No wonder BMW wants to put down sick Rover

摘要

There is no single underlying cause of Rover's crisis. There is overcapacity among Europe's car manufacturers, brought on by changing patterns of demand and a shift towards 'niche' models — people carriers, off-roaders and the like — which has helped Land Rover but not Rover cars. Then there is the long-term under-invest-ment (pre-BMW) and a legacy of Honda-derived Rovers that were a neat and economical solution to product development, but failed to shine in mainland European markets. And apart from re-inventing the radiator grille (at first Rover offered them as an accessory to stick to the sheet metal on the bonnet) the definition of the Rover brand became indistinct.