R.I.P Rover?

np · Post by np » 08 Apr 2005, 03:16

Further on from previous post,Just been on the news that Rover have called in the Recievers.D.T.I says yes,Rover says they haven`t.Either way,looks like the end has come.
Although it all happend a few years ago anyway.Could it be the end of the road now?

dillosk8ter · Post by **dillosk8ter** » 08 Apr 2005, 03:35

Someone will prob want the MG and Rover brand names. Don't think theres been a decent new rover since the p6.

Post by **Jon** » 08 Apr 2005, 03:56

Some key component suppliers have stopped delivering to Rover as either they have not been paid, or are afraid that they will not be paid. Thus, the production line has been stopped today due to lack of parts.
If I'd have only paid a tenner for the company in the first place................................

Dave Bamber · Post by **Dave Bamber** » 08 Apr 2005, 04:17

Poor buggers who bought recently with what they thought was a safety net of a 3 year warranty.

dillosk8ter · Post by **dillosk8ter** » 08 Apr 2005, 04:25

Quite liked the 75 when launched, was at NEC Motorshow that year, Jag's S Type was unveiled at same show but thought the 75 was a much better car...still think the S Type is the uglyest thing Jaguar have ever created!!
Thank God Citroen is in a stable economic state, unlike in the mid '30's when Andre died or early '70's when Michelin let them go. Then again, for the most part, Citroen got that way through pushing boundaries (Traction in '30's and hatch project (nicked by Renault), GS and SM).

bxbodger · Post by **bxbodger** » 08 Apr 2005, 15:10

They should have stuck with Honda- they would have been turning out top quality volume sellers by now- after being asset stripped by BMW it was only a matter of time. The Rover 75 will absolutely plummet now like the 800 did- its a seriuously difficult car to run, needing the bulkhead and dash out just to change the plugs....

TomH · Post by **TomH** » 08 Apr 2005, 17:43

shame to see them sink but I don't think they should be propped up anymore. They are way off the pace and it would be impossible to update all their ageing range with new models at once no matter how much money is thrown at it! The Rover name is probably damaged goods now anyway after all this endless saga!

ACTIVE8 · Post by **ACTIVE8** » 08 Apr 2005, 17:46

I remember that Top Gear featured an MG Rover 75 with a V8 stuck in it. Maybe the plugs were easier to get out on that car.
It's a shame that we are now finding another one of our car manufacturers again facing problems. [:(]

ACTIVE8 · Post by **ACTIVE8** » 08 Apr 2005, 18:01

Rover managed to show forward thinking, and wisdom years ago (under previous management) when they took over an engine design from Buick, and improved it, and had great success with it. The engine is known as the Rover 3.5 litre V8, which they developed, and even made it larger, and used it in many vehicles.
So it's ironic as I mentioned above that they chose to use a current American Ford 4.6 litre V8, and not their own V8 in the MG Rover, which they managed to re-engineer so that it's now rear wheel drive, why they did not use their engine amazes me.
Here's an earlier model the SD1, with their own V8 in it, alongside the MG ZT V8.

bxbodger · Post by **bxbodger** » 08 Apr 2005, 18:03

Looking on the bright side, however, we have in this country an endless list of small niche manufacturers ( TVR being the best known ), and apart from Ferrari almost all of F1 is done from the UK, along with most WRC teams.
Theres a lesson in here for PSA however- they are selling well at present due to massive discounting on things like the Picasso and the C5. I can only speak about my friends Picasso but it came looking like it had been assembled at Longbridge in the 70's-quickly and cheaply with the customer left to sort out the niggles. In the 21st century we really should not have interior rear view mirrors falling off into the drivers lap............

gardenpeas · Post by **gardenpeas** » 08 Apr 2005, 19:04

active8 rover couldn't use the old 3.5 rover block as it didn't pass emissions regulations same reason why u can't buy a v8 morgan anymore sadly
those v8 rovers do sound nice with the ford lump mmm

Post by **Jon** » 08 Apr 2005, 19:31

Theres so much that is really sad about the situation at Rover, and we must think of the 6000 plus jobs that will be lost, plus the resultant knock effect in terms of suppliers and Dealers.
To me, the whole thing is a classic tale of asset stripping by the Phoenix consortium.
Quote
In a controversial transaction, BMW sold Rover's car finance firm MGR Capital directly to the four directors of the Phoenix consortium with the backing of a bank.
The result of this and more is that Rover no longer own the Longbridge site, the company has very few assets that could be sold. The Chinese already own the rights to the 25 and the 75, as well as the K series engine itself.
Considering the billions of £ pumped into the company in its various incarnations since the early 1970's by the Government (read Taxpayer) this whole situation really is a national scandal.
BMW took the most profitable brands, Mini and Land Rover, and Rover were left with only one newish car, the 75. BMW even own the rights to the Rover name. You couldn't make it up.[:(!]

David W · Post by **David W** » 08 Apr 2005, 20:04

Very sad.
It's not anything to do with a poor product as such, far more to do with modern business practice, over production across the whole car market and marketing led buying trends.... as Jon is saying really.
Lots of us here talk about and run/support cars from the mid 1990s so to take an example from that era...
Put a 1996 Rover 400 Series, Vectra, Xantia, Mondeo and Primera in a lineup and in an unbisaed assessment you would not be able to say one was light years above the rest... or that the Rover was rubbish. Choice would depend on a personal set of vehicle requirements and perception of brand status/reliability.
I've owned load of fabulous old V8 Rovers from the 1960s and 1970s. The current 75 had enough styling touches from that era to evoke thoughts of our old cars. Always thought I'd own one sometime.... probably not now.
Folks have posted that there hasn't been a decent Rover since that earlier era and the old P6.. the reality is that the 1990s cars were probably better engineered, more reliable and far more rust resistant than these older cars.
David

Kowalski · Post by **Kowalski** » 08 Apr 2005, 20:13

It was a combination of nationalisation and unionisation that killed rover.
They became uncompetitive because they didn't have to compete being funded by the government and having a big share of the British car market. Gradually they became more and more reliant on handouts which were given to them and which became bigger still. Eventually they partnered up with Honda and gave them a lot of their technology and their market. Now the support has been taken away they and their market is more open.
If they hadn't been so assisted by the Government and so on, they would have either died early or they would have become competitive, efficient and succeeded i.e. sink or swim time. The assistance kept the unionised employees feeling comfortable because no matter how badly they performed the company would keep going. No matter what their demands for wages and conditions they would get it. If the company hadn't been supported so much the unions demands couldn't have been met so they would have more reasonable outlooks.
Generally I'm against nationalisation and unionisation because of the inefficiency, wastage and lack of competitiveness. I challenge anybody to name a nationalised industry that can compete internationally without having the benefit of a monopoly (e.g. BT). The coal industry has been destroyed, the rail industry is in a mess, Noble is looking like becoming the biggest british owned car manufacturer, we don't make our own aircraft and Concorde is but a memory, British Steel has been sold (Corus is half Dutch) etc etc.

madasafish · Post by **madasafish** » 08 Apr 2005, 20:59

British Leyland - as it was then- wee almost bankrupt in 1976. Kept going only by nationalisation.
IF the Government had proeprly rationalised the business: halved the model range, reduced the factories by 50% and sacked all the strikers ther might have been a chance IF they had introduced new and relaible models.
Instead the new models - the Rover 800 - were unreliable rubbish when introduced. Remember the Maestro and Montego? Carp.
Renault did it: got so good they took over Nissan and sorted them out. Renault were a nationalised industry.
At the end of the day, a bad business wins. (a well known fact of business life:-(