opinions on why Rover went under

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Originally Posted by Forestgreen

Out of curiosity which is the better sales strategy - tempting buyers to upgrade a basic model with gazillions of options, or having a standard model that throws in the kitchen sink and everything else conceivable? I can't help wonder whether a built-in inefficiency with the 75 production line was that if was offered in about a hundred different colours, with multiple interior colour schemes, then lots of different entertainment options, driver convenience options, wheel options etc. Wouldn't that complicate the assembly line? To take one luxury car from the same era, the Jaguar XJ in comparison, it came in barely half a dozen different shades.

I don't think that is a problem with modern assembly plants, look at Mini. When I did a factory tour a few yeas ago the guide was telling us that it is very rare for two cars to be the same, there are so many options they could make a million cars and none were the same, he was explaining to us adding some options at the dealer is near on impossible as each loom is made for each car with no spare wires. I think Transit productions lines are the same.

I am sure making each car the same bar the colour is a lot easier an cheaper but if Mini can make a 1000 cars a day it cant be that difficult.

Something I remembered today, I remember my father having an Opel on test in the 70's. He was not keen but the dealer let him have it for a couple of weeks and as we were going to Cornwall on holiday we took it. Two days into the holiday it would not start as the battery was flat, he called the local dealer who towed it away. The following day it was returned with a new battery and alternator, two days later the same again. The car was towed away and we were given something else. Eventually the dealer told us to take the other car home as they could get to the bottom of the fault.

I think a lot of the problem from the 70's and 80's was that cars were less reliable in general, some dealers were very good at fixing the teething troubles and others were not. Better quality control on new parts at the factories went a long way to getting past these teething troubles. We have all heard of Ford burning out cams in the 70s and my dad would always say if you saw a car broken down in a traffic jam it was usually French and he was correct. Electronic ignition was another leap forward in car reliability and once most cars had electric fans overheating became a thing of the past.

BL dealers were often rubbish, I don't know if it was because of poor manufacturer support or overwork but I can remember my father being amazed at a Vauxhall dealer coming to him when he asked for a test drive rather than him having to go to them.