Rolls-Royce and Mini owner BMW sees profits quadruple

[scooterscot]

I'm glad the UK offloaded / sold / disregarded those brands -

BBC News - Rolls-Royce and Mini owner BMW sees profits quadruple

[AtW]

I'm glad the UK offloaded / sold / disregarded those brands -

BBC News - Rolls-Royce and Mini owner BMW sees profits quadruple

Why bother making good cars that can sell around the world when you can trade hot air?

[lilelvis2000]

I thought services were supposed to make us rich.

To be fair BMW has done a lot more with Mini and RR than the original owners were going to do.

[AtW]

I thought services were supposed to make us rich.

Yes, but it's best to sell the car first to get those services, spare parts, upgrades, replacements next...

[PRC1964]

I'm glad the UK offloaded / sold / disregarded those brands

Under UK ownership they would never have survived. The unions had such a grip on them that they would be history.

We can be nostalgic about the brand names, but the name is all we have left to trade on, any engineering skills have been lost.

[AtW]

Under UK ownership they would never have survived. The unions had such a grip on them that they would be history.

There are still unions there.

I'd say the difference is management - it takes longer term view.

[zeitghost]

Why bother making good cars that can sell around the world when you can trade hot air?

It must be said that AustinRoverLeylandBMCJaguarRoverTriumph never managed to make a decent car between the lot of them.

Which was a bit of a contrast to the decent cars* they made before being combined together.

*Apart from BMCAustinMorris of course which never managed to make a decent car later than about 1959.

[ThomasSoerensen]

There are still unions there.

I'd say the difference is management - it takes longer term view.

It is amazing to see how they succeed in spite of the unions.

[Fred Bloggs]

Similar story at Bentley too in Crewe. VW have been good for Bentley, the factory still has a very good craft skills base even if much of the vehicles are now imported and assembled in the UK.

[AtW]

It must be said that AustinRoverLeylandBMCJaguarRoverTriumph never managed to make a decent car between the lot of them.

How do you define "decent"? They make desirable good looking cars (I mean Range Rovers here), perhaps their reliability is still tulip, however their customer base abroad who buy expensive Range Rovers won't be driving them for 10 years.