NOT OVER FOR ROVER

21-04-2008

Northfield MP Richard Burden insists the battle to bring car production back to Longbridge isn’t over yet – despite the withdrawal of car body manufacturer Stadco from the former Rover works. A crunch meeting on Wednesday will provide a much clearer vision of the way ahead.

There were gloomy predictions last week that Stadco’s departure signalled the end of plans to make a new generation of MG’s on the site – a suspicion heightened by the fact that a string of promised start dates have come and gone with no sign of action.

In March 2007, Birmingham Council leader Mike Whitby trumpeted the return of car making to the city within three months (see link here), but like other deadlines since, this proved to be illusory (see link here).

Yet despite all the difficulties, MP Burden – whose constituency includes Longbridge – is keeping an open mind.

He points out that although Nanjing Automobile who bought the factory have since been taken over, their new owners Shangai Automotive (SAIC) wanted it in the first place when Rover folded three years ago.

"SAIC were pipped at the post" he recalls. 

"Maybe they were a bit too complacent at the time, and it was taken from under their noses.  But the fact is that back then they wanted a base for their European operations and there's every reason to think that they still do."

Burden points to the fact that SAIC have even created a wholly owned research and development subsidiary in Leamington Spa after originally sub-contracting the work to the engineering firm Ricardo.

He’d like that moved to Birmingham, arguing that the city could become a hi-tech automotive hub.

"What we must remember is that even if something does happen, this isn't the Rover's Return.  The way it was has gone forever," he said.

"But what we could do is bring together some production, research and development, and high quality engineering on one site along with a research centre for environmentally friendly motoring.

"And we could also tap into some of the work being done in this field at Birmingham University and City University."

The Stirrer understands that a delegation from SAIC will be visiting Nanjing’s local management in Birmingham on Wednesday – a meeting that will go a long way towards decided the future of Longbridge.

As Burden says: “At the moment there’s nothing there, so we have nothing to lose – just everything to gain.”