Two comments:
1) The MGF was designed by Rover before being purchased by BMW, so the
decision not to import it to the US (for whatever reason) had already
been made *in the design phase* without regard to the Z3.
2) European (read: German in pre-EU days) standards may have been equally
stringent, but if they were not written identically to US standards
(crash procedures, etc), then it is possible that it would still have
been prohibitively expensive to modify the MGF design to meet similar but
technically different US requirements.
My nickel's worth... I see no reason from the evidence to read a BMW plot
into this (although they certainly come off as less than competent in the
current fiasco).
Max (yeah, I'm back from Europe -- didn't see a single MGF)
Chris Kotting had this to say:
>Skye -
>
>I seriously doubt it. I don't doubt that you >read< it, or even that it
>is an accurate representation of what a reporter was >told<, but I doubt
>that it was, in reality, a major reason.
>
>Why? Because the MGF is >already< sold (and was designed to be sold) in
>European nations that have as stringent or more stringent crash and
>emissions standards than the US. US beaurocracy a greater hurdle?
>Possible, but I still doubt it, BMW seems to be able to manage with
>other new cars well enough.
>
>I think the real reason that the MGF never made an appearance in the US,
>is that it was owned by BMW, who was trying to get the Z3 to be
>competitive in the market as an "upscale Miata", and didn't want to
>suffer the consequences of the MGF's price/performance point, which
>would tend to "cannibalize" the Z3's sales more than the Miata's. This
>is particularly true because the most viable dealer network in the US
>would be BMW's, which would put the Z3 and the F side by side in many
>showrooms.
>
>My $0.02 on the matter.
>
>Will Alchemy Partners actually love the MG as much as we do? Who knows?
>Will they be able to turn it around? Possibly.
>Am I rooting for an MG actually owned and operated by Brits to succeed?
>YOU BETCHA!
>
>Chris Kotting
>ckotting@iwaynet.net
>
>> Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2000 15:27:18 -0800
>> From: Skye Poier <skye@ffwd.com>
>> Subject: Re: BMW commits? and is a new MG what we need?
>>
>> Because they were never put through all the hoops you have to do to make
>> a car road legal here: crash tested, emissions requirements, etc
>>
>> I remember reading about the decision not to sell the MGF in North America
>> and the extra engineering was a major reason.
>>
>> Skye
>
--
Max Heim
'66 MGB GHN3L76149
If you're near Mountain View, CA,
it's the red one with the silver bootlid.
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