End of the Road

BMW promised a bright new future for Rover. In turn, Rover was to keep BMW as the independent car dynasty it wanted to remain. But it all went wrong. Badly wrong. From M&A through a battle of executive egos, to union in-fighting and boardroom bloodshed. The clash of cultures, disastrous decisions and ultimately European Union meddling that led to the sale of Rover and end of an era for industrial Britain. Then along came the white knights - the Phoenix consortium, comprising four car...
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BMW promised a bright new future for Rover. In turn, Rover was to keep BMW as the independent car dynasty it wanted to remain. But it all went wrong. Badly wrong. From M&A through a battle of executive egos, to union in-fighting and boardroom bloodshed. The clash of cultures, disastrous decisions and ultimately European Union meddling that led to the sale of Rover and end of an era for industrial Britain. Then along came the white knights - the Phoenix consortium, comprising four car industry veterans, who promised a bright future for MG Rover. They beat off the other contender for ownership, Alchemy's Jon Moulton, who wanted to considerably strip down the company and run a much more focused sports car manufacturer as a way forward. But five years later, when the white knights declared the black day had arrived and MG Rover was finished, the crowns of the saviours looked increasingly tarnished as they stood accused of betraying the trust placed in them and walking away rich men as the Rover workforce streamed off to the benefit office. This is the full story, with unparalleled access to all the key players. It reveals where the errors were made, who is to blame, and along the way tells one hell of a riveting story of the events that will go down in history as the end of Great British car manufacturing.