Alex Park: chief executive of British Leyland Alex Park ran British Leyland during a controversial period of the motor manufacturer’s history in 1975-78. Park fought hard to revive the newly nationalised company’s fortunes by stemming the haemorraghing of its funds, restructuring its operations and attempting to raise productivity, but left before being able to fully [...]

Clive Goldthorp Any AROnline readers who have been following the Press Reports on these News pages during the last week or so will already know that the Phoenix Four - Peter Beale, John Edwards, Nick Stephenson and John Towers – have appointed Public Relations Advisers Media House International Limited (MHI) to act for them and that MHI’s [...]

Sarah Bridge, Daily Mail, 11th July, 2009 The Government is set for a legal showdown with the MG Rover Directors known as the ‘Phoenix Four’ when a Freedom of Information Tribunal is heard in Manchester next month. MG Rover collapsed into administration in April 2005 with debts of £1.3billion and the loss of 5,000 jobs. [...]

John Cranage, Birmingham Post, 14th July, 2009 Jaguar is booking advance orders for its new flagship XJ from potential buyers who have not even seen the car and, with full-scale production of the XJ due to start in the autumn, the company is restricting the annual shutdown of the Castle Bromwich plant in Birmingham to [...]

David Bailey, Birmingham Post, 10th July, 2009 Whilst the Phoenix Four – via their media spokesperson – engage in an a somewhat unseemly public spat over who was responsible for the collapse of MG Rover four years ago with the loss of 6,300 jobs at Longbridge and several thousand more in the wider economy, we [...]

David Bailey, Birmingham Post, 27th June, 2009 It was originally set up by the then DTI in 2005. Nearly four years and £16 million later, the DTI has had two name changes (BERR and now BIS), and the long-awaited MG Rover has – at last – been completed. Local MP Richard Burden, who was told [...]

Graeme Brown, Birmingham Post, 13th July, 2009 The Phoenix Four have shared a reported £3.5 million in dividends and share payments in the four years since the collapse of MG Rover, it has emerged. The money came from their investment in MGR Capital, the car giant’s finance and lease loan book, from BMW in 2001, [...]

Howard Wheeldon, Birmingham Post, 13th July, 2009 XF in 2008, XJ in 2009 – two cars that between them will probably define the future success and viability of Jaguar Cars. Leave aside weak or non-existent markets, future funding and various Tata and Jaguar Land Rover loan issues for a moment and look to the future [...]

Graeme Brown, Birmingham Post, 13th July, 2009 Jaguar Land Rover has denied speculation there are plans in place for an extended summer shutdown. A spokesman for the company said the car-maker plans to close for its traditional two-week break this summer. The company has been hit by falling global sales, along with the rest of [...]

Vicki Kellaway, Liverpool Daily Post, 13th July, 2009 Jaguar Land Rover last night refused to be drawn on suggestions it could close its Halewood plant to save its other UK factories. A senior official was quoted this weekend claiming the firm was running out of options and may close its Merseyside plant. He is said [...]

Ray Massey, Daily Mail, 11th July, 2009 Jaguar’s Merseyside factory could be closed – with the loss of 2,000 jobs – in order to secure the future of the car maker as a whole.  Its Indian parent company, TATA, has earmarked the Halewood factory in the North-West for the axe if its financial problems continue, [...]

Hosted by Jay Leno, one of the world’s best-known chat show hosts and a renowned car enthusiast, the launch of the new Jaguar flagship was attended by an invited audience that included public figures, business leaders, celebrities and media. Jaguar Cars Managing Director, Mike O’Driscoll, commented: “These are truly exciting times for us at Jaguar. [...]

Keith Adams It seems like a week for confessions – several of AROnline’s readers joined me and came off the fence to admit their positive feelings towards the German cars they own. If you’re in the same boat, do speak out and, conversely, you think we’re off our tree, give it to us with both [...]

Keith Adams These images of the new Jaguar XJ can confirm that it’s going to be a great looking car which successfully advances the XF styling scheme and allows the Coventry carmaker to go head to head against the BMW 7-Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class. The wraps will be taken off the XJ live online at [...]

Jon Griffin, Birmingham Post, 9th July, 2009 Many MG Rover workers hit by the closure of Longbridge had no idea how to write a CV or behave at a job interview, a new report reveals. The report, drawn up by academics from institutions including the University of Birmingham and Birmingham Business School, reveals the human [...]

Jon Griffin, Birmingham Post, 8th July, 2009 Tony Blair wanted to save Longbridge with a £120 million Government loan but was thwarted at the eleventh hour by then Chancellor Gordon Brown, claim the Phoenix Four. The allegation that Brown “pulled the plug” on the Birmingham car firm in spring 2005 is one of a series of [...]

Jonathan Walker, Birmingham Post, 8th July, 2009 The results of a four-year inquiry into the collapse of MG Rover could be published before the end of the month, Business Secretary Lord Mandelson has revealed. He said a team of four fraud officers was currently examining the long-awaited findings, and they might be published within 20 [...]

News that the UK’s last MG police car has been pensioned off* surely merits that oft overused ‘end of an era’ phrase. ‘MG Rover and out’ about sums it up – and it prompted a mixture of memories from ex-police PR officer Roger Blaxall who worked for Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and Lancashire Constabulary from [...]

Birmingham Post, 7th July, 2009 Jaguar Land Rover has emerged as a beneficiary of the Government’s car Scrappage Scheme, figures showed yesterday. The perception has been that only volume manufacturers would gain sales from the “bangers for cash” incentive which offers a £2,000 discount to owners of cars ten years old or more who trade [...]

  Jon Griffin, Birmingham Post, 7th July, 2009   Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya   The Phoenix Four have accused Midland peer Lord Bhattacharyya of “frequent and persistent” attacks on MG Rover in an extraordinary broadside aimed at one of the UK’s most influential car industry figures. In the newly released MG Rover Dossier issued by PR [...]