 |
.
MG Rover Geared Up For New Sports Car?
(Ananova) Production is to return to the former MG Rover plant in Longbridge.
Around 250 workers are due to be employed at the factory to make the two-seater MGF sports car, new owner Nanjing Automobiles announced.
But that is a fraction of the 6,000 who lost their jobs when MG Rover went out of business last year.Around 80 people are currently working at the plant and more will be recruited when the business develops.The workers will assemble the MG TF, with production due to start early next year.The annual production capacity will be 15,000 and the cars will be sold in the UK and Europe, although they may be exported to other parts of the world.Cars will be assembled from kits of components, supplied from Nanjing's factory in China, which is currently being built.Other Rover models will be built in China and elsewhere, including the US.Chinese manufacturer Nanjing Automotive bought the collapsed British carmaker almost a year ago to the day.It indicated at the time that up to 2,000 jobs could be created at Longbridge through a design, engineering and manufacturing facility.Earlier this year Nanjing agreed a 33-year lease at the Birmingham factory with site owners St Modwen.
(Euronews) MG Rover cars are to be built not just at the Longbridge plant in central England and in China but also at a newly constructed factory in the United States. That announcement had come from Nanjing Automobile, the Chinese company that bought MG Rover after it went bankrupt.Longbridge is lined up to make convertible MG sports cars while the US operation, which is to be in Oaklahoma will produce a coupe sports car. Reportedly it is a partnership with two US investment funds holding a 51% stake in the venture. US production is set to begin in two years time. The MG name and equipment to build MG Rover vehicles were bought by the Chinese after the last independent British car manufacturer collapsed last year in the face of plummeting sales. The company had not produced a new model since 1998.British trade unions said they had not been told beforehand about the new US factory and they now want talks with Nanjing about the effect this will have on the number of jobs at Longbridge. More details are expected from the Chinese state-owned car maker at the UK Motor Show, later this month in London. Nanjing has also said it plans to make three different saloon car models at its facilities in China.feb. 2006
THE END OF MG_ROVER?
MG's to be made, Will the Rover Brand name disappear?
Nanjing Auto, the Chinese firm which bought MG Rover, has renewed its lease on the Longbridge plant in Birmingham and wants to resume car production.
It has signed a 33-year lease and has plans to restart production of the MG TF sports car in 2007, employing between 600 and 1,000 workers.
MG Rover went bust in 2005, at a cost of about 6,000 jobs, and was then bought by Nanjing for £50m ($86m).
But the lease has a six-month get out clause, allowing Nanjing to walk away.
'Optimism'
The deal was welcomed by the Transport and General Workers Union (T&G).
According to the T&G, Nanjing's business plan could lead to the production of 100,000 cars a year and create 1,200 jobs.
Nanjing's UK chairman Wang Hongbiao said he was delighted to have reached the deal with the site's owner, St Modwen Properties.
"This means that we can move forward with our business plan to build cars at Longbridge," he said.
However, it has been stated that Nanjing Auto wish to resume/start production of MG TF and later produce a 4 door sports car and sport estate, but what about Rover? No memntion has yet been made.
MG-XTRA is an unofficial publication and is not sponsored by or funded by MG Rover groupThis website, copyright © CopyWright MMV. Permission needed before re-printing any items.Please ask, permission rarely refused-e-mail:
stef@copywright.co.uk
