the track record of Rover for the last 10 years at least is full of failed cars and cr@p build quality in my opinion.
Having owned and driven Ford, VW, Vauxhall, Rover, MG, Audi, Peugeot, MINI, BMW, Fiat - the Rover (Metro) was probably one of the horriblest cars of the lot apart from the Fiat (128 and Punto) Yes the rover management let the company down - but opinions and reputations are hard to shake - where were they gonna fund the improvements in manufacture and build quality if they cannae sell the cars - the failure was rife throughout the company!
I am sad for the job losses - but it's not only the car industry the various governments have failed over the last 20 years - just ask the miners, dockyard workers, electrical manufacturers...and on and on!!
Listen mark my words Ford will by the MG brand afterall they have bought up most other British Car Brand Names that have been trouble.
Look @ Aston Martin then LR.
Cooper Coupe...
For once I support KJ!
Rover/Austin Rover hasn't built a decent car in over 30 years. All the cars became obsolete almost the moment the first one rolled off the production. Rover failed to innovate which would have allowed it to charge a premium for it's models instead it was left fighting for the cut price markets with Hyundai and the like, so no investment for new models. I for one will not be sorry to see it go, it was becoming an embarrassment to the UK.
You can't blame the government for this mess the company has been in private ownership for years. You can't expect the government to keep bailing out industries in which we are no longer competitive. It's far better to bite the bullet and let the workforce find another industry. There's currently a real shortage of qualified technicians in the oil industry and there will be a huge need for people in the Renewable and Nuclear industries in the near future, so the workforce will find work they might have to move though!
Hopefully the MG brand will stay untarnished by this mess and we just see an MG badged MX5 if Ford do decide to snap up the brand. You might even see a bid from Toyota or Honda.
I was sick in a rover when I was 4 . Never liked them since!
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