From UK Newspaper The Independent:
So is MG Rover’s collapse the final nail in the coffin of car manufacturing in Britain? Not at all. MG Rover’s problems may reflect difficulties with British-owned, British-run car companies that have lost their way, but the car industry based in Britain – as opposed to the British car industry – is actually doing rather well. It’s just not so easy to get your hands on the modern-day equivalent of a Morris Marina or a Hillman Avenger – particularly if you want the optional luxury of a vinyl roof.
…The truth is, despite MG Rover’s trauma, car manufacturing is alive and well in Britain. We may not be the biggest volume producer in Europe (Germany, France and Spain are in front of us on that measure) and our volumes may not be growing (they are in the aforementioned three), but Britain has three of the most productive vehicle plants in Europe, namely Nissan in Sunderland, Honda in Swindon and Toyota in Burnaston.
What all of this reveals is our collective confusion with the idea of Britishness, a confusion that has intensified in recent years in large part because of the creeping process of globalisation. What does it mean to buy British, for example? Popping to your local car supermarket, you may be surprised to find that the Peugeot 206 was, in 2003, the most heavily produced British-built car, followed by the Nissan Micra. The Mini was in third place – in reality, a BMW – followed by the Toyota Avensis. Other than the Mini, none of these feels particularly British. But perhaps that’s a problem with Britishness as a concept – all bowler hats, cucumber sandwiches and cream teas – rather than a problem with the cars.
In business, national borders no longer matter as much. Brands may evoke national identity – Minis and Aston Martins will be forever British – but companies are no longer tied so rigidly to national jurisdictions. When you buy a Mini, you might think that you are acquiring something that’s quintessentially British, but a lot of what you’re buying is German. Similarly, a Frenchman hoping to express his Gallic charm through his car may be surprised to discover that his Peugeot 206 was assembled in Coventry, hardly the most obvious place to enjoy a tasty bouillabaisse alongside a glass of Cotes de Provence.
[ UK car makers hog fast lane as Rover stalls ] The Independent
<p>Prior to my ’05 MCS, my previous car, an ’02 Honda Si was actually assembled in the UK. Swindon to be exact.</p>
<p>My old 89 Honda CRX Si was built in Canada and my 01 Jetta GLX was built in Mexico….</p>
<p>There are plants run by volkswagen in Mexico. But no Mexicans design or engineer the cars. See how that hair splits?</p>
<p>yeah – I owned a ’91 VW GTI and it was assembled in Mexico. Didn’t realise I had actually bought a mexican car ’til I got it home and was washing the windshield, where I spied the tell-tale clue: “Hecho en Mexico”</p>
<p>“Farfignutten” (or whatever that german word was) my arse.</p>
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<p>That’s “Closetopuken” for the new beetle.</p>
<p>Same for 3 of the last 4 Fords I’ve owned- a ’98 ZX2 coupe, an ’01 Focus, and currently, a ’97 Escort wagon- all made in Hermasillo, Mexico. The giveaway, for those interested, is the first digit of the VIN. Some of the more common codes seen in the U.S. market are:</p>
<p>1- USA
2- Canada
3- Mexico
4- USA (found on some Toyotas/Geos assembled in CA)
G- Great Britain
J- Japan
W- Germany</p>
<p>There are many more, but those are the ones I remember without looking in a VIN decoder guide.</p>
<p>Cheers!</p>
<p>Stange the MINI’s ‘W’ when it is manufactured in ‘G’.</p>
<p>Old Willy Shakespeare had a famous line, “a rose by another name”.</p>
<p>First we had the two companies Austin and Morris. Then they combined to become BMC (British Motor Corporation). After a while Leyland and Triumph were added to the stable making BLMC (British Leyland Motor Company), and shortly afterwards, BLMH (British Leyland Motor Holdings). Later it changed to Austin-Rover, then to Rover Group.
When BMW took over it left the old name intact, but when BMW sold off the company to Phoenix, the company was renamed MG Rover.</p>
<p>Now what is interesting is that when Austin Rover did a deal with Honda, some Honda models were rebadged as Rover. The question is why did they call them Rovers? Why didn’t they just call the bread and butter models Austin or Morris, and leave the top luxury model to be called a Rover? Then Phoenix decided to rebadge the 216, 4 series and 76 models MG and give them a sporty look. Why did they downgrade the Rover known as a luxury car, and MG known as a sporty car, into basic models? Was this a marketing mishap? Obviously.</p>
<p>I guess that some people will buy for the brand name, like Toyota Celica being rebadged Chevrolet Cavalier in the USA.</p>
<p>If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, chances are it is a duck – a dead one!. Daffy eh!</p>