Hey - did you know if you click on the title of a thread it will take you to the first unread post since you last visited that thread?
but were afraid to ask: 
STOP!! Never post your email address in open forums. Bots can "harvest" your email! If you must share your email use a Private Message or use the 
smilie in place of the real @
Pretty Please - add it to our Events forum(s) and add to the calendar! >> 
Perhaps there is hope yet.
https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/west_midlands/4877608.stm
Jeff
https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/west_midlands/4877608.stm
Jeff
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News From Longbridge
- Thread starter Bugeye58
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tony barnhill
Great Pumpkin - R.I.P
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Sometimes its best to just let the king die....
It seems that all the rights to the MG brand name in Europe are owned by MG-Rover Netherlands, a previous division of the 'empire' but a seperate company in its own right (Just like MG-Rover, Austraila).
The deal done by the shockingly poor 'Price WaterHouse Coopers' (PWC) who are the administrators at MG-Rover at the moment sold only what MG-Rover UK owned as they have no control over any other companies.
Seems someone didnt check where those rights were actually applicable to.
Then there is the arguement of whether the 'European' rights for use of the MG name owned by the Netherlands actually covers the UK as well, that is to say, is the 'UK' covered under the term 'European' ?
Just another chapter in the mess of the great empire at the moment. The MG ZT and MG TF are apparantly due to resume production in a small part of the Longbridge site, not that it could be in the whole site, because BMW bulldozed most of it before they vacated the premesis back in 2000!
Then there is a case of whether anyone believes a word that Nanjing Automotive (NAC) says, because we have yet to see anything more than large shipments of lorries moving the production facilities to China, where they've only recently sorted out the squabble with the State (as they are State owned) as to whether they were actually allowed to do it or not.
Then, there is Shanghai Automotive (SAIC) who own the rights to the intelectual design of the MG ZR, ZS and ZT.
The TF is still (I believe) owned by Pheonix Venture Holdings (PVH), the parent company who owned MG-Rover over the last 5 years.
How NAC will build the TF is beyond me... production facilities may still be at Longbridge, but Mayflow, who build the panels went bankrupt and were bought out about 2 years ago, with only a small team being retained to produce the TF panels for MG-Rover by the new owners. After MG-Rover went into administration, they shut up shop!
Then there is the case of the engines... NAC do not own the rights or facilities to produce the K-series engines previously fitted to the MG TF as this is owned by their Chinese comeptitor SAIC.
So, PWC, who are supposed to have been running the business in the best interests of the creditors have done nothing except make a complete hash of it all and pocket about ÂŁ10m in the process for their efforts!
As for the 6,500 employees who have been left unemployed, well.. most of them still are unemployed. Those with jobs are frequently not in jobs that suit their talents and are doing jobs like stocking shelves at supermarkets.
Some were lucky enough to get engineering jobs at the nearby PSA (Peugeot & Citroen) factory, but they too have now closed their factory, leaving those same people unemployed again, with 2,500 also redundent!
For those interested in other British car marques... TVR are also shutting up shop as half their staff are now redundent with the factory closing in Blackpool in 6 months time.
LDV, formally a part of the Leyland empire as their commercial division (Freight Rover & Leyland DAF Vans), also went into administration last year following the collapse of MG-Rover and has since been sold to an American company who has canned all except 1 model being produced.
Once a might empire... now reduced to this!
On the plus side, Austin-Healey is being revived by the Healey family after deals with NAC and there looks to be a new model being produced in the UK in the next few years, based on the inspirations of the AH3000.
The deal done by the shockingly poor 'Price WaterHouse Coopers' (PWC) who are the administrators at MG-Rover at the moment sold only what MG-Rover UK owned as they have no control over any other companies.
Seems someone didnt check where those rights were actually applicable to.
Then there is the arguement of whether the 'European' rights for use of the MG name owned by the Netherlands actually covers the UK as well, that is to say, is the 'UK' covered under the term 'European' ?
Just another chapter in the mess of the great empire at the moment. The MG ZT and MG TF are apparantly due to resume production in a small part of the Longbridge site, not that it could be in the whole site, because BMW bulldozed most of it before they vacated the premesis back in 2000!
Then there is a case of whether anyone believes a word that Nanjing Automotive (NAC) says, because we have yet to see anything more than large shipments of lorries moving the production facilities to China, where they've only recently sorted out the squabble with the State (as they are State owned) as to whether they were actually allowed to do it or not.
Then, there is Shanghai Automotive (SAIC) who own the rights to the intelectual design of the MG ZR, ZS and ZT.
The TF is still (I believe) owned by Pheonix Venture Holdings (PVH), the parent company who owned MG-Rover over the last 5 years.
How NAC will build the TF is beyond me... production facilities may still be at Longbridge, but Mayflow, who build the panels went bankrupt and were bought out about 2 years ago, with only a small team being retained to produce the TF panels for MG-Rover by the new owners. After MG-Rover went into administration, they shut up shop!
Then there is the case of the engines... NAC do not own the rights or facilities to produce the K-series engines previously fitted to the MG TF as this is owned by their Chinese comeptitor SAIC.
So, PWC, who are supposed to have been running the business in the best interests of the creditors have done nothing except make a complete hash of it all and pocket about ÂŁ10m in the process for their efforts!
As for the 6,500 employees who have been left unemployed, well.. most of them still are unemployed. Those with jobs are frequently not in jobs that suit their talents and are doing jobs like stocking shelves at supermarkets.
Some were lucky enough to get engineering jobs at the nearby PSA (Peugeot & Citroen) factory, but they too have now closed their factory, leaving those same people unemployed again, with 2,500 also redundent!
For those interested in other British car marques... TVR are also shutting up shop as half their staff are now redundent with the factory closing in Blackpool in 6 months time.
LDV, formally a part of the Leyland empire as their commercial division (Freight Rover & Leyland DAF Vans), also went into administration last year following the collapse of MG-Rover and has since been sold to an American company who has canned all except 1 model being produced.
Once a might empire... now reduced to this!
On the plus side, Austin-Healey is being revived by the Healey family after deals with NAC and there looks to be a new model being produced in the UK in the next few years, based on the inspirations of the AH3000.
dklawson
Yoda
Offline
Just a rhetorical swipe at the situation....
So did PWC sell the U.K. rights to the MG/Rover brand names to the Chinese? If so... how about we "ignore" their intellectual property rights and start building our own MGs, Triumphs, and Rovers anyway since it appears they don't understand or have concerns about intellectual property rights belonging to the West.
Rant over.
So did PWC sell the U.K. rights to the MG/Rover brand names to the Chinese? If so... how about we "ignore" their intellectual property rights and start building our own MGs, Triumphs, and Rovers anyway since it appears they don't understand or have concerns about intellectual property rights belonging to the West.
Rant over.
Offline
We are building our own Doug. We just have to use a bunch of old parts!
PS, A new Healey sounds pretty good though. I wonder if they will build a LH drive? Hmmmm, Money, Money, Money. Well, you can't take it with you. Might as well have some fun while were here. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif PJ
PS, A new Healey sounds pretty good though. I wonder if they will build a LH drive? Hmmmm, Money, Money, Money. Well, you can't take it with you. Might as well have some fun while were here. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif PJ