RE: MG Production Faces Further Delay
Thursday 7th February 2008
Shanghai Automotive (SAIC) aims to start production of the new MG TF in Nanjing by May and Longbridge 3 months later, but due to the quality of equipment bought from the bankrupt MG Rover they are facing further delays while they rebuild some of the tooling.
MG Production Faces Further Delay
Quality of equipment acquired from MG Rover to blame
SAIC are wary of China’s reputation for poor quality and want to launch the TF with the quality customers expect. SAIC president Chen Hong commented “We want to begin production of cars at Longbridge as soon as possible, but the first priority is the quality of the product.”
MG is also looking into producing three new models from 2010 onwards.
Discussion
Having experience of managing production, albeit of consumer electronics in China, whenever something goes wrong it is always your fault until you provide the evidence that actually it was their fault. Problems are invariably caused by sloppy production methods or by deliberately substituting specified materials for lower spec i.e. cheaper ones in the hope we would not notice!
Just my 2p!
Just my 2p!
wab172uk said:
If they are sourcing parts from China to build their cars, I can't see the quality being up to scratch.
A great theory but where do you think most of the German etc suppliers get their parts made these days????????sub components are being made in china more and more often so wherever a car is built it will likely have high chinese content
I read it to mean that the Chinese are not as adept at delivering quality products from less than brilliant equipment as we are in the UK. In other words, they can make a good car if they have top quality components, but in the UK the production line workers could make a good car by getting the best from what they have.
Either that or the Chinese damaged the equipment when they transferred it.
Either that or the Chinese damaged the equipment when they transferred it.
Chris71 said:
So production is starting in China, but it's somehow been delayed in longbridge where everything costs three times as much? How strange. What's the bet it'll get delayed again ...and again, until we've all quitely forgotten about it and the whole thing can be moved to China.
Second that. When they purchased the company I was amazed they said they would keep some production in the UK. Only issue might be if they build the car in China, call it a different name and then ship it over, will it be subjected to new tests? Crash, emissions, etc? That might be the only reason to keep some production in the UK.So much manufacturing in China with 'local' Chinese factories seems to be fraught with surruptiously lowered spec material/bodgit and scarper production methods. The European/US companies that have done a proper job in out-sourcing maintain quality and take advantage of lower cost labour for the labour intensive stuff. Like car assembly. Other industries, it's not so critical because they are high in technology/lower in physical work. I remember 40 years ago being told about this wonderful 'cheap' source, Taiwan, which had taken over from 1950s Japan. There, too, it was a matter of sorting out the reliable from the dire.
Cars at Longbridge as well as China doesn't make much sense - especially since the volumes are so small. Shuttling specific components around the globe isn't really economically worthwhile.
Cars at Longbridge as well as China doesn't make much sense - especially since the volumes are so small. Shuttling specific components around the globe isn't really economically worthwhile.
telecat said:
Given my experience of the Chinese method of working I'd basically like to say "what a load of crap". They always try to blame others and unless they have European, Japanese or US quality inspectors I'd be very wary of anything they do.
From what I've read about Chinese car manufacturers they are not going into the western market with guns blazing, low cost and poor quality.The reasoning is that the Koreans (i think) did exactly that in the US market back in the 70s and 80s, and because of the number of problems suffered, they became a bit of a joke. Its only in the last few years that they've managed to shake the low quality image they earned all those years earlier.
Consumers have long memories when it comes to cars.
Spunagain said:
Trevparr said:
They were a load of rubbish in the first place,badly designed and mechanically cr*p;wouldn't touch one with a Barge Pole.!!!
Based on personal experience?The most reliable car I've ever owned was an MG-Rover. Covered 20,000 miles in 18 months with no real issues. The only bad thing was luggage space with the seats folded, but that dates back to Honda I believe.
I really don't understand the desire to knock everything British. They weren't the best cars on the road, but they were better than a lot of their competitors for sensible money, plus they were a bit different. I don't think any other mid-sized FWD sports saloon drives as well as the ZS for the same sort of price.
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