I, like many others I'm sure, have read with sadness of the abrupt and
unfortunate end of the BMW-Rover relationship. What puzzles me, though, is
all the high ranking Muckey-Mucks within the Unions, Government Agencies and
Management committees who are acting like this whole debacle caught them by
surprise. This is all about Money. There is no way that BMW management is
going to let a subsidiary (like Rover) repeatedly drag their balance sheet
into the red zone, particularly in today's robust (at least stateside)
economy. Perhaps I can be branded a Rabid Capitalist, but I cannot imagine
what would have led the Unions, Management and Gov. Guys to expect anything
less than the certain death of their company given the torrential flow of
red ink. I feel very badly for all the folks who may lose their
employment/careers etc., but it seems to me that the plain and obvious
truth is that Rover (everyone included), as a provider of a solution to the
question "who will make my new car?", has simply failed to meet the
requirements. The business, as currently structured, doesn't work, at least
if you consider a positive cashflow, without subsidy, to be a measure of
viability. I do not pretend to know what Alchemy sees in the future of
Rover, but it would be hopelessly naive to think it would be business as
usual.
your thoughts?
Bob Westerdale
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