MG Rover-News

[Angus]

UK, Spain to lead MG Rover comeback

LONDON/MADRID – Nanjing Automobile will begin its European revival of MG Rover in the UK and Spain.

"Nanjing has chosen the UK and Spain because they were the biggest markets for MG Rover in the past," said Alfonso Saavedra, managing director of Sino Motors, a Spanish distributor that has been appointed by Nanjing to distribute its cars in Spain.

Saavedra said the cars initially will be built by Nanjing in China. He said it is not yet clear when MG Rover's former factory in Longbridge, central England, will produce cars again.

Nanjing bought MG Rover last July, three months after the financially struggling British carmaker collapsed.

Richard Cort, chairman of the MG Rover dealer council in the UK, said: "Nanjing's cars will be here within the next 18 months."

Cort said Nanjing is planning to create a UK dealer network that will include former MG Rover dealers and new dealers.

Saavedra said the Chinese carmaker will "start sales of a face-lifted MG TF roadster and the MG 7 in the first quarter 2007."

The MG 7 sedan will be a redesigned version of the lower-premium MG ZT, which was a sporty derivative of the BMW-designed Rover 75 sedan.

Saavedra said Nanjing also plans "to launch a Rover 45-sized, lower-medium sedan that will be called the MG 5 will debut in late 2007 and will be exclusively assembled in China."

BMW is reportedly negotiating with Nanjing and rival Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. to sell the Rover brand name.

BMW bought the Rover Group, MG Rover's predecessor, in 1994. It kept the rights to the Rover name when it sold the group in 2000.

At BMW's annual meeting in Munich on March 15, Chairman Helmut Panke said BMW is "negotiating with several parties but no decision has been reached yet."

SAIC bought the intellectual property rights to the Rover 25 and 75 sedans in 2004, but was outbid by Nanjing to buy MG Rover.

Automotive News / March 20, 2006


Aus dem Inhalt:
GB und Spanien sollen Rover-Rückkehr leiten.
Demzufolge will NAC die Rückkehr von MG Rover in Großbritannien und Spanien starten, weil diese Länder die größten Märkte für die Marken waren. Zunächst sollen die Fahrzeuge aus China geliefert werden -innerhalb der nächsten 18 Monate. NAC ist darüber hinaus damit beschäftigt, ein Händlernetzwerk in GB aufzubauen, umfassend sowohl alte MG Rover-Händler als auch neue.
Der Autoverkauf soll Anfang 2007 mit einem Facelift des MG TF und MG 7 (MG ZT)  beginnen. Ende 2007 soll der neue MG 5 -der Rover 45-Nachfolger- seine Premiere feiern. Er soll ausschließlich in China gebaut werden. NAC und SAIC verhandeln noch immer mit BMW über einen Kauf der Markenrechte "Rover".

[Angus]

Das ging ja mal schnell. Hier nun eine deutsche Originalveröffentlichung:

Presse: Nanjing startet 2007 mit Rover-Modellen in Großbritannien und Spanien

Der chinesische Autobauer Nanjing Automobile will in den nächsten 18 Monaten mit dem Vertrieb von zwei Rover-Modellen aus chinesischer Produktion in Großbritannien und Spanien beginnen. Das sagte Alfonso Saavedra, Chef des spanischen Großhändlers Sino Motors, der den Rover-Vertrieb für Spanien übernehmen wird, der Branchenzeitung "Automotive News Europe" (ANE).

"Nanjing hat Großbritannien und Spanien ausgewählt, weil beide die größten Rover-Märkte in der Vergangenheit waren", erläuterte Saavedra. Auch Richard Cort, Chef der MG Rover Händlervereinigung in Großbritannien, bestätigte dem Blatt, dass Nanjing-Fahrzeuge binnen 18 Monaten in Europa verkauft werden sollen.

Nanjing ist seit dem vergangenen Jahr Inhaber der britischen Traditionsmarke Rover. Bislang war unklar, wann die Chinesen mit dem Vertrieb in Europa beginnen würden.

Verkauft werden laut Saavedra zunächst eine überarbeitete Version des MG TF Roadster sowie die MG ZT Limousine. Der MG ZT werde als MG 7 vermarktet, das Fahrzeug sei eine sportliche Version des vom früheren Rover-Eigentümer BMW <BMW.ETR> (Nachrichten/Aktienkurs) entwickelten Rover 75. Außerdem plane Nanjing eine Limousine in der Golf-Klasse, die als MG 5 noch Ende 2007 auf den Markt kommen soll.

Finanznachrichten, 20.03.2006

[Angus]

Rover caught cold

It's snow joke... Rover's returning, and this week's mag has the proof! Auto Express's spy snappers have captured the very first pictures of a new Chinese version of the 75, due to go on sale later this year.

The mag's exclusive images show the prototype testing in the Arctic Circle. It's the first clear evidence of the behind-the-scenes work that's been going on to bring the British brand back on to the road.

While the overall shape and design of the front-wheel-drive car is likely to remain, under-the-skin differences are expected to be dialled into the suspension and engine line-up.

It's no accident that the test model carries the Viking ship emblem. The 2005 machine is registered to engineering firm Ricardo, which is working with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) - rights holder of many MG Rover designs - and assets owner Nanjing Automobile to develop new versions of the 75 and MG ZT. It is believed that while SAIC is trying to lease the rights to the Rover badge, Nanjing will use the MG logo for cars it hopes to bring to the UK.

Powered by a 1,796cc turbodiesel, the car shown in the mag car is an SAIC-owned model being put through tough engine testing and development work. Its four-cylinder unit, dubbed the G-Series, is thought to comply with Euro IV emissions rules.

Auto Express, 22nd March 2006  


Aus dem Inhalt:
Auto Express´ "Sensationsfotographen" haben die erste neue Version des Rover 75 eines chinesischen Unternehmens ausgemacht, welche Ende des Jahres in die Produktion gehen soll. Die Bilder zeigen, wie der Protoyp am Polarkreis getestet wird. Damit ist dies der erste Blick hinter die bisher verschlossenen Kulissen um die Zukunft von MG Rover. Ausserdem trägt das Modell das Rover-Emblem und ist wohl Produkt des gemeinschaftlichen Vermaktungsabkommens zwischen Nanjing und SAIC. SAIC möchte das Markenrecht an "Rover" zur eigenen Nutzung mieten, während Nanjing sich des MG-Logos bedienen will. Das im Magazin abgebildete Auto gehört dem SAIC-Konzern. Der Vierzylinder basiert auf der G-Serie und wird wahrscheinlich der Euro 4 Abgasnorm entsprechen. [Leider sind bisher keine Bilder aufgetaucht...]

[mac]

http://www.spiegel.de/auto/aktuell/0,1518,407250,00.html

[Spacecake]

Rover caught cold
[Leider sind bisher keine Bilder aufgetaucht...]

Habe mal ein wenig gesucht und folgendes in einem chinesischen Autoforum gefunden (sind zwar nicht die Bilder vom Polarkreis, allerdings auch noch nicht so alt - es handelt sich um ein von SAIC gefertigtes Modell):






Meiner Meinung nach ändert sich am Design also wenig, ob die Qualität der Materialien allerdings auf dem recht guten Level bleibt, ist noch eine Frage, die sich ab 2007 beantworten lassen wird.

Gerade wenn man sich den Innenraum und den Auspuss anschaut habe ich da so meine Zweifel...

[Disasterman]

28.03.2006 06:49
Nanjing Auto starts construction of MG Rover plant in China
BEIJING (AFX) - Nanjing Automobile Corp said it yesterday began construction of a plant to produce MG Rover cars, as part of its plan to revive the MG Rover brand.

The company said in a statement that total investment in the project, based in Nanjing, will be 2.82 bln yuan.

The plant is expected to make 200,000 cars and 250,000 engines every year,the company said.

The company added that most of MG Rover's machinery and equipment in the UK has already been shipped to China and production is scheduled to start next year.

Nanjing Automobile Corp paid 50 mln stg for MG Rover in July last year, acquiring its assembly lines, engine technology and many of the firm's models.


(1 usd = 8.02 yuan)

derek.jiang@xinhuafinance.com

dj/gf/dk

[Zoolicious]

28.03.2006 06:49
Nanjing Auto starts construction of MG Rover plant in China
BEIJING (AFX) - Nanjing Automobile Corp said it yesterday began construction of a plant to produce MG Rover cars, as part of its plan to revive the MG Rover brand.

The company said in a statement that total investment in the project, based in Nanjing, will be 2.82 bln yuan.

The plant is expected to make 200,000 cars and 250,000 engines every year,the company said.

The company added that most of MG Rover's machinery and equipment in the UK has already been shipped to China and production is scheduled to start next year.

Nanjing Automobile Corp paid 50 mln stg for MG Rover in July last year, acquiring its assembly lines, engine technology and many of the firm's models.


(1 usd = 8.02 yuan)

derek.jiang@xinhuafinance.com

dj/gf/dk

mal für die die des englischen nicht so mächtig sind:

Die NAC sagte gestern, der Bau eines Werkes zur Produktion von MG Rover Autos wurde begonnen, als ein Teil des Plans, die Marke MG Rover wiederaufleben zu lassen.

Die Firma sagte, dass die komplette Investition in das Projekt, welches in Nanjing beheimatet wäre, 2.82 Billionen Yuan betrüge.

Das Werk soll 200.000 Autos und 250.000 Motoren pro Jahr herstellen, so die Firma.

Die Firma sagte ausserdem, dass der Großteil des MG Equipments und der Geräte schon nach China versandt wurde und die Produktion nächstes Jahr anlaufen soll.

Nanjing Automobile Corporation zahlte letztes Jahr 50 Mio. Sterling für MG Rover und erwarb damit die Produktionsstraßen, die Motorentechnologie und viele der ehemaligen Modelle.

[Angus]

Also, die Bilder des überarbeiteten 75/ZT sind nun ersichtlich, Danke an FOX für den Hinweis!

MG ZT facelift completed...

KEITH ADAMS

Will Arup's facelift of the ZT incorporate styling themes planned devised for the Coupe project? (All pictures Copyright Peter Stevens Design)

THE Nanjing-MG 7Z (nee ZT) will definitely be returning to the UK market in facelifted guise in 2007/2008 - the Solihull office of the Design consultants Arup has already completed the design for the revitalised executive car. The only question remains to be answered is will the new car be built at Longbridge as well as in China?

The news comes amid fevered speculation over the future of Longbridge, and whether full scale production will return to the factory, which has remained largely dormant since MG Rover fell into administration last April. A consultant for Arup described the car plant as 'desolate', but confirmed the paint plant remains in action, as it has done for the past year. Work at Arup has mainly concentrated on the technical execution of the facelift, with the actual styling probably handed over to an outside styling consultant.

ZT possibly in the UK, ZR definitely in China

The fate of the ZR and ZS remains in China, and as to whether the revitalisation of these cars had been completed, the answer is a firm 'no'. The ZR is set to be the first MG to be produced by Nanjing - and plans for the resumption of its manufacture in China are now advanced. Plans to export the 25/ZR were well advanced before MG Rover went into administration - although the benefactors back then would have been SAIC.

According to several sources close to Longbridge, Nanjing remains deadly serious about re-starting production of the 7Z within Longbridge,under the MG marque name, but is still seeking finance to get the operation off the ground. A large UK dealer Group confirmed that Nanjing had informed them there would be new cars to sell by the end of 2007, and this chimes in with the plan to re-launch the MG marque in the UK and Spanish markets next year - initially to gauge demand for the re-launched cars across the rest of Europe.

Nanjing appears to be concentrating on saloon car production, and the matter of sports car production looks down to David James (and his SMART Roadsters) or GBSC and whether they can licence the MG name from Nanjing...

Although the Nanjing version of the MG ZT will re-enter production in 2007, the SAIC version (codename SAC528) is progressing rapidly, and the UK consultants, Ricardo are working on its revised version of the Rover 75. The word on the street is that the Rover name has been secured by SAIC, and company planners are well aware of the global value of the marque's long and rich history - and it's car enters pre-production late this year.

The Chinese Government has approved both SAIC's and NAC's plans to produce Rovers and MGs, and we've heard there are suppliers in the UK which have been asked to quote for both companies...

So: it's full steam ahead for Chinese MG/Rover production, but Longbridge remains firmly in the starting blocks.



http://www.austin-rover.co.uk/, 23.03.2006

Kurz zu den offensichtlichen Veränderungen (soweit erkennbar):
- runde Elemente in den Heckleuchten (ähnlich wie beim neuen Passat!??)
- ein neuer, tiefer Kühlergrill, der nicht dem des 75 V8 entspricht (nicht tief und unten nicht eckig genug) mit einer senkrechten Strebe (ähnelt Lancia)
- überarbeitete Lufteinlässe in der unteren Frontschürze
- überarbeitete Heckleiste (vollständig im Nummernschildausschnitt integriert)

Kurz aus dem Inhalt:
- die Überarbeitung des 75/ZT erfolgte durch Arup
- Produktion des ZR nur in China, Export geplant
- Nanjing bleibt bei der Entscheidung für Longbridge, Kooperationspartner werden noch immer gesucht
- eine große britische Händlergruppe wurde von Nanjing über neue Automobile in 2007 informiert
- Absatz zunächst in Spanien und GB, Ausweitung später über den Rest Europas
- die Markenrechte von "Rover" konnte sich SAIC sichern

[Angus]

Administrators say MG Rover enters into liquidation
 
MG Rover has entered into a formal liquidation process, administrators said.

The creditors' voluntary liquidation is the final part of the administration process and is a technicality to allow a dividend to be paid to unsecured creditors.

The exact extent of Rover's liabilities, estimated to be £1.4 billion, will be calculated in the next few weeks and matched to the money raised by administrators PricewaterhouseCoopers.

PwC realised £53 million from selling MG Rover to Nanjing Automobile in July, but also raised several million more from the sale of stockpiled cars.

Despite this, creditors have been warned to expect only a few pennies in the pound.

Meanwhile a rally will be held at Longbridge next month to mark the first anniversary of the firm's closure and the 100th anniversary of the first car produced there. The event, which begins at 11am on April 15, will include a convoy of MGs and Rovers driving from the Hopwood Services to Cofton Park.

So far more than 150 people from around the country have signed up to take place in the Pride of Longbridge.

Gemma Cartwright, who is organising the event, said: "The idea is to bring everyone together to commemorate 100 years of manufacturing at Longbridge and what happened last year. If production restarts there we will put the flags out, but we have to wait and see."

IC Birmingham, 31.03.2006


Aus dem Inhalt:
Die Vermögenswerte von MG Rover werden nun laut Administratoren zugunsten der Gläubiger verflüssigt, dies sei der letzte Schritt der Konkursverwaltung. Der genaue Umfang der Verpflichtung wird auf rund 1,4 Billionen Pfund geschätzt und in den nächsten Wochen berechnet werden. PwC beschaffte bereits 53 Millionen Pfund durch den Verkauf an Nanjing und nochmals mehrere weitere Millionen durch den Verkauf von Lagerfahrzeugen.
Unterdessen wird für den 15. April eine großangelegte Rallye geplant, an der rund 150 Anhänger zugunsten der "Ehre von Longbridge" zugesagt haben. Die Organisatorin sagt, es sei das Ziel, 100 Jahre Automobilbau in Longbridge zu würdigen und zu gedenken und auch dessen, was letztes Jahr geschah. Sollte die Produktion wieder anlaufen, wolle man "die Flaggen aushängen" aber man habe noch zu warten und zu sehen, was kommt.

[Thorsten]

den Link hab ich gerade von Björn erhalten , recht Interessant

http://www.kfzbetrieb.de/news/kb_beitrag_3056124.html

dort heisst es

Rover bald wieder im VDIK?


Eine Option für den chinesischen Autokonzern SAIC auf dem Weg nach Europa könnte die Kroymans-Gruppe sein, die bereits Ssangyong in Deutschland und den Benelux-Staaten vertreibt. Dies bestätigte Ssangyong-Deutschland-Chef Jürgen Schmitz auf der Fachtagung "Kfz-Importe aus China", die das "Forum"-Institut für Management gemeinsam mit dem VDIK am Montag auf der Leipziger AMI veranstaltete. SAIC ist seit Anfang 2005 größter Anteilseigner von Ssangyong.

Wie Schmitz zudem ankündigte, will Ssangyong sein deutsches Händlernetz von derzeit 100 Partnern auf bis zu 130 Händler Ende 2006 vergrößern. "Schaut man an, was das Saab-Händlernetz mit 130 Partnern bewegt, zeigt sich, wo Sssangyong hin will", erläuterte er. Dabei wolle der Allrad-Spezialist in seiner Nische bleiben und kein Vollsortimenter werden.

Jörg Tilmes von der ITM-Consulting-Group geht davon aus, dass Chery und Geely von den chinesischen Automobilherstellern am weitesten sind und 2007 oder 2008 den europäischen Markt betreten werden.

VDIK-Geschäftsführer Dr. Thomas Almeroth deutete am Rande der Veranstaltung an, dass Rover in absehbarer Zeit wieder Mitglied im VDIK werden könnte. Wie von Brancheninsidern zu hören ist, verhandeln SAIC und Nanjing Automobile seit einiger Zeit wieder intensiv mit BMW über die Rover-Markenrechte.



Christoph Baeuchle
03.04.2006

Quelle : http://www.kfzbetrieb.de/news/kb_beitrag_3056124.html

[Angus]

Dutch make claim on MG

A Chinese car maker's attempt to revive the MG brand could be frustrated amid claims that it does not own the rights to the famous car marque on most of mainland Europe.

Last July, Nanjing Automotive paid £53m for a series of brands, including MG, and the equipment to make the cars at its Longbridge car plant.

However, the rights to sell the cars in 15 countries, including Belgium, Holland, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Russia, are claimed by a separate entity, MG Rover Nederland.

Georg van Daal, MG Rover Nederland's administrator, said he discovered he controlled the rights to between 15 and 20 brands, including MG and Knightsbridge, shortly after taking over the administration last year.

He said: "Nanjing contacted me and demanded that I sign them over for free. Its solicitor said, 'We have bought the rights from the English administrator'. I said, 'That may be the case but can you show it to me'. We are still at zero base and we have not yet got to first base."

Mr Van Daal said that he had hired experts to work out the value of the MG brand in the 15 countries. Until then, he had no idea how much the rights were worth.

Nanjing might have bought the MG brand without being able to check the rights to the marque first. "Administrators usually sell without any guarantees - what you see is what you get," he said.

Nanjing is being advised in its bid to revive the brand by MG Rover's former parent company Phoenix Venture Holdings.

It was likely that Phoenix used its Dutch subsidiary to control the rights to the MG brand because of a different tax treatment on royalties in Holland.

MG Rover Nederland creditors have submitted claims for up to €10m (£6.97m).

Mr Van Daal, who has hired City law firm Addleshaw Goddard to advise him, added that he could not hang on to the brands for too long - he has already had inquiries from five different parties.

He said if he did not receive any acceptable offers "the logical thing to do is auction them off after the appraisal".

Nanjing could not be reached for comment.

A spokesman for Phoenix, which ran MG Rover before it collapsed a year ago under debts of £1.4bn, said: "The directors have been lending assistance to Nanjing - on an unpaid basis - to help them set up dealer networks in some European countries.

"There are some licensing issues which are being dealt with through the administrator and the dealer bodies concerned.

"These are ongoing and we are optimistic of a satisfactory outcome."

04/04/2006, Business Telegraph


Aus dem Inhalt:
Die Rückkehr der Marke MG unter Nanjing könnte durch äussere Ansprüche behindert werden. Demnach besitzt Nanjing nicht die Rechte an der Marke in 15 europäischen Ländern, darunter Holland, Deutschland, Schweiz, Frankreich, Italien, Belgien, Russland. Die Rechte hier liegen bei der MG Rover Nederland. Nach Aussage des Verwalters der MGR Nederland kontrolliere diese die Rechte über 15 bis 20 Marken, darunter MG und Knightsbridge. Gespräche mit Nanjing brachten nichts, da das chinesische Unternehmen zwar die Markenrechte im letzten Jahr erwarb, jedoch zeigte sich die Verwaltung in den Niederlanden offenbar nicht bereit, diese anzuerkennen. Man sei sich auch nicht im klaren, wie viel die MG-Rechte über die 15 Länder wert seien. Experten seien bereits beauftragt worden um dies zu klären. Nanjing habe vor dem Kauf der Marke nicht geprüft, wie es um die Markenrechte stünde.
Ausserdem habe die Verwaltung der MGR Nederland bereits fünf Anfragen von verschiedenen Parteien erhalten, da man die Markenrechte nicht mehr zu lange halten könne. Wenn es keine vernünftigen Gebote gebe sollte, würde man die Rechte versteigern.
Nanjing gab bisher keine Stellungnahme ab.

[Angus]

Longbridge cars 'on sale in 2007' 

Machinery remains ready to use within the Longbridge works
The UK chairman of the firm that bought Rover's Longbridge plant has said that Nanjing Auto is about to restart car-making in Birmingham.

The BBC has learned that cars could go on sale from July 2007 and Chinese firm Nanjing has said it is keen to re-employ ex-Longbridge workers.

Two production lines remain intact, including the MGTF sports car line.

Some Midland firms have been approached to make parts for Nanjing and more orders are expected.

Speaking through an interpreter, Nanjing's UK chairman Wang Hongbiao told the BBC: "We are going to resume production of MGTF here.

"Maybe in the near future... we will launch some new models to the market."

Nanjing announced in February that it had renewed its lease on the Longbridge plant for a further 33 years and wanted to resume car production. It also has a get-out clause allowing it to walk away.

200 initial jobs

The firm has previously said it could employ 1,000 people. It later changed that number to 600.

On Tuesday, Nanjing said there would be 200 jobs in the first year of production.

The company said the more cars it sells the more jobs it will create. A recruitment drive to find the initial workforce will take place at the end of this year.

Nanjing's acquisition of MG Rover only included the rights to use the MG brand. The Rover brand is still owned by Rover Group's former parent BMW.

MG Rover went bust in 2005, at a cost of about 6,000 jobs, and was then bought by Nanjing for £50m ($86m).

BBC News, 4 April 2006


Aus dem Inhalt:
Longbridge soll ab 2007 wieder Autos liefern.
Laut Aussage von Nanjing hält man an der Absicht fest, ab Juli 2007 in Longbridge wieder Automobile zu bauen und EX-Rover-Angestellte wieder einzustellen. Zwei Produktionslinien sind intakt, u.a. die des MG TF. Einige Firmen in der Region haben sich bereits als mögliche Teilezulieferer beworben, weitere werden erwartet. Laut Nanjings Vertreter in England werde man möglicherweise in naher Zukunft einige neue Modelle auf den Markt bringen. Im ersten Produktionsjahr werden mit 200 Angestellten in Longbridge gerechnet, sollte der Absatz gut laufen, werde man die Anzahl entsprechend erhöhen. Einstellungen werden Ende diesen Jahres durchgeführt.

[Angus]

Video zum BBC-Bericht - aktuelle Bilder aus Longbridge

Hier ist der offizielle Videobericht der BBC von einem Interview mit dem Nanjing-Vorsitzenden in GB und aktuellen Bildern aus dem Inneren von Longbridge -die BBC bekam als einzige bisher eine Drehgenehmigung.
Für die Leute, die weniger mit dem Englischen zu tun haben: Es geht in dem Bericht im wesentlichen um die im Zeitungsbericht oben veröffentlichten Informationen. Die Bilder dürften natürlich alle interessieren...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/avdb/local_tv/video/9012da68003e4f0/nb/09012da68003e688_16x9_nb.asx

[Angus]

Rover: stalled or motoring?

They may greet visitors in Chinese at Longbridge these days. But are the new owners here to stay?

Walking round the almost deserted Longbridge site is a bit like Groundhog Day, one visitor to the former MG Rover plant remarks. "Nothing has changed for the past year."

One year ago yesterday, MG Rover went into administration. On 22 July, the Chinese company Nanjing Automobile Corporation (NAC) bought the loss-making British car maker for £53m. Out went the builders' tea and cucumber sandwiches once served to guests in the boardroom. The new owners offer Chinese tea instead.

Gone too is the man dressed up as John Bull, complete with Union Jack waistcoat, handlebar moustache and brown leather boots, who used to greet people outside the main gatehouse. Now the (British) employee at the security gate welcomes his new bosses with a greeting in their native tongue.

The main car-assembly plant lies idle, with two of the four production lines dismantled and shipped back to China. In the marketing and general administration office, there are enough desks, chairs and PCs for at least 50 people. But only a handful of seats are filled.

Inside another building, now designated the "international headquarters", there appear to be more signs of life. This is where the executives from Phoenix Venture Holdings, the factory's former owners, used to work. Chinese nameplates have been screwed to doors, some hastily, and there is Chinese writing on the whiteboard (with a few English letters, such as DTI - more of which later).

Inside the half-empty offices there are more clues to the identity of the new owners: a Chinese calendar is pinned to a wall, a Chinese flag twinned with the Union Jack has been mounted on a table, and a Fiat holdall (Nanjing has a joint venture with the Italian car maker in China) thrown on to a desk. But despite the arrival of the Chinese, the Longbridge site still has a temporary feel.

NAC has promised to resume car production at Longbridge in 2007. But when it took over the remaining 33 years on the lease in February, the company added to doubts about the sincerity of its long-term commitment to the UK by insisting on a six-month get-out clause in case it was unable to find the financing to make its business plan work. NAC has until July to exercise this clause and keep car production at Longbridge. The clock is ticking.

Why did NAC buy MG Rover?

Owned by the Nanjing provincial government, NAC has enough capacity in China to make 200,000 cars, vans, buses and trucks, mainly through its joint venture with Fiat. The saloon cars it produces are sold exclusively in China, though some of its commercial vehicles are exported.

Like most ambitious Chinese companies, NAC wants to become a global player. It bought MG Rover to acquire Western technology and expertise, and crucially, a well-known brand recognised outside its homeland. It has gone on to dismantle MG Rover's Powertrain engine plant and take it back to China, along with the production lines for the MG variants of the Rover 25 and 45. NAC will be building a new plant in China to make 200,000 of these small and medium-sized cars from next year.

Speaking through an interpreter, Wang Yaoping, the legal and commercial director of NAC, who is based in Longbridge, says: "We think if we can make full use of Asian, European and Chinese markets, the MG technology and brand and a low-cost base in China, this project will be a success." The main reason MG Rover failed, he says, was that it never became a global player.

Mr Wang says that NAC wants to make Longbridge "the frontline" for its global expansion plans. "We would like to establish an assembling, R&D, sales and marketing base here in the UK," he adds.

One source close to NAC says it has been in talks with the state authorities of South Dakota, Connecticut and Oklahoma about setting up car-making operations in the US. Mr Wang agrees that production in America is possible in the future.

What about production plans - and jobs - at Longbridge?

NAC wants to start production of the two-seater MG TF sports car some time next year, and Mr Wang says it aims to match MG Rover's production levels before it went into administration, at around 10,000 to 12,000 cars per year. Employment would be created for up to 400 people, in addition to the 40 or so already working at the site. In the medium term, production of the MG variant of the Rover 75 saloon car could also be restarted at Longbridge.

Mr Wang won't give details, but NAC is close to finalising a business plan for the site, which it will submit to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in a "matter of weeks". He says NAC needs £50m to fund the resumption of production next year.

Since buying MG Rover, NAC has been looking for a British partner for the UK operations, to provide both financing and advice. Mr Wang explains: "European and US companies who first went to China did not know much about China. For them it was best to find local partners. It's also the same for us. We do not know much about the local market and local people. We think it's best to have a local partner so we can work together."

But NAC has yet to find a partner. It originally teamed up with the engineering firm Arup last year to help it with new designs for the MG variants of the Rover models. It also signed a joint venture agreement with GB Sports Cars, a small team of UK car industry executives. But NAC has now broken off talks with GB Sports Cars because it could not provide enough financing. Talks with another consortium, led by the corporate rescue expert David James, have also ended. Mr James has plans to build Smart cars in Coventry instead.

Mr Wang says NAC is talking to other potential partners. "We are still looking. A lot of parties have contacted us, but different people have different ideas and conditions. We are also talking to foreign investors." It is understood that NAC has secured an as yet unknown amount of funding from Hong Kong banks.

Even if NAC cannot find a partner - and time is running out - Mr Wang insists that production will return to Longbridge next year. But industry experts say that the chances of this happening - and the scale of new production at Longbridge - hinge on it being able to team up with a Western partner.

Nick Matthews, principal fellow at Warwick Manufacturing Group, says: "For it to work, Longbridge needs a first-world, not a developing-world, partner. Nanjing does not have the technical know-how to make it a success. It does not have the scale of Ford, which can buy components for its niche cars at a far lower cost."

He also questions why anyone would want to invest in Longbridge with NAC in the first place. "It's hard to see how anyone can make money from a 10-year model in Europe on these tiny volumes. There's already overcapacity in the automotive sector."

Professor Garel Rhys from Cardiff University Business School adds: "Nanjing needs a partner and they need finance. It would be very difficult for them to go it alone. No Chinese company could."

Why does NAC think the Government will help?

NAC reckons it may not have to go it alone, even if it cannot find a partner. Mr Wang says he hopes the DTI will provide financial support to help return car production to Longbridge. In the business plan NAC will submit to the Government, probably by the end of next month, the company has "suggested" the level of public funding that might be provided (which he declines to state, but is thought to be at least £10m).

Days before MG Rover went into administration, ministers offered a loan of £100m to keep the company afloat. The Government hoped to ensure that the takeover proposed by Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC), Nanjing's rival and the original suitor for the British company, went ahead. This money was in addition to the £40m in cashflow support from the Inland Revenue and Customs & Excise.

NAC reasons that it too is entitled to state aid, since its plans to restart production at Longbridge would also create local jobs. "If they were committed to provide financial support to SAIC, why not give us some kind of support?" asks Mr Wang.

He is keen not to appear to be threatening the Government that NAC might otherwise scrap its production plans. But he makes it clear it will have to scale back and employ fewer people if help is not forthcoming.

"We will still produce cars here," he says. "But whether we will be able to employ as many people ... We will say this: it will influence the quantity of our activities." But whatever happens, Mr Wang insists that the company will remain in the UK: "We have already stepped outside of China. We will not take a step backwards."

Anthony Glossop, chairman of the property group St Modwen, which owns the Longbridge site, agrees: "They would look like idiots if they pulled out and then tried to come back to the UK in two years' time, starting from scratch on a new site."

But whether production returns to Longbridge in any significant capacity remains as uncertain as ever. In China, most businesses are state owned and political and commercial interests are intertwined. NAC's confidence that the DTI will take a similarly interventionist approach at Longbridge could be misplaced.

The Government has come under heavy fire for trying to prop up the failing MG Rover. The National Audit Office concluded that loans and assistance it received in its dying months did not represent value for money. And the political climate has changed in the past 12 months. With no votes at stake in a general election year and no more British jobs to save - they have all gone - NAC should not bank on handouts at Longbridge.

The Independent,  09 April 2006

[Knackman]

Spiegel Online 11.4.06

http://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/0,1518,410925,00.html

FTD-Online 11.4.06

http://www.ftd.de/unternehmen/handel_dienstleister/64247.html