Chinese Aim to Take On Rover 75 Production

In the wake of the collapse of MG Rover, it seems that the vultures are already circling the carcass. According to an Auto Express report, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corportation (SAIC) plans to build 321,000 Rover 75s in the next five years. Not one will come from Birmingham.

The magazine reports that a three-page fax was sent to the Hertfordshire company which produces the car’s boot badge, inviting it to get involved with SAIC’s plans to make 26,000 of the luxury saloons next year, rising to 83,000 by 2010 and totalling 321,000 of the vehicles.

A spokesman for the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, which is trying to help MG Rover employees get new jobs, commented: “We wish the circumstances were different, but the fact that some suppliers may be able to sell to SAIC offers a glimmer of hope to the companies hit hard.”

According to administrators, PricewaterhouseCoopers, there have been enquiries about MG Rover’s assets from “more than 200 parties interested in all or part of the business and assets. 16 of these are said to be from overseas. Apparently, there is also still hope for MG with capital firm Alchemy considering a plan to build sports cars at Longbridge.