Get a grip

There is no need to be so pesamistic. The VW Beetle is built in Mexico, some B*Ms are built in america(look at their cars). Where a car is built doesn't mean it will be bad.
It is a car built to a price to give MGR market share. With higher volume sales and profit they can start to build up and move on.
Give them a break they have had hard times and need something like the Cityrover.

 

Yes I destest the cheapo badge (I'm really on one about this) but the CityRover is just the job. Unfortunatley whilst I think it will sell in huge quantities I think it will appeal more to the OAP (I want a practical A to B car) than to the younger buyer. I also think that it's the best idea in the last 10 years of Rover history to build a car in India. The profit margin will be imense. Just what MG R need to balance the books!

 

Look at the big picture m8

 

Rover today announced the official death of Rover as a prestige brand. From now on it will be cheap and probably a rebadged Tata. The new logo has been designed to reflect the new image. MG will now become the mainstream brand and will be available across every power range in an attempt to reduce its sporting image.

I am amazed at some of you trying to justify the Tata, it just shows that how low Rover has sunk. But still I am sure the grannies and grandads will love it.

I suppose the next time I want a new car , Rover will now be off the list , who would want a 75 that shares its image with an Indian buzzbox. They hadnt even the wit to change the styling, or maybe Ratan said no.

A very sad day indeed!

Stop being so daft! They've done nothing anywhere near as damaging as when the Rover badge was stuck on an Austin Metro. Do you want them to turn a profit or not, for heaven's sake?

 

Rover today announced the official death of Rover as a prestige brand. From now on it will be cheap and probably a rebadged Tata. The new logo has been designed to reflect the new image. MG will now become the mainstream brand and will be available across every power range in an attempt to reduce its sporting image.

I am amazed at some of you trying to justify the Tata, it just shows that how low Rover has sunk. But still I am sure the grannies and grandads will love it.

I suppose the next time I want a new car , Rover will now be off the list , who would want a 75 that shares its image with an Indian buzzbox. They hadnt even the wit to change the styling, or maybe Ratan said no.

A very sad day indeed!

Sorry, I don't agree with you one iota there. FFS, you make it sound like the CityRover is an outdated, ancient lump of lard.

Nothing is further from the truth. Actually, being designed from scratch in the 90s, its probably newer overall than most of its competitors... after all, isn't the KA built on an old Fiesta chassis?

 

I suppose the next time I want a new car , Rover will now be off the list , who would want a 75 that shares its image with an Indian buzzbox.

erm.... hadn't someone better have a word in VW's ear then?

They can't possibly be able to sell one of their new Pheaton thingies - someone left the same badge on a lupo!

FFS!

:cus:

 

Re: Re: The Day Rover died

erm.... hadn't someone better have a word in VW's ear then?

They can't possibly be able to sell one of their new Pheaton thingies - someone left the same badge on a lupo!

FFS!

:cus:

You could easily be right - for that very reason!

But no Rover has ever tried to push so far out of its range, so I should'nt worry.

After all VW has a gap between Mondeo Rival and S-Class rival:lol:

 

this CR tarnishing the 75 imagine is just not true

phrases which you wont hear down the pub

"I'm not buying a Skyline, cos the micra is a silly girls car"

"I really had my heart set on an MGTF, but aftering seeing the cityrover, im getting an MR2"

"Supra's are no longer cool, now the girly yaris is out"

"I've cancelled my order for my MG-SV 500 now i have see the city rover"

end of pub quotes


mainstream car companies have to make a wide range of cars to stay in with a chance of staying in profit

I'll be first in the queue for a test drive of the new CR - and first in the queue to buy the MG version

 

At the end of the day, MGR needed to start shifting numbers at a profit.

They have produced a car that will sell (the Metro was no oil painting after all and sold well) and make them some desperately needed cash. Therefore they have met the objectives.

So what if it doesn't appeal to all. No car will.

Judge it on its sales figures.

 

The BMW 3 series was built in Africa (S.Africa) for a bit. Didn't seem to put people off.

 

Today does represent the death of Rover as we had perhaps got to know it over recent years. No more pipes, slippers and stale sports jackets. Instead an exciting glimpse into the world of Rover..... powered and enthused by MG Rover Group

John

 

P.S. The management at MG Rover have the priority of making money. This means avoiding making a new platform if a perfectly good one is available on the world stage at a greatly reduced price. While it is very nice for them to be making cars for a small number of enthusiasts, hard world economics dictates that they should sell cars that make money and keep the (British) jobs at Longbridge going in the long run. Good on the Rover management for doing the sensible thing. Pandering to enthusiasts never made a great deal of money or jobs.

 

So why is Porsche the most profitable car company in the world?

 

Give Rover a business plan which will convert them into a modern day Porsche and I will eat my words. But you won't be able to. Until then we'll have to rely on people like Towers ( who know more about the automobile industry and profit than we will ever know). Porsche and MG / Rover are very different.

 

You work for them, don't you..... :lol:

 

If 'them' is the NHS then, yes, sadly I do. More seriously, Porsche has a niche which provides extreme sports cars around the world. Rover and MG provide (sometimes sporting) run of the mill vehicles to the UK public. Each must play to their strengths. Nothing I have seen today suggests that Towers et al. don't understand the base of customers which will provide them with profits.

 

See my post in "Thoughts", Derrin.

 

I have to admit when I read the title of this thread I thought "What the hell?". I agree with John that today could very well be the death of the old pipe and slippers image for Rover and today marks a new beginning in the fortunes of the Rover brand. Its about MG Rover spent some time on the Rover brand after all the time it has spent in the past beefing up the MG brand.

 

sorry, the premise of the original post is just plain daft

the dealers need volume through the showroom to make it attractive to be an MG-R dealer, and the economics of making a small, low-cost car in UK don't really work

you may not like it, but that's the way it is, and I reckon the management are playing a canny game with the cards bequeathed to them by that Bavarian company we needn't name

 

Rover today announced the official death of Rover as a prestige brand. From now on it will be cheap and probably a rebadged Tata. The new logo has been designed to reflect the new image. MG will now become the mainstream brand and will be available across every power range in an attempt to reduce its sporting image.

I am amazed at some of you trying to justify the Tata, it just shows that how low Rover has sunk. But still I am sure the grannies and grandads will love it.

I suppose the next time I want a new car , Rover will now be off the list , who would want a 75 that shares its image with an Indian buzzbox. They hadnt even the wit to change the styling, or maybe Ratan said no.

A very sad day indeed!

:***:

 

Re: Re: The Day Rover died

erm.... hadn't someone better have a word in VW's ear then?

They can't possibly be able to sell one of their new Pheaton thingies - someone left the same badge on a lupo!

FFS!

:cus:

The Phaeton is a sales disaster, only hitting a third of targets. Not that the UK press will mention it. Make good taxis...

 

Rover did two things today

1. Launched Cityrover - to generate profit's and create money for development of new models, whilst spending **** all.

2. Launched Streetwise - to re-invigorate the Rover brand and generate extra profit's.........

Rover announced it's death today? NOP, Rover gave a loud hint that they are currently writing one of the most amazing success from the brink stories in automotive history :bgrin:

:bgrin: :bgrin: :bgrin: :bgrin: :bgrin: :bgrin: :bgrin: :bgrin: :bgrin:

 

Each car within any manufacturers range sells (or doesn't sell) upon it's own merits.

People are not going to stop buying the R75 if the CityRover turns out to be crap, it just doesn't work thay way.

Anyway IMO the CityRover looks ok, although dual headlamps, teardrop wingmirrors and a proper Rover grille would have improved matters:

 

Today does represent the death of Rover as we had perhaps got to know it over recent years. No more pipes, slippers and stale sports jackets. Instead an exciting glimpse into the world of Rover..... powered and enthused by MG Rover Group

John

Well said John, I think it sums everything up very well!

 

So why is Porsche the most profitable car company in the world?

Erm, because they charge as much for a car as a modest house costs?