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90-732: MG Rover Group was a British carmaker that existed between 2000 and 2005. It was the last domestically owned mass-production car manufacturer in the British motor industry . The company was formed when BMW sold the car-making and engine manufacturing assets of the original Rover Group to Phoenix Venture Holdings in 2000. MG Rover went into administration in 2005 and its key assets were purchased by Nanjing Automobile Group , with Nanjing restarting MG sports car and sports saloon production in 2007. During that year Nanjing merged with SAIC Motor (the largest vehicle manufacturer in China). During 2009

180-550: A 77-day-long sit in . In 2010, SAIC produced 3.58 million units, the largest output of any China-based automaker that year. In June 2010, Magneti Marelli and Shanghai Automobile Gear Works (SAGW) officially launched a new joint venture plant in the Jiading district near Shanghai, China. SAGW, the main Chinese manufacturer of transmissions for the automotive sector, is a subsidiary of SAIC Motor. In February 2011, SAIC unveiled

270-513: A Korean SUV-maker, Ssangyong, soured. In January 2009, after an additional US$ 45 million was provided to it by SAIC, SsangYong Motor Company was placed into receivership in Korea. Courts might have mandated SAIC reduce its ownership, and by 2010 a 51.33% share of the Korean company had become a 10% one. The 2009 Ssangyong failure also saw riot police quell protesting Ssangyong workers who staged

360-583: A UK R&D and technical facility would also be developed. But on 27 August, The Daily Telegraph reported that the balance of around £47M, due on 22 August had not been paid. Citing confidentiality, the Administrators declined to comment. Because the Rover 45 range produced at Longbridge had still had significant Honda content, originating from the companies' legacy partnership with Rover and British Leyland, Honda executives moved quickly to terminate

450-430: A car, and prefer other modes of transport. Other potentially powerful automotive markets are Iran and Indonesia . Emerging automobile markets already buy more cars than established markets. According to a J.D. Power study, emerging markets accounted for 51 percent of the global light-vehicle sales in 2010. The study, performed in 2010 expected this trend to accelerate. However, more recent reports (2012) confirmed

540-551: A group of major car manufacturers including GM , Ford , Volvo , BYD Auto , Jaguar Land Rover and Mercedes-Benz committed to "work towards all sales of new cars and vans being zero emission globally by 2040, and by no later than 2035 in leading markets". Major car manufacturing nations like the United States, Germany, China, Japan and South Korea, as well as Volkswagen , Toyota , Peugeot , Honda , Nissan and Hyundai , did not pledge. The global automotive industry

630-645: A new North American Operations Center in Birmingham, Michigan. The opening ceremony was attended by Rick Snyder , Governor of Michigan , Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, and senior executives from General Motors and SAIC Motor. The 30,000-square-foot, three-story facility will house nearly 100 staff and focus on sourcing components. SAIC has numerous production facilities in China, including sites in: Chongqing , Liuzhou , Qingdao , Shanghai , Shenyang , and Yantai . It also had an assembly plant in

720-403: A new commercial vehicles marque, Maxus . In 2011, SAIC produced 3.97 million vehicles, the largest output of any China-based automaker that year. In 2012, SAIC retained its top spot among domestic rivals by producing around 3.5 million units. In 2023, SAIC received the equivalent of US$ 560 million in state subsidies . In July 2023, Audi and SAIC Group announced their partnership that

810-429: A personal relationship between Nick Stephenson and a consultant who he paid more than £1.6m in the 15-month period up to April 2005. Meanwhile, "Evidence Eliminator" software installed by Mr Beale deleted documents which were likely to have been relevant to the investigation. The investigators further accused Mr Beale of giving "untruthful" evidence during interviews. Conservative business spokesman Kenneth Clarke said it

900-500: A top producer 1950s : United Kingdom, Germany, and France restarted production. 1960s : Japan started production and increased volume through the 1980s. United States, Japan, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom produced about 80% of motor vehicles through the 1980s. 1990s : South Korea became a volume producer. In 2004, Korea became No. 5 passing France. 2000s : China increased its production drastically, and became

990-573: A variety of brands . Brands that are considered "self-owned" by SAIC include IM , Maxus , MG , Rising Auto , Roewe , Baojun , Wuling , Hongyan , and Sunwin . SAIC launched a luxury EV brand "IM" (dubbed "Zhiji Motor" in Chinese) jointly developed with Shanghai's Pudong New Area government and Alibaba on January 13, 2021. According to SAIC Motor, "IM" stands for Intelligence in Motion. MG Motor designs, develops and markets cars sold under

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1080-459: Is a Chinese state-owned automobile manufacturer headquartered in Anting , Shanghai . Founded in 1955, it is currently the largest of the " Big Four " state-owned car manufacturers of China ahead of FAW Group , Dongfeng Motor Corporation , and Changan Automobile , with sales of 5.02 million vehicles in 2023. The company traces its origins to the early years of the Chinese automobile industry in

1170-508: Is a brand specialized in producing passenger buses and trolleybuses . In 2021, SAIC announced an increase in its holdings of Nanjing Iveco (Naveco). SAIC's subsidiary, Nanjing Automobile Group holds a 50% stake, while SAIC itself holds 30.1%, and IVECO S.P.A. holds 19.9%. SAIC's ownership of Naveco has now risen to 80.1%, making the Italian brand a strategic investor. SAIC participates in cooperative efforts with foreign automakers that see

1260-643: Is a major consumer of water. Some estimates surpass 180,000 L (39,000 imp gal) of water per car manufactured, depending on whether tyre production is included. Production processes that use a significant volume of water include surface treatment, painting, coating, washing, cooling, air-conditioning, and boilers, not counting component manufacturing. Paintshop operations consume especially large amounts of water because equipment running on water-based products must also be cleaned with water. In 2022, Tesla's Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg ran into legal challenges due to droughts and falling groundwater levels in

1350-463: Is a primary mode of transportation for many developed economies. The Detroit branch of Boston Consulting Group predicted that, by 2014, one-third of world demand would be in the four BRIC markets (Brazil, Russia, India, and China). Meanwhile, in developed countries, the automotive industry has slowed. It is also expected that this trend will continue, especially as the younger generations of people (in highly urbanized countries) no longer want to own

1440-502: Is also the largest shareholder of SAIC-GM-Wuling (SGMW), a joint venture selling Wuling and Baojun branded vehicles. In 2021, SAIC self-owned brands contributes 52% of SAIC's sales. The company ranked 84th on the Fortune Global 500 list in 2023. Including SGMW, it was also the third-largest plug-in electric vehicle ( battery electric and plug-in hybrid ) company and second-largest battery electric vehicle manufacturer in

1530-504: The MG marque . Roewe was introduced by SAIC in 2006. It is sold in most export markets outside China under the MG Motor marque. Rising Auto was originally the "R Brand" in 2020, an offshoot of SAIC 's Roewe brand for electric vehicles. It was operated as an independent brand since 2021 but rolled back into Roewe in 2024. It is currently positioned as Roewe's premium product line. Maxus

1620-467: The PSA Group had been in the top 8 1999 to 2012, and 2007 to 2012 one of the eight largest along with the seven largest as of 2017) and the five largest in the top 5 positions since 2007, according to OICA, which, however, stopped publishing statistics of motor vehicle production by manufacturer after 2017. All ten remained as the ten largest automakers by sales until the merger between Fiat-Chrysler and

1710-602: The Powertrain Ltd business, for £67M. It did not acquire the Rover name, which was still owned by BMW at the time (See 'Brands' below). On 15 April 2005, it was announced that SAIC had once again rejected pleas to buy out the company. With no other rescue deal in the pipeline, the administrators were not in a position to seek further funding from the government and announced that redundancy notices to Longbridge staff (who numbered more than 6,000) would be issued. As well as

1800-566: The United States led the world in total automobile production, with the U.S. Big Three General Motors , Ford Motor Company , and Chrysler being the world's three largest auto manufacturers for a time, and G.M. and Ford remaining the two largest until the mid-2000s. In 1929, before the Great Depression , the world had 32,028,500 automobiles in use, of which the U.S. automobile enterprises produced more than 90%. At that time,

1890-543: The Wuling and Baojun brands. SGMW has recently found great success as an electric vehicle manufacturer — in 2021, the venture's Wuling Hongguang Mini EV city car was the best-selling electric car in China by volume. SAIC Hongyan was established in January 2003 as Chongqing Hongyan and traces its origins back to a Chinese manufacturer established in 1965. The company is focused on producing heavy trucks. SAIC Sunwin

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1980-485: The value chain are made to avoid these product recalls by ensuring end-user security and safety and compliance with the automotive industry requirements. However, the automotive industry is still particularly concerned about product recalls, which cause considerable financial consequences. In 2007, there were about 806 million cars and light trucks on the road, consuming over 980 billion litres (980,000,000 m ) of gasoline and diesel fuel yearly. The automobile

2070-625: The "MG" trademark resulted in a legal dispute with Nanjing Automobile (Group) Corporation , which had also acquired assets of the defunct MG Rover Group. This case was won by Nanjing in February 2010. Carmaker The word automotive comes from the Greek autos (self), and Latin motivus (of motion ), referring to any form of self-powered vehicle. This term, as proposed by Elmer Sperry (1860–1930), first came into use to describe automobiles in 1898. The automotive industry began in

2160-469: The 1860s with hundreds of manufacturers pioneering the horseless carriage . Early car manufacturing involved manual assembly by a human worker. The process evolved from engineers working on a stationary car, to a conveyor belt system where the car passed through multiple stations of more specialized engineers. Starting in the 1960s, robotic equipment was introduced to the process, and most cars are now mainly assembled by automated machinery. For many decades,

2250-578: The 1940s, and SAIC was one of the few carmakers in Mao's China , making the Shanghai SH760 . Currently, it participates in the oldest surviving sino-foreign automotive joint venture with Volkswagen ( SAIC-Volkswagen ) since 1984, and in addition operates a joint venture with General Motors ( SAIC-GM ) since 1998. It also produces and sells passenger vehicles under its own branding, such as Roewe , MG , Maxus / LDV , Rising Auto , and IM Motors . It

2340-555: The 2000s, SAIC made several acquisitions in Korea. In 2002 it participated in GM's purchase of Korean automaker Daewoo, acquiring a 10% stake in the newly formed GM Daewoo company for US$ 59.7 million, and in 2004 it also assumed control of an ailing South Korean automaker, SsangYong Motor , paying US$ 500 million for 48.9% ownership of the company. Around this time SAIC created a new holding company for its subsidiaries employed in passenger car production, Shanghai Automotive Group. In

2430-482: The 25 still used underpinnings based on the 1989 Honda Concerto and the related Series II Rover 200 , whilst the 45 was essentially a rebadged Honda Civic/Domani outfitted with a K-series engine) - a legacy from Rover's one time partnership with Honda, which necessitated paying the Japanese company significant royalties on every car sold which further dented the profitability of those models. The acclaimed Rover 75

2520-628: The Administrators announced that the principal remaining assets of the group had been sold to the Nanjing Automobile Group for around £53M, with a deposit of around $ 5M. Nanjing Automobile Group indicating that their preliminary plans involved relocating the Powertrain engine plant to China and splitting car production into Rover lines in China and MG lines in the West Midlands (though not necessarily at Longbridge), where

2610-573: The British Government had decided to withdraw its offer of a £120 million loan to keep the deal going. On 7 April 2005 the company announced that it was suspending production because of component shortages. Later in the day, it was announced by Patricia Hewitt , the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry , that the company was being placed in receivership. Her statement was based on a conversation with MG Rover chairman, John Towers . It

2700-541: The British media suggesting the Chinese company was poised to launch a takeover. Later that year, in November, news broke of an agreement between the two companies to create a joint venture company to produce up to a million cars a year, with the production shared between MG Rover's Longbridge site and locations in China. SAIC were to have a 70% stake in this company in return for a £1 billion investment, with MG Rover owning

2790-836: The EV platform from IM Motors will be introduced into Audi's electric models. In September 2023, the European Commission (EC) launched an anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers, including SAIC which exported electric vehicles in high volume under the MG brand to the region. In June 2024, the EC completed its investigation and announced new tariffs for Chinese-built electric vehicles (on top of an existing 10 percent tariff for all foreign-made vehicles regardless of engine type), which went into effect on 4 July 2024. Electric vehicles made by SAIC Motor would be subjected to

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2880-464: The European market, from Chinese-built semi-knocked-down (SKD) kits, restarted. SAIC Motor merged with Nanjing Automobile in 2007, whilst nearly three-quarters of the massive Longbridge factory had been demolished and its land sold off - the old South Works is the only part of the plant which has survived. By 2011 MG Motor UK as it is now known started production of the first all new MG in 16 years,

2970-645: The Exchequer , and Richard Burden, Labour M.P. for Birmingham Northfield visited Tony Woodley at the offices of the Transport and General Workers' Union in Birmingham and stated that there might be some hope for the future of the company, although not the original deal agreed with SAIC. In the media, any news about MG Rover was overshadowed by the Pope's funeral and the problems of the register office marriage of

3060-551: The K series engine in a car for the Iranian market that was based on the old Mazda 121 and Kia Pride , were also rumoured to be potential buyers. SAIC had claimed that it had already acquired intellectual property rights in some Rover products for £67 million in the autumn of 2004, including the Rover 25 , the Rover 75 and the Rover Powertrain K-series engine, but the Administrators advised that there

3150-498: The MG Motor UK Longbridge plant as the first MG 6 to be produced in the United Kingdom came off the production line, but ended in 2016 when SAIC moved production to China. It retains a technical subsidiary SAIC Motor UK on site. On July 19, 2023, SAIC's Philippines subsidiary SAIC Motor Philippines, Inc. has appointed the new distributor and importer of MG vehicles and services in the country with launch of

3240-637: The MG6. In 2013 a new super-mini was added to the line up, the MG3. This was launched in summer 2013 and during 2014 helped in making MG Motor the fastest growing vehicle manufacturer within the UK. During the spring of 2015 a new MG6 was launched and plans for a new SUV were unveiled for the following year. The UK Government commissioned reports into the collapse of the company. The National Audit Office reported in March 2006 on

3330-657: The PSA Group in early 2021 ; only Renault was degraded to 11th place, in 2022, when being surpassed by both BMW (which became the 10th largest in 2021) and Chang'an . These were the twenty largest manufacturers by production volume in 2012 and 2013, or the 21 largest in 2011 (before the Fiat-Chrysler merger ), of which the fourteen largest as of 2011 were in the top 14 in 2010, 2008 and 2007 (but not 2009, when Changan and Mazda temporarily degraded Chrysler to 16th place). The eighteen largest as of 2013 have remained in

3420-496: The Phoenix Consortium, including tax advice while Deloitte audited MG Rover. An independent tribunal refused to grant the right to appeal a finding that Deloitte failed to consider public interest, as of November 2013. In June 2004, it was learned that Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation had signed a joint venture partnership to develop new models and technologies with MG Rover. This led to much speculation among

3510-605: The Phoenix Four were disqualified as acting as company directors for varying lengths of time, totalling 19 years. The MG Rover range initially consisted of five cars: the Mini , Rover 25 , Rover 45 , Rover 75 and MG F along with car-derived van derivatives of the 25. The Mini was only built under temporary licence during the first five months of MG Rover's existence, and since the 1980s had only been built in limited numbers. After production finished, previous owner BMW regained

3600-507: The Prince of Wales and his bride . On 10 April 2005, MG Rover announced that they had received a £6.5M loan from the British Government. This would cover workers' wages for one week while buy-out proposals were made to SAIC. The same week, SAIC denied it had ever made an offer to buy MG Rover and threatened to sue anyone who attempted to make the 25 and 75 models. SAIC purchased the technical rights to manufacture Rover's 25 and 75 models, and for

3690-525: The SAIC tie-up went ahead, according to the Indian press. Tata claimed the report was inaccurate two days later. In January 2005, it was revealed that British Prime Minister Tony Blair had intervened to support the alliance between MG Rover and SAIC. MG Rover could not give a date on which the agreement would be finalized. In April 2005, it was reported that the partnership deal with SAIC was in trouble because

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3780-428: The U.S. had one car per 4.87 persons. After 1945, the U.S. produced around three-quarters of the world's auto production. In 1980, the U.S. was overtaken by Japan and then became a world leader again in 1994. Japan narrowly passed the U.S. in production during 2006 and 2007, and in 2008 also China , which in 2009 took the top spot (from Japan) with 13.8 million units, although the U.S. surpassed Japan in 2011, to become

3870-562: The UK in 2014. The Rover brand , which had been retained by BMW and licensed to MG Rover, was sold to Ford , which had bought Land Rover from BMW in 2000. The rights to the dormant Rover brand were sold by Ford, along with the Jaguar Cars and Land Rover businesses, to Tata Motors in 2008. MG Rover Group was formally dissolved on 28 May 2023, more than 18 years after it was originally put into administration in April 2005. MG Rover

3960-475: The UK subsidiary was renamed MG Motor UK . The MG TF was manufactured at the former MG Rover Longbridge plant and sold within the UK from 2008 to 2010. In 2011 the first all new MG for 16 years (the MG 6 ) was launched in the UK (assembled at the Longbridge factory). During 2013 a supermini was added to the line up (the MG 3 ), this went on to help MG Motor become the fastest growing car manufacturer within

4050-615: The United Kingdom, the Longbridge plant . It also has a plant in Chonburi , Thailand, Cikarang , Indonesia, and Halol , India. SAIC operated a large research and development centre in the United Kingdom, the SAIC Motor UK Technical Centre , which as of 2012 employed around 275 engineers and 25 designers. The UK Technical Centre was the principal site worldwide for the development of MG cars, also playing

4140-586: The all-new 2024 MG4 EV and MG Marvel R for the local market by October 2023. Aside from importation, distribution, and aftersales operations, SMP’s functions also include the management of MG’s dealership network in the Philippines. This is currently composed of 42 authorized dealer locations and the addition of four more dealerships before the close of 2023, and a goal to have 60 MG dealerships running by 2025. In June 2012, SAIC's United States-based subsidiary Shanghai Automotive Industries Corp USA, Inc. opened

4230-417: The assets of both MG Rover and engine maker Rover Powertrain which, if successful, would see at least some production being restarted at Longbridge, and that talks with the other two interested parties – China's Nanjing Automobile Group and Project Kimber (a consortium of Birmingham businessmen led by David James ) – were still in progress. More than 6,000 workers at MG Rover lost their jobs when

4320-486: The automotive industry, safety means that users, operators, or manufacturers do not face any risk or danger coming from the motor vehicle or its spare parts. Safety for the automobiles themselves implies that there is no risk of damage. Safety in the automotive industry is particularly important and therefore highly regulated. Automobiles and other motor vehicles have to comply with a certain number of regulations, whether local or international, in order to be accepted on

4410-459: The away kit advertising MGs. Also, the company had sponsored the popular ITV murder drama series Midsomer Murders , in which a range of MG Rover cars were presented. All of the following brands were controlled by MG Rover, and were formerly the property of British Leyland. The Rover brand was used under licence from BMW, and was sold to Ford following the collapse of MG Rover; it was subsequently bought in 2008 by TATA. The MG XPower brand

4500-543: The city more than doubled its contribution to the national output of automotive components. In 1987, the only local parts used in one car, the Volkswagen Santana , were tires, radio, and antenna, but by 1998 over 90% of the components used in its manufacture were locally sourced. A goal set by the Shanghai Municipal government, creation of a local parts industry is an example of the influence that

4590-508: The company established itself as one of the leading Chinese automakers. During this period, SAIC effectively built an entire modern automotive component supply chain in Shanghai from scratch, and the number and quality of locally produced auto parts rose significantly. Cars that were previously assembled in China from knock-down kits provisioned by Volkswagen became products built from parts produced in Shanghai, and between 1990 and 1996

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4680-464: The company intact as a going concern, the Administrators had instructed their agents to prepare for the piecemeal sale of the very few remaining assets in the event that satisfactory negotiations for the sale of the entire business were not concluded. On 14 July 2005, it was reported that Magma Holdings, a financial group including former Ford Motor Company and General Motors executives, working in conjunction with SAIC, would be making an offer for

4770-409: The company to proceed instead to a creditors' voluntary liquidation , setting the date for a preliminary Creditors' Meeting to be held in Birmingham on 10 June 2005. At that meeting, creditors learned that so little of value was left in the company that there would probably be negligible or even no repayment of its outstanding debt and that, although three bidders were then still negotiating to acquire

4860-426: The company went into liquidation. As many as 25,000 jobs were reported to have been lost in related supply industries, meaning that the total number of job losses brought on by MG Rover's collapse was somewhere in the region of 30,000. On 18 July, Magma Holdings and SAIC formalized their bid with a reported offer of £60M, with a number of additional conditions. However, that offer was not well received, and on 22 July,

4950-520: The financial support provided to the company. It commended the DTI's contingency planning in 2004, but questioned whether the loan made in April 2005 achieved value for money. The DTI commissioned accountants BDO Stoy Hayward to report on the collapse of the company; this took four years to complete at a cost of £14.8 million. The firm issued its report to business minister Peter Mandelson in July 2009, and it

5040-469: The formal establishment of Shanghai Volkswagen Automotive Co Ltd in March 1985 allowed it to produce competitive cars with foreign technology. Early success at SAIC were a result of guidance provided by local Shanghai authorities; at one time SAIC was simply an extension of the Shanghai Municipal government. For these two reasons and more, SAIC grew swiftly. In the 11 years leading to 1996, annual production capacity increased ten-fold to 300,000 units/year, and

5130-558: The former Rover Group (itself the remaining rump of British Leyland , which in turn had its roots in the even older British Motor Corporation , formerly Austin and Morris ), which by now consisted solely of the Longbridge plant in Birmingham . Of the Rover Group's other two major plants; Solihull had already been divested as part of the sale of Land Rover to Ford, whilst the Cowley and Swindon plants were retained by BMW for

5220-469: The highest tariff of 38.1 percent. On 26 June, after receiving more information, the EU reduced the proposed tariffs from 38.1 percent to 37.6 percent for SAIC. The tariffs subjected to SAIC vehicles are the highest among Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers that are affected. SAIC released a statement condemning the decision, noting that the tariffs are a form of unfair market discrimination that went against

5310-471: The job losses at Longbridge, the months which followed the collapse of MG Rover resulted in many job losses in the supply chain, as well as jobs in MG Rover dealerships, as these businesses either went bankrupt, were faced with having to make job cuts, or in the case of some dealerships switched to different brands. By the end of April 2005, Sir Richard Branson had reportedly expressed an interest in buying

5400-632: The launch of the smallest model, the Indian-built CityRover , built as part of a venture with Tata , and a flagship model, the MG XPower SV , based on the Qvale Mangusta . Both cars, however, failed to achieve the sales figures that MG Rover had hoped for. MG Rover made the following vehicles during its lifetime: MG Rover sponsored Aston Villa Football Club from 2002 to 2004, with Villa's home kit advertising Rovers and

5490-484: The licensing agreement and removed tooling and assembly equipment for the car from Longbridge. Nanjing Automobile started shipping equipment from Longbridge to China on 15 September and, according to a report in The Times on Saturday, 17 September, were close to a deal with SAIC under which they would manufacture the Rover 25 and Powertrain engines while SAIC would produce a stretched Rover 75. Nanjing Automobile Group

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5580-488: The list below) currently possess the capability to design original production automobiles from the ground up, and 17 countries (listed below) have at least one million produced vehicles a year (as of 2023). These were the ten largest manufacturers by production volume as of 2017, of which the eight largest were in the top 8 positions since Fiat's 2013 acquisition of the Chrysler Corporation (although

5670-478: The local government has had on the development of SAIC. In June 1997, SAIC formed a second major joint venture, Shanghai General Motors Co Ltd, with General Motors. The new joint venture began operations in 1998, and helped to drive a doubling in SAIC's vehicle production between 2000 and 2004. SAIC also created joint ventures with component suppliers, such as the American Visteon . At the start of

5760-545: The market. The standard ISO 26262 , is considered one of the best practice frameworks for achieving automotive functional safety . In case of safety issues, danger, product defect , or faulty procedure during the manufacturing of the motor vehicle, the maker can request to return either a batch or the entire production run. This procedure is called product recall . Product recalls happen in every industry and can be production-related or stem from raw materials. Product and operation tests and inspections at different stages of

5850-543: The middle of the decade, SAIC attempted to acquire the British automaker MG Rover , but in 2005 was outbid by another Chinese automaker, Nanjing Automobile . SAIC did manage to obtain some MG Rover technology that was incorporated into a new line of luxury sedans sold under the Roewe marque, and it subsequently purchased the winning bidder. While the company saw sales success in the late 2000s, with 2.72 million vehicles sold in 2009, its 2004 purchase of an ownership stake in

5940-587: The opposite; namely that the automotive industry was slowing down even in BRIC countries. In the United States, vehicle sales peaked in 2000, at 17.8 million units. In July 2021, the European Commission released its " Fit for 55 " legislation package, which contains important guidelines for the future of the automotive industry; all new cars on the European market must be zero-emission vehicles from 2035. The governments of 24 developed countries and

6030-402: The principles of free trade . In July 2024, SAIC Motor issued a statement stating that it would formally request the European Commission to hold a hearing on the anti-subsidy investigation. The company claimed that the European Commission's investigation asked SAIC to disclose its commercially sensitive information including battery-related chemical formulas, which SAIC declined as it is beyond

6120-452: The production of the new MINI family of vehicles. As part of these changes, all remaining Rover volume production at Cowley (essentially now just the Rover 75 as the Rover 600/800 ranges had already been discontinued by this point), was moved to Longbridge, whilst MG Rover would be allowed to continue manufacturing the original Mini at Longbridge until the new MINI was launched by BMW a year later. When BMW sold off its interests, MG Rover

6210-809: The products of large international companies such as General Motors and Volkswagen made and sold in China. A joint venture between SAIC and Volkswagen Group . It was founded in 1984 and produces cars under the Volkswagen, Skoda, and Audi brands. This joint venture between SAIC and General Motors manufactures and sells Chevrolet , Buick , and Cadillac brand automobiles in Mainland China . SAIC produces MG Motors vehicles through this joint venture with Charoen Pokphand for their Thailand subsidiary. Established with Austrian technology provider TTTech in 2018 for Intelligent and Autonomous Driving solutions. On 13 April 2011, vehicle assembly resumed at

6300-780: The region. Brandenburg's Economy Minister Joerg Steinbach said that while water supply was sufficient during the first stage, more would be needed once Tesla expands the site. The factory would nearly double the water consumption in the Gruenheide area, with 1.4 million cubic meters being contracted from local authorities per year — enough for a city of around 40,000 people. Steinbach said that the authorities would like to drill for more water there and outsource any additional supply if necessary. 1960s : Post-war increase 1970s : Oil crisis and tighter safety and emission regulation 1990s : Production started in NICs . 2000s : Rise of China as

6390-561: The remaining 30%. However, this agreement had to be ratified by the Chinese government, specifically its National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). The Commission held the opinion that if BMW could not make a success of Rover, then it would be hard for SAIC to do so. On 8 December 2004, Tata of India, which had cooperated over the export of the Tata Indica as the CityRover , threatened to cease its agreement with MG Rover if

6480-402: The remaining assets of the company for the purpose of reviving the marque in order to enter the hybrid automobile market, and several other parties were also rumoured as wishing to buy the remnants. These included two Russian businessmen, although one of them denied any interest in buying the company's assets. The Iranian state-owned car manufacturer, SAIPA who had worked with MG Rover installing

6570-437: The rights to use the brand, and did so on an all-new car that was launched in 2001: MINI . The Rover 25 and Rover 45 were recently facelifted versions of visibly ageing mid-1990s designs, but production figures had been slightly decreased due to a fall in demand, even though the Rover 25 had been Britain's best-selling car of the month in April 2000. Both cars still had significant Honda content within their design (for example,

6660-462: The scope of a normal investigation. In November 2024, SAIC Motor Passenger Vehicle, the subsidiary of SAIC, announced to roll back the Rising Auto brand into Roewe, ending its history as an independent brand. Rising would turned into a premium electric product line under Roewe. The present-day SAIC is the product of numerous mergers and corporate restructurings. SAIC sells vehicles under

6750-461: The second-largest automobile industry. In 2023, China had for the first time in history more than 30 million produced vehicles a year, after reaching 29 million for the first time in 2017 and 28 million the year before. From 1970 (140 models) over 1998 (260 models) to 2012 (684 models), the number of automobile models in the U.S. has grown exponentially. Safety is a state that implies being protected from any risk, danger, damage, or cause of injury. In

6840-507: The top 20 as of 2017, except Mitsubishi which fell out of top 20 in 2016, while Geely fell out of the top 20 in 2014 and 2015 but re-entered it in 2016. It is common for automobile manufacturers to hold stakes in other automobile manufacturers. These ownerships can be explored under the detail for the individual companies. Notable current relationships include: Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation SAIC Motor Corp., Ltd. (formerly Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation )

6930-457: The world's largest-producing country in 2009. 2010s : India overtakes Korea, Canada, Spain to become 5th largest automobile producer. 2013 : The share of China (25.4%), India, Korea, Brazil, and Mexico rose to 43%, while the share of United States (12.7%), Japan, Germany, France, and United Kingdom fell to 34%. The OICA counts over 50 countries that assemble, manufacture, or disseminate automobiles. Of those, only 15 countries ( boldfaced in

7020-543: The world, with 10.5% and 13% global market share respectively in 2021. Although it has a long history, originating from an automobile assembly factory established in Shanghai sometime around World War II, SAIC, unlike domestic rivals FAW Group and Dongfeng Motors , has only recently attained a position of prominence in the Chinese vehicle industry. A small company in the 1970s, SAIC owes its rise to more than an increase in domestic demand for passenger vehicles. A cooperative agreement made with Volkswagen in 1984 followed by

7110-429: Was also reported to have begun negotiations with at least two other potential partners, including "a wealthy San Francisco family", and, in early November, Nanjing committed to making every effort "to resume production [at Longbridge] at the beginning of 2007". In August 2008, more than three years after the facility had closed due to MG Rover's bankruptcy, assembly at Longbridge of a lightly revised MG TF roadster for

7200-469: Was bought for a nominal £10 in May 2000 by a specially assembled group of businessmen known as the Phoenix Consortium. The consortium was headed by ex-Rover Chief Executive John Towers . When Phoenix took over, their first loss for the last eight months of 2000 were reported to be around £400m. By 2004, the company had reduced the losses to around £80m but never made a profit. MG Rover's best year for car sales

7290-548: Was created by MG Rover for their motorsport subsidiary, MG Sport and Racing Ltd. in 2001. It was subsequently used for the MG XPower SV sportscar , a higher powered version of the Qvale Mangusta, in 2005. After the demise of MG Rover, assets of MG Sport and Racing relating to the XPower SV were acquired from PWC , the Administrators, by the newly formed MG Sports and Racing Europe Ltd. However this company's use of

7380-520: Was formed from the parts of the former Rover Group volume car production business which BMW sold off in 2000 due to constant losses and a declining market share. BMW had acquired the Rover Group from British Aerospace in 1994 and had since sold the Land Rover business to Ford , and split off the MINI business as a new BMW subsidiary based in Cowley . MG Rover took control of the volume component of

7470-469: Was formed in 2011 following the acquisition of LDV Group by SAIC in 2010, and produces MPVs, pickup trucks, and SUVs for both domestic sale and global export. A joint venture between SAIC, General Motors , and Guangxi Automobile Group (previously Wuling Group) Based in Liuzhou , Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region , in southwestern China , it makes commercial and consumer vehicles sold in China under

7560-463: Was later denied by MG Rover Group, although the company admitted that it had engaged PricewaterhouseCoopers , the accountancy firm, to advise on its current financial situation. In the event, MG Rover placed itself in administration on 8 April 2005, a different status from receivership under British law. On 8 April 2005, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Gordon Brown , the Chancellor of

7650-697: Was little over a year old, and after a slow start sales were rising. An estate version was launched following the shift of production from Cowley to Longbridge . The replacement for the MG F, the MG TF sports car was, inevitably, a relatively low-volume product, but it had consistently been the most popular car in its sector since its 1995 launch. The Rover 25 and Rover 45 endured disappointing sales throughout MG Rover's existence, though their MG ZR and MG ZS sports variants proved popular from their launch in 2001. The Rover 75 and its MG ZT sports variant enjoyed more popularity. The range further expanded in 2003 with

7740-588: Was published on 11 September 2009. The report revealed that five executives took £42m in pay and pensions from the troubled firm as it collapsed. This was possible as Techtronic, the company that held the 427 million pound loan from BMW and was owned by the Phoenix Four, charged MG Rover interest and therefore made a profit. The report focused its criticism on the Phoenix Four and chief executive Kevin Howe who oversaw its collapse. Other findings included evidence of

7830-488: Was reported to be in exclusive negotiations with GB Sports Cars, a venture by former Rover managers, to re-establish MG production at Longbridge. In late October, key ex-workers received letters from Nanjing Automobile Corp offering 10 months' work dismantling plant at Longbridge for reassembly in China while talks with GB Sports Cars continued. However, after announcing that the UK government had not offered any substantial assistance in either grants or loans, Nanjing Automobile

7920-525: Was right the report criticised the Phoenix Four, whose behaviour was "disgraceful". Lord Mandelson said the Phoenix group had not shown an "ounce of humility" about the firm's demise and they owed an apology to the firm's employees and creditors. The Serious Fraud Office declined to mount an investigation into the matter, but Mandelson instructed lawyers to prepare a case to disqualify the key figures at Phoenix from future company directorships. In May 2011,

8010-462: Was still interest in saving some other parts of the company, including MG, and 13 May 2005 was set as the deadline for bids from potential investors. On 20 May 2005, the Administrators announced that, after considering numerous proposals, they had entered talks with two unnamed "overseas companies" with a view to restarting one or more of the Longbridge production lines. Nevertheless, the following week they informed creditors that they by then expected

8100-556: Was their first full year of business, in 2001 – when they sold over 170,000 cars. In 2004 their sales had declined to around 120,000. The company ceased trading on 8 April 2005, with debts of over £1.4 billion, after a proposed alliance with SAIC collapsed. In relation to this, accounting firm Deloitte was fined £14 million (US$ 22 million) in September 2013 for failing to manage conflicts of interest. Deloitte had acted as corporate finance advisers to firms involved with MG Rover and

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