MG Rover-News

[AC-3EX]

MG Rover: Es geht wieder los

Bei dem im April zusammengebrochenen britischen Autoproduzenten MG Rover sollen von Ende nächsten Jahres an wieder Autos vom Band laufen, berichtete das britische Wirtschaftsblatt "Financial Times" am Mittwoch (28.9.).

Das chinesische Staatsunternehmen Nanjing Automobile, das im August die Anlagen von Rover für 53 Millionen Pfund (78 Millionen Euro) kaufte, will danach in Birmingham zwei MG-Modelle bauen lassen und 1.200 Arbeitnehmer beschäftigen.

Dies seien deutlich weniger als die 2.000 Arbeitsplätze, die beim Erwerb der Rover-Anlagen durch Nanjing erwartet worden waren. "Aber es sind 1.200 mehr als wir zur Zeit haben", zitierte die Zeitung einen britischen Gewerkschaftssprecher. Nanjing hoffe, in der britischen Fabrik in fünf Jahren 100.000 Autos per Jahr herstellen zu können.

Der letzte selbstständige britische Autoproduzent war Ende April mit Verlusten von monatlich bis zu 25 Millionen Pfund (37 Millionen Euro) pleite gegangen. Damals zählte die Belegschaft 6.000 Beschäftigte. Sie produzierten zuletzt 112.500 Autos der Marken MG und Rover im Jahr.

Quelle: http://auto-motor-und-sport.de/news/wirtschaft/mg_rover_es_geht_wieder_los.92552.htm

[Angus]

MG Rover staff are left in limbo  

Six months after the collapse of MG Rover, the future remains uncertain for both the factory and former staff.

Only a third of the 6,000 who were made redundant in April have found new jobs, most of them on lower pay.

The workers have not benefited from the sale of assets, despite a previous promise that a trust would be created.

And uncertainty remains about how many, if any, will be re-employed when new owner Nanjing Automobile restarts car production at Longbridge next year.

Nanjing agreed to pay £53m for the company in July. Last month, the Chinese car maker said it would resume production in 2006, jointly with GB Sports Car Company.

It hopes to get up to speed in 2007, eventually producing 100,000 MG TF sports cars and MG ZT saloons at Longbridge - almost as many as MG Rover used to produce.

However, it is highly unlikely it will employ many more than about 1,200 workers.

The final figure will depend on what sort of support Nanjing gets from the UK government and from investors.

Moreover, the Amicus union last month estimated that a further 20,000 jobs will eventually be lost as MG Rover's former suppliers scale back.

Their chances of recovering as suppliers to Nanjing's operations - if and when they are up and running - are slim, as it is far more likely that the new owner would decide to import at least some parts from China.

Hopes are also slim for workers who had hoped for help from MG Rover's four former owners: John Towers, Peter Beale, John Edwards and Nick Stephenson.

Soon after the collapse of MG Rover, the owners - known as the Phoenix Four - had vowed to sell assets valued at between £10m and £50m, with a view to setting up a trust fund for the benefit of former workers.

But no cash has been handed over to redundant staff as the four have decided not to inject any cash into the trust pending the outcome of an investigation by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

"We are currently acting under legal advice not to transfer our shareholdings into the trust," one of the four, Mr Beale, told Birmingham Post a few weeks after the sale to Nanjing.

In August, Phoenix Venture Holdings sold the magnificent Studley Castle in Warwickshire for £4.5m. About a third of the proceeds went to fill holes in the company's pension fund.

The rest of the cash is eagerly eyed by a string of disgruntled creditors keen to get their hands on Phoenix assets.

The workers' fund is, in effect, just one more creditor - and like the others, is thought unlikely to see more than a single-digit percentage of what it is owed.

The company's collapse has not wiped out the market for MG and Rover cars, however.

Phoenix Venture Holdings still owns a number of dealerships, some of which are still trading.

Last month 1,130 new MGs and 967 new Rovers were sold, albeit at seriously discounted prices, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

MGs and Rovers also remain popular in the second-hand market. Dealers say buyers are still keen and - when priced right - the cars are snapped up quickly.

Admittedly, an owner wanting to ensure the sale of - say - a six-year-old top spec Rover 75 would have to accept a fair amount of depreciation.

But many owners of comparable executive cars are facing the same fate. Both the Saab 9-5 or the Volvo S80, for example, are losing value much faster than their German rivals, according to data from Parker's car price guide.

BBC News, 6 October 2005

Aus dem Inhalt:
Sechs Monate nach dem Aus für MG Rover ist sowohl das Schicksal des Werks als auch der ehemaligen Angestellten ungewiss. Nur ein drittel der 6.000 hat bisher neue Arbeit gefunden, dann auch meist weniger gut bezahlt als bei MG Rover. Vom Verkauf der Unternehmensteile haben sie nicht profitieren können. Ungewiss bleibt auch, ob und wie viele ehemalige Arbeiter wieder eingestellt werden, wenn der neue Eigentümer die Produktion nächstes Jahr  wieder anfährt. Nanjing hofft, bis 2007 Fahrt auf zu nehmen um evtl. 100.000 MG TF und MG ZT in Longbridge zu produzieren -fast so viele wie MG Rover bisher vom Band laufen ließ. Jedenfalls hat der Zusammenbruch im April keinen Markteinbruch für MG- und Rover-Fahrzeuge bedeutet. Phoenix Venture unterhält noch immer  eine Anzahl von Händlereinheiten, von denen einige auch noch verkaufen. Im letzten Monat wurden so 1.130 MG und 967 Rover verkauft -zu seriösen Angeboten. Die Marken bleiben auch auf dem Zweitehandmarkt interessant. Mit dem richtigen Angebot fänden die Fahrzeuge schnell Abnehmer.

[Angus]

Nanjing's plan for Longbridge won't work, warns PwC

The joint administrator of MG Rover has questioned whether large-scale car manufacturing can return to its Longbridge site.

The statement by Rob Hunt, from PricewaterhouseCoopers, contradicts an announcement less than a fortnight ago from MG Rover's new owners that 100,000 cars a year could be made at the Midlands site within five years.

The Chinese company Nanjing, which bought the collapsed car maker in July, had said it was considering building up to four or five new models at the site, under plans being drawn up with UK group GB Sports Car. It claimed up to 1,200 jobs could be created

But Mr Hunt told The Independent on Sunday that Longbridge might only be suited to building a sports car.

"A good result might be a sports car," Mr Hunt said. "As a realist, I question whether anything else can be done. I am not convinced large-scale manufacturing can be done there."

He stressed that future plans for Longbridge were the responsibility of Nanjing and its partners, and not PwC. But his comments will fuel cynicism about Nanjing's commitment to the UK. The company is transporting much of MG Rover's machinery and assembly lines to China and wants a partner to fund most of the investment needed to resume large-scale car production at Longbridge. GB Sports Car has not yet announced its plans for the site.

PwC also revealed it has brought in over £40m by selling 8,500 new and used cars. This means PwC has raised around £100m from selling its assets, including the cash received from Nanjing for the business.

But creditors of MG Rover and its Powertrain engine subsidiary, who are owed a total of £1.4bn, may not see proceeds from the sales until next winter. Mr Hunt said that because of the complexity of the business, the standard 12-month period of administration might have to be extended by another six months.

According to Mr Hunt, the administrators, who have taken over operational responsibility for the Midlands site, are still valuing its remaining assets and checking claims made against it. He said a decision on whether to ask creditors to extend the administration period would be made in January.

Creditors of MG Rover should expect no more than a negligible payout, of around 5p in the pound. Powertrain creditors, owed around £150m, could receive 13p in the pound.

The National Audit Office has said it is investigating the government payments that temporarily kept MG Rover from collapsing in May this year.

The Independent, 09 October 2005

Aus dem Inhalt:
PwC warnt: Nanjings Pläne für Longbridge gehen nicht auf.
Die derzeitigen Verwalter von MG Rover fragen sich, ob eine ausgewogene Massenautoproduktion wieder in Longbridge anlaufen könnte. Nanjing gab bereits bekannt, dass etwa 100.000 Fahrzeuge pro Jahr innerhalb der nächsten fünf Jahre das Werk verlassen könnten. Eine Erklärung von Rob Hunt (PwC) widerspricht dieser Aussage. Longbridge könne höchstens genutzt werden um einen Sportwagen herzustellen. "Als Realist frage ich mich, ob irgend etwas anderes gemacht werden könnte. Ich bin nicht davon überzeugt, dass dort eine ausgewogene Massenproduktion stattfinden kann." Für die Zukunftspläne sei jedoch Nanjing verantwortlich und nicht PwC. Hunts Aussagen schüren diesbzüglich jedoch Zynismus. Nanjing verschiffe große Teile der Produktionsanlagen nach China und suche einen Partner, um die Produktion in Longbridge finanzieren zu können. GB Sports Car gab jedoch bisher keine Pläne für das Werk bekannt.

[Angus]

Nanjing set to boost MG jobs?

The new Chinese owner of MG Rover has revealed a multi-million-pound plan to create 1,200 new jobs in the Midlands.

Nanjing Automotive says its scheme could kick-start production of existing MG models. Meanwhile, fans are planning to meet at the Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon, Warks, on 16 October to mark 10 years of the MGF.

AutoExpress, 5th October 2005


Aus dem Inhalt:
Der neue Eigentümer von MG Rover hat einen Multi-Millionen Pfund Plan enthüllt, um 1.200 neue Jobs zu schaffen. Der Plan könne die Produktion von bereits bestehenden MG-Modellen blitzstarten.
Währenddessen planen Anhänger am 16. Oktober ein Treffen am Heritage Motor Centre, um 10 Jahre MGF zu feiern.

[Angus]

Hitliste der Neuzulassungen von Autobild, www.autobild.de

MG Rover 75/ZT Rang 235 (Vorjahr 181), -75,9%
MG Rover 25/ZR Rang 222 (Vorjahr 185), -62,9%
MG Rover 45/ZS Rang 262 (Vorjahr 206), -88,1%
MG Rover TF      Rang 267 (Vorjahr 203), -90,1%

MG Rover Gesamtrang 36 (Vorjahr 34), Jan-Sep '05 1.306 (Vorjahr 3.520), -2.214 Einheiten, -62,9%

[Angus]

Das Rover-Problem

MG Rover ist pleite. Doch wer hilft Rover-Fahrern bei Ärger und Reparaturen?

Auf diese Frage suchte auch Johannes Alberts aus Löhne eine Antwort. Sein fast neuer MG ZR 160 blieb Mitte des Jahres mit Motorschaden liegen. Garantie? Keine Chance! So die Antwort von Rover Deutschland. Begründung:  Die Muttergesellschaft ist pleite, die Garantiefonds sind geschlossen.
So bitter es klingt: Tatsächlich ziehen an der Garantiefront viele Rover-Fahrer zur Zeit den kürzeren. Heißt: Sie bleiben auf den Kosten für Reparaturen am Fast-Neuwagen sitzen.

eigentlich gibt es nur eine Hoffnung: Rover/ MG-Händler haben über die Real Garant eine Garantie abgeschlossen. Das war bis zum 1. August 2005 möglich. Allerdings mußten die Händler die Police für den Kunden bezahlen. Klar, daß hier nicht alle mitzogen.
Schwacher Trost: Ersatzteile gibt es noch rund acht Jahre. Solange will die Firma X-Parts die verbliebenen Rover-Händler mindestens beliefern.
Und wer jetzt noch trotz aller Probleme einen Rover kaufen will, hat gute Karten: Denn bei den Händlern (Liste unter www.mgrover.de) warten noch rund 2000, meist gebrauchte, Fahrzeuge. Bei Verhandlungsgeschick zu Schnäppchenpreisen und viele mit der Real-Garant Police.

Autobild, 14.10.2005

[Angus]

The Sunday Times October 23, 2005

How Rover ended up a Chinese takeaway

A new book reveals that the men from Shanghai never intended to take over the historic Longbridge plant.

By Chris Brady and Andrew Lorenz

THE Phoenix Four — John Towers and three friends — were hailed as saviours when they took control of the renamed MG Rover in May 2000.
Five years later those same "white knights" were being vilified as the "unacceptable face of capitalism" by BMW's most senior executive in Britain, Jim O'Donnell. BMW had sold Phoenix the company for £10. What happened?

The answer appears to be simple. Phoenix had £1 billion of someone else's money; it would lose £200m a year but it could not sell the company for three years because of various payback clauses. The strategy was, therefore, to survive for three years and then race against time, in the two remaining years, to offload the business.

When that final race began, China was a natural destination. It needed to develop its motor industry. It needed intellectual property and brands. Phoenix had both and needed a partner quickly.

The first port of call was Brilliance China, chaired by Yang Rong, one of the most ambitious of China's would-be motor moguls. Phoenix managed to extract about £20m from Brilliance but Yang soon fell out with the powers that be and was forced to go on the run. Goodbye Brilliance.

Throughout 2003 Rover's Nick Stephenson, another of the four along with Peter Beale and John Edwards, toured China's other main carmakers ending up, early in 2004, with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC). The Chinese group had the right resources. It was a genuine mass producer, churning out more than 750,000 vehicles a year.

SAIC knew Rover wasn't the world's greatest marque, but it had two models with potential, the 25 and the 75. SAIC saw the 25, despite its age, as a suitable model for low-cost manufacture in China and export to southeast Asia. The 75 was even more attractive; it was fairly new, and the only Rover to have been designed by BMW. It therefore presented a unique opportunity to secure intellectual property rights derived from the BMW gene pool.

There was also the Powertrain engine and gearbox plant, which despite its longevity represented serious technology for SAIC. Finally, there was distribution. Phoenix's European distribution network offered SAIC access to western markets.

From the outset, SAIC never had any intention of buying all of MG Rover, nor of taking control of Longbridge with all its liabilities. It only ever envisaged a technology-acquisition deal — the 25, 75 and Powertrain — and joint ventures whereby the two companies would develop replacements for the 45 and the 25.

Under the acquisition plan, the 25 production line and the engine lines would be shipped to Shanghai. After that, no more 25s and K-series family engines would be made at Longbridge. Versions of the 75 would be made in Birmingham and Shanghai, meaning 2,500 job losses from Longbridge's 6,000-strong workforce.

In 2004 SAIC sent a team of almost 50 people to Britain for discussions and to carry out due diligence. It did not take them long to see Rover urgently needed money. In August, Phoenix and SAIC signed what was intended to be an interim deal. SAIC agreed to pay Rover £67m in two tranches, £37m up front and another £30m in December. In return, SAIC gained intellectual-property rights to the 25, 75 and the engine range.

SAIC soon found problems. For example, the money Rover was supposed to be using to contribute to development costs was actually going to staunch its spiralling cash outflows. So desperately did Rover need the cash that, well before December, it was asking the Chinese to make the second payment. For over a year, MG Rover had been offloading assets in order to generate cash. As Tony Lomas, one of the PWC administrators, later put it, "[this was a business] running to stand still".

Nevertheless, the Chinese kept talking.

For Phoenix, the SAIC negotiations now became critical to the maintenance of confidence in Rover. Why else would John Towers take such an extraordinary risk as he did when he re-emerged from a long period away from the limelight and contributed to a newspaper story that Rover was about to conclude a £1 billion "strategic partnership" with SAIC?

The Phoenix chairman must have known how this would alienate SAIC. But the stakes were so high that the company had little choice but to flaunt the SAIC presence in order to prop up confidence in Rover. Rover's report and accounts for 2003, which appeared in November 2004, confirmed the severity of the situation. Phoenix's auditor, Deloitte & Touche, made it clear that, without the prospect of the full SAIC deal, Rover was not a going concern. SAIC executives could not understand the British lack of discretion over what were supposed to be highly confidential negotiations and, to make matters worse, other Phoenix and Rover personnel continued to hype the prospect of a deal.

Notwithstanding, by early February there was the outline of a final agreement. SAIC was to pay a further £125m to Rover — not Phoenix. About £70m was earmarked for Rover's pension fund. The total value ascribed to Rover, including the interim £67m deal, was therefore £192m — not bad for a loss-making minnow in the world of automotive leviathans.
Two joint ventures were to be created, one based in China in which SAIC would hold 70% and Rover 30%, the other in Britain with SAIC having 51% and Rover 49%. When Nanjing Automotive expressed an interest in participating, SAIC recast the deal so that Nanjing would hold 20% of the 70% Chinese-based venture stake. At no stage was SAIC going to assume the liability of the Longbridge workforce. Almost as soon as those parameters were drawn, however, the chances of a deal began to evaporate. For months SAIC had been asking for full due-diligence access to the books of Phoenix Venture Holdings (PVH). Early in March it was given that access, and immediately commissioned Ernst & Young to produce a detailed report on the state of PVH. Ernst & Young's primary focus was the financial viability of MG Rover.

The Ernst & Young report was delivered to SAIC in mid-March. It was devastating. Ernst & Young found Rover had five fundamental and inter-related flaws: it was not selling enough cars, they were not at the right price, there was insufficient working capital, it had the wrong cost base and, finally, there was no guarantee that it would be able to continue financing the pension fund, where the £70m deficit disclosed in the 2003 accounts had now ballooned to more than £200m. The deal was dead.

The government quickly smelled trouble and, confronted by the spectre of collapse on the eve of a general election in May, it went into overdrive.

First, it allowed Rover to defer its Vat bill in anticipation of an SAIC deal, which amounted to a £25m saving. Patricia Hewitt, trade and industry secretary, dispatched senior officials to Shanghai. Then Gordon Brown, the chancellor, rushed to Shanghai and is believed to have promised tax holidays and Vat breaks in an effort to re-engage the Chinese.

On April 2 the government made another desperate attempt to salvage the deal, promising a £100m bridging loan. This was unreal. The government already knew there was no deal because three days earlier it had received a communication from SAIC stating it was no longer interested in investing in Rover. SAIC repeated the message on April 4 and April 5.

Even then the government bizarrely provided a £6.5m loan to cover wages for a week while it tried to "re-engage SAIC", which it must have known was impossible.

Despite these desperate efforts the "English Patient" remained comatose, breathing only through the political life-support machine funded by British taxpayers.

Ironically, it was Rover's suppliers who finally turned off the machine. On the afternoon of Thursday, April 7, a supplier of bumpers to the Rover 75 line refused to continue supplies. The 75 line was stopped immediately. Soon, so many suppliers were withholding deliveries that all the assembly lines were halted. Rover was dead.

Events now careered out of control. On the Thursday evening reporters were summoned to a DTI press conference at which Hewitt announced (inaccurately) that Rover had decided to call in the receivers. It was, she said, "a devastating blow to all those involved". This was hardly surprising because only one year earlier she had said: "I'm very pleased with Rover's performance. There was a big risk involved in setting up Rover again when it looked likely to come to the end of the road for car manufacturing."

There were clearly questions to be answered. As Hewitt's successor, Alan Johnson, said on May 31: "People want to know what happened."

They deserve to know how much the government could have done to avert the collapse. Did Hewitt handle the negotiations professionally? How much did the government's handling of the original Phoenix purchase contribute to the situation? Did the directors act illegally? Did the auditors do their jobs properly?

The various inspectors will ultimately make those judgments, probably in years to come. On April 15 Towers said he "did not feel guilty about the process we've been through; wind back the clock five years and I'd have done the same". Pity, because had he been able to do so Phoenix might not have made a series of promises on matters of growth, product development, sales, or partnerships — none of which was ever delivered.

He might also have admitted that Rover had truly reached the end of the road as a volume car-maker the day BMW walked away. Phoenix — and it would be hard to conceive of a greater misnomer — merely steered it off the road and over the cliff. All that remained was a Chinese takeaway.

(Extracted from End of the Road: The True Story of the Downfall of Rover, by Chris Brady and Andrew Lorenz. Published by Prentice Hall, £12.99)

[Angus]

Automobilwoche/22. Oktober 2005

Chinesen reanimieren das Empire

Nanjing will MG- und Austin-Modelle bauen

Jens Dralle

München. Nachdem im Juli die chinesische Nanjing Automotive Group die Vermögenswerte von MG Rover für 53 Millionen britische Pfund erworben hat, konkretisieren sich nun die Pläne für eine Wiederaufnahme der Produktion im Werk Longbridge. Laut Gordon Poynter, Geschäftsführer von Nanjing-Partner GB Sportscars Ltd., könnte bereits Ende 2006 die Produktion der Modelle MG TF und ZT beginnen.

Bis dahin muss noch die Frage der Motorisierung geklärt werden. Die Rechte an den K-Series-Triebwerken sowie an dem vor der Pleite nahezu fertig entwickelten Common-Rail-Diesel von MG Rover sind im Besitz der Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) – wie Nanjing ein Staatsunternehmen. ,,Es ist unwahrscheinlich, dass es der chinesische Staat zulässt, dass sich die beiden Konzerne vor einem Gericht in Hongkong streiten", glaubt Poynter. Nach einer Einigung sollen 1.200 Arbeiter jährlich 100.000 Autos bauen. Zusätzlich will Nanjing in China für den Heimatmarkt Volumenmodelle unter dem Austin-Label produzieren. ,,Austin war früher ein Massenhersteller. Daher will Nanjing die Marke für China nutzen", sagt Poynter. Die Chinesen haben mit MG die Markenrechte für Austin und Wolseley erworben. Nanjing erwägt darüber hinaus, mit Austin Healey-Sportwagen in den US- Markt einzutreten.

Unterdessen konnte MG Rover Deutschland rund 1.600 Bestandsfahrzeuge an seine Händler verkaufen. ,,90 Prozent der überwiegend gebrauchten Fahrzeuge sind bereits weg", freut sich Wilfried Fleischer, Geschäftsführer von MG Rover Deutschland. Dabei nahmen die Händler kaum die Option des Kommissionskaufs wahr – die Autos wurden meist bar bezahlt.

Forderungen gegenüber dem Importeur konnten bei einem Barkauf ebenfalls geltend gemacht werden. Fleischer ist daher zuversichtlich, dass ,,die Gläubigerquote recht gut ausfallen wird". Darüber hinaus habe man Gespräche mit GB Sportscars über einen möglichen Vertrieb von MG-Modellen geführt, die unter Nanjing-Regie produziert werden. ,,Gut 50 Händler werden wir bis dahin halten können", ist Fleischer sicher.

[Angus]

SAIC not ruling out legal tussle over MG Rover
 
LONDON (Reuters) - Chinese carmaker Shanghai Automotive Corp. (SAIC) has not ruled out legal action to stop rival Nanjing Automobile from making two MG Rover models on which SAIC owns the intellectual property rights.

"If anyone infringes on it, then they reserve the right to take legal action," a SAIC spokesman said on Wednesday.

"It is a watching brief at the moment, waiting to see what they (Nanjing) go ahead and do."

Nanjing bought the assets of MG Rover, a former iconic British carmaker, after it collapsed under debts of 1.4 billion pounds in April.

SAIC lost out to Nanjing in the bidding process but already owned the rights to build the Rover 25 small car and Rover 75 saloon from an earlier deal.

SAIC said in July it was considering all options, including legal action. It cannot take action until Nanjing or another party infringes on the property rights.

Nanjing Automobile has said it plans to revive production at the former MG Rover assembly plant in central England by 2007 and create 1,200 jobs at the site. About 5,000 jobs were lost when MG Rover collapsed.

Nanjing is still discussing its business plan with partners, with an update expected by the end of the year.

Reuters UK, Wed Oct 26, 2005

Aus dem Inhalt:
SAIC schließt nicht aus, dass es zu rechtlichen Schritten kommen könnte, um den konkurrenten Nanjing Auto daran zu hindern, MG Rover-Modelle zu produzieren, dessen Rechte bei SAIC liegen. Man werde nun zunächst beobachten, welchen Weg Nanjing wähle.

[Spacecake]

SAIC hat "nur" die Rechte an den K-Series Motoren, dem 25 und dem 75 , ergo kann nanjing schon ein paar sachen bauen, F, TF, den Healey, der neulich als Studie umhergeschwirrt ist. Frage ist nur, wie sie das Motorenproblem lösen.

Hier nochmal der Austin Healey, wie er erscheinen könnte:

[Angus]

China's Nanjing Auto in talks to restart MG Rover's UK plant - report

BEIJING (AFX) - China's Nanjing Automobile (Group) Corp is in talks with partners about restarting car production at MG Rover's Longbridge plant near Birmingham, the Financial Times reported.

Nanjing Auto, which acquired the collapsed British car firm in July, is in talks with three partners and remains open to further approaches, the newspaper said, citing Wang Qiu Jing, vice president of the Chinese automaker.

The company was thought to be in exclusive talks with GB Sports Car over plans to build MG cars in Birmingham, but according to the newspaper, Wang said the talks had no exclusivity.

'We lack international experience,' the newspaper quoted Wang as saying. 'We are the newcomers in the global market and to guarantee this project will be successful, we really need a partner,' he said, adding that Nanjing hopes to wrap up a deal as soon as possible.

Wang spelt out three conditions for a deal: China will be used to provide low-cost manufacturing of components for assembly in the UK; full use will be made of both the UK and Chinese markets; and product development costs will be shared between the two, the newspaper said.

Citing people close to Nanjing, the newspaper said it is possible the firm will partner with more than one company, using GB Sports for its finance but bringing in further finance or manufacturing expertise from another company, for example.

GB Sports is a new firm set up by former Rover managers.

Wang added that the size of Nanjing's stake in the British business is up for negotiation but the Chinese firm is not willing to simply sell the business, the newspaper said.

Forbes, 28.10.2005


Aus dem Inhalt:
Die Nanjing Auto Group ist laut Financal Times im Gespräch mit Partnern, um die Produktion im Rover-Werk bei Birmingham wieder an zu fahren. Das Unternehmen spreche derzeit mit drei Partnern und sei gegenüber weiteren Annäherungen offen. Entgegen der allgemeinen Vermutung, die Kooperation Nanjings mit der GB Sports Car sei exklusiv, verlautet Vizepräsident Wang (Nanjing), dass die Gespräche mit dem Unternehmen dies nicht seien. Um garantieren zu können, dass das Projekt Erfolg haben werde, bräuche man einen Partner. Ein entsprechender Handel solle so bald wie möglich zustande kommen. Wang sprach weiter von drei Konditionen für einen Handel: China soll günstige Komponenten für die Montage in GB zur Verfügung stellen, sowohl der chinesische als auch der britische Markt sollen voll ausgenutzt werden und Entwicklungskosten sollen auf die beiden Partner aufgeteilt werden. Offensichtlich wäre es auch möglich, dass Nanjing mit mehr als einem Partner kooperieren könnte. Wang führte weiter aus, dass der Einsatz Nanjings im britischen Geschäft verhandelbar sei, jedoch werde man es nicht einfach verkaufen.

[Angus]

Nichts neues aber ein kurzer Stand der Dinge in einer deutschen Veröffentlichung:

Laut »Financial Times«
1200 Arbeitsplätze bei MG Rover geplant

Bei dem im April zusammengebrochenen britischen Autoproduzenten MG Rover sollen von Ende nächsten Jahres an wieder Autos vom Band laufen, berichtete das britische Wirtschaftsblatt »Financial Times« am Mittwoch.

Das chinesische Staatsunternehmen Nanjing Automobile, das im August die Anlagen von Rover für 53 Millionen Pfund (78 Mio Euro) kaufte, will danach in Birmingham zwei MG-Modelle bauen lassen und 1200 Arbeitnehmer beschäftigen.

Dies seien deutlich weniger als die 2000 Arbeitsplätze, die beim Erwerb der Rover-Anlagen durch Nanjing erwartet worden waren. »Aber es sind 1200 mehr als wir zur Zeit haben«, zitierte die »Financial Times« einen britischen Gewerkschaftssprecher. Nanjing hoffe, in der britischen Fabrik in fünf Jahren 100000 Autos per Jahr herstellen zu können.

Der letzte selbstständige britische Autoproduzent war Ende April mit Verlusten von monatlich bis zu 25 Millionen Pfund (37 Mio Euro) pleite gegangen. Damals zählte die Belegschaft 6000 Beschäftigte. Sie produzierten zuletzt 112500 Autos der Marken MG und Rover im Jahr.

NETECHO, 29.09.2005

[Angus]

27.Oktober 2005

MG Rover Deutschland GmbH informiert

Wechsel in der Geschäftsführung

Wilfried Fleischer, ehemals Direktor Vertrieb/Händlernetzentwicklung und seit dem 1.8.2005 Geschäftsführer der MG Rover Deutschland GmbH (in Administration), verlässt das Unternehmen zum 31.10.2005.

Herr Fleischer wird sich zukünftig innerhalb der Branche neuen Aufgaben widmen.

Nach erfolgreichem Abverkauf der MG Rover Deutschland-Fahrzeugbestände und nach Regelung des Sozialplanes ist die kontrollierte Beendigung der operativen Geschäftstätigkeit vollzogen.

Nach diversen Gesprächen mit verantwortlichen Vertretern der Übernehmergesellschaft, sieht Wilfried Fleischer keine Zukunftsperspektiven mehr für den deutschen Importeur von MG und Rover.

Die Geschäftsführung der MG Rover Deutschland GmbH übernimmt ab dem 1.11.2005 Herr Roland H. Eim, der seit mehr als 20 Jahren in der Automobilbranche in unterschiedlichen Management-Positionen tätig war, unter anderem als Managing Director für Inchcape Automobile GmbH.

Roland H. Eim: ,,Gemeinsam mit den Administratoren und dem vorläufigen Insolvenzverwalter werde ich alle Anstrengungen unternehmen, um für alle Beteiligten und Betroffenen den bestmöglichen Ausgleich zu erzielen."

Der Prozeß der Administration unter PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) und das vorläufige Insolvenzverfahren mit Rechtsanwalt Horst Piepenburg werden fortgesetzt.


Oktober 2005

[Angus]

Ex-Rover staff get Nanjing invite 

Around 200 former MG Rover engineers have been invited to work for the car firm's new owner, Nanjing Automobile, the BBC has learned.

Letters have been sent out to workers who lost their jobs when the firm collapsed in April.

The letter asks the workers: "Would you like the opportunity to work in China for up to 10 months?"

It also suggests the applicants would be dismantling equipment from Longbridge then rebuilding it in China.

The letter includes encloses a recruitment application form "to work for the Nanjing Project on the dismantling, reassembling in China consolidation in Longbridge of MG assets purchased by Nanjing".

The news comes a month after Nanjing said it remained committed to restarting production at the Longbridge site.

Company vice president Wang Too Jing had said up to 1,200 jobs would be created at the West Midlands plant under plans to restart production next year - with a target of making 100,000 cars annually by 2007.

When Nanjing bought Rover in July for an undisclosed sum, administrators PricewaterhouseCoopers said the firm intended to relocate the engine plant and some car production plant to China, but to "retain some car production" in the UK.

They also said the firm, China's oldest carmaker, had plans to build a research and development and technical facility in the UK.

The UK's last British mass-produced car maker collapsed in April with debts of £1.4bn, a hole in its pension fund of £415m. and the loss of almost 6,000 jobs.

Since then reports have suggested that the Chinese firm has been removing machinery from Longbridge under plans to shift all of its car making equipment to China.

BBC News UK, Friday, 28 October 2005


Aus dem Inhalt:
BBC hat erfahren, dass rund 200 ehemalige Rover-Ingenieure eine Einladung bekommen haben, für den neuen Eigentümer von MG Rover zu arbeiten. Entsprechende Schreiben wurden an die Ex-Angestellten bereits verschickt. Wörtlich heißt es darin: "Würden Sie die Gelegenheit ergreifen, in China für bis zu zehn Monate zu arbeiten?" Im Schreiben wird weiter angeregt, dass die Bewerber Equipment aus Longbridge demontieren und in China wieder aufbauen würden. Weiterhin liegt dem Schreiben ein Einstellungs-Gesuch bei, um "für das Nanjing-Projekt zu arbeiten, Demontage und Remontage in China zu betreiben und den Standort Longbridge als MG-Basis zu stärken". Es sei auch noch immer geplant, in GB ein Technologie-Forschungs Zentrum zu schaffen. Die Vermutungen liegen derzeit nahe, dass Nanjing bereits Maschinerien demontiert hat mit dem Ziel, das gesamte Autoproduktionsequipment nach China zu verschiffen.

[Angus]

Warning: MG Rover Cars bankrupt

Car buyers should be cautious about buying MG Rover cars, experts warn.

A joint statement issued today by the car buyers' Dog & Lemon Guide and the Consumers' Institute warned that MG Rover cars has gone bankrupt, so there is no long term guarantee of support for these models.

The remains of the MG Rover company have been sold to China, but there is no guarantee that the new owners will continue to support existing vehicles.

A range of new MG and Rover cars are currently being offered by dealers, with no mention that the parent company is dead.

Dog & Lemon Guide editor, Clive Matthew-Wilson, said today: "Even before MG Rover went broke these were shocking unreliable cars. We gave the entire range a 'not recommended' rating. These vehicles, almost without exception, are lemons."

Consumers' Institute spokesman, David Russell, added there was no guarantee that the people currently offering these vehicles in New Zealand would be interested in looking after the buyers in five years time.

"Buyers of MG Rover cars may find themselves unable to get parts and service in years to come.
Worst of all, they may be unable to resell the vehicles at anything like the purchase price. Our only possible advice is to completely avoid these vehicles."

Consumer Online, 31-Oct-2005


Aus dem Inhalt:
Autokäufer sollten vorsichtig beim Kauf von MG Rover-Fahrzeugen sein, warnen Experten. Es gäbe keine Langzeitgarantie für eine Händler-/ Markenunterstützung für solche Modelle. Es sei fraglich, ob die neuen Eigentümer der Marken die Unterstützung für ältere Fahrzeuge fortführen würden. "Selbst bevor MG Rover zusammenbrach, waren dies schockierend unzuverlässige Autos. Wir gaben der gesamten Fahrzeugpalette eine 'nicht zu empfehlende' Note. Diese Autos sind fast ausnahmslos Reinfälle." sagt ein Redakteur der "Dog & Lemon Guide and the Consumers". Der einzig mögliche Ratschlag, den man Kunden geben könne sei, diese Fahrzeuge komplett zu meiden.