Rover now in administration

[chris watton]

Just heard on the BBC news, Rover, seemingly is no more, very sad news indeed

[DanH]

Yep gutting

I honestly think these recent panic news stories can't have helped. Shangai automotive are probably happy enough though as they can get want they want from the fire sale.

[DrFeelgood]

Hear hear. My father started as an apprentice there in the 50s and retired 5 years ago. Wasn't just a car firm, more a whole section of Midlands society. Gonna hit some parts of town VERY badly.

[docevi1]

Sigh

crying shame as Rover MG produced some great cars. The current crop were actually really nice cars to look at and drive by all accounts (never been in one myself).

I guess they'd never shift their image

[DanH]

What the hell? Last bit of the story was Rover denying they'd entered administration and that Hewit was the only one claiming it.

That can't be right, although her saying that could certainly push things over I'd think. Not that they weren't screwed anyway

[LongQ]

Presumably their technology will be sold off for £1.

Just hope the Chinese don't get the rights to the patents - but they may not be too interested anyway as I heard earlier that there are 1/2 a million unsold new cars in China and the number is growing. Too many new factories too soon it would appear.

[docevi1]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4420507.stm

they haven't yet, are about to though

[jazz]

I wonder if they have any Montegos left?

[DanH]

DrFeelgood said:

Hear hear. My father started as an apprentice there in the 50s and retired 5 years ago. Wasn't just a car firm, more a whole section of Midlands society. Gonna hit some parts of town VERY badly.

Hope his pension is ok.

[chris watton]

DrFeelgood said:

Hear hear. My father started as an apprentice there in the 50s and retired 5 years ago. Wasn't just a car firm, more a whole section of Midlands society. Gonna hit some parts of town VERY badly.

My dad worked there too many years ago , you're right about the local economy suffering, I'm not sure if people know the full implications of this, it'll make the subject of the Special's Ghost Town look like a playground by comparison!

[LongQ]

DanH said:

What the hell? Last bit of the story was Rover denying they'd entered administration and that Hewit was the only one claiming it. That can't be right, although her saying that could certainly push things over I'd think. Not that they weren't screwed anyway

Makes you wonder doesn't it!

Govt. has not owned Rover for years but still think they do?

Or is this just another part of the anti-car conspiracy?

[love machine]

I think the UK needs to do what it does best, low volume sports cars. Rovers products were crap and the history of the company tragic.

France and Germany have the mundane box market and there is nothing to sell a UK buyer on a UK product.

So, are we going to see.....

Michael Howard:- "My government will rescue MG Rover"

Tony Blair:- "My government will rescue MG Rover and give every asylum seeker/lefthanded lesbian trombonist 3, vote for me!"

Ginger Scots Bloke:- "My party will save MG Rover and give the Longbridge brummies speech therapy lessons"

.......tomorrow?

Bloody pre-election bollox, I am totally ignoring the news until I get to well put my bloody cross in Howards box. If Blair gets back in, I will seriously, seriously consider emigrating.

[NiceCupOfTea]

Should make a fair proportion of the motoring press and the British public happy; after all they've stuck the knife in at every opportunity.

100 years of history. And that's it. The end of volume car manufacturing in Great Britain.

We should hang our heads in shame.

[telecat]

I worked for a company in the early nineties. We were supplying them with technology they didn't have themselves and it was surprising how slow they were to pay for it. The company had paid up front for all the materials but the Chinese wouldn't pass the cheques thru. Guess what? yep the company went into administration. The guys doing the work had the last laugh as all the bits were sold as scrap, to the guys doing the work. The Chinese did get their product, havin had to pay twice for it! Moral, make them pay for it first, they don't adher to western payment practices.

[LongQ]

So, if rover does end up defunct, which will be the remaining largest british owned car manufacturer?

Might have been TVR but for the recent change of ownership.

Who owns Caterham these days?

[DrFeelgood]

DanH said:

DrFeelgood said: Hear hear. My father started as an apprentice there in the 50s and retired 5 years ago. Wasn't just a car firm, more a whole section of Midlands society. Gonna hit some parts of town VERY badly. Hope his pension is ok.

Thank you - he was one of the lucky ones whose pension was taken over by BMW fortunately. And the post about the local economy is spot on - I don't know how the local supply chain works now, but 5 years ago, they reckoned that for every job at Longbridge, 10 were employed by suppliers dependent on Rover. That's a real bad day for TENS of thousands of people.

[DanH]

Thats part of the problem, we don't have much loyalty in this country to nationally produced wares, unlike the rest of Europe. Its a shame, but I suspect connected to the fact that a lot of our products have historically been shit.

[NiceCupOfTea]

love machine said:

Rovers products were crap

Here we go You're talking cobblers, LM.

[dilbert]

The EU set the rules that force Rover into a corner, and China exploit them for all they're worth and there's not a jot that Blair can do.

What is it with us these days? Have we lost the plot?

[jazz]

I have read elsewhere on here about Jon Moulton and his Alchemy company. Mr Moulton said that Towers and co would run out of money and he was right.

Who are to blame?

Byers, Hewitt and Bliar!