Longbridge future

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Does anyone know the latest with the Longbridge site? I thought it was flattened and housing built on the site? Or is there still a smaller factory setup there? Whatever the case, I've just seen this photo which apparently someone took at Longbridge just the other day. Really early one, Shirley? He quoted that there are 'various other bits and pieces around' as well...

[Pillock]

The last explore on 28DL still had an MGF halfway down the production line...

[scruff]

There were some recent pics on the Pride of Longbridge facebook page a few weeks back, taken by someone who'd been working there. Still some 25/45? shells on the line and loads of parts. 

 

I've been past a few times while in the area, it has virtually all gone apart from the 'elephant house' MG showroom and 'Kremlin' office areas and the car assembly buildings (CABs).

[Lord Sterling]

They were 'building' the MG6s and some other stuff there. Q-gate is the only gate that exists, everything else was flattened. The design centre, 'Kremlin' and 'elephant house' as the MG Sales centre are still functioning...

 

Well, they were last time I actually drove through the Q-gate and around the site when some massive music festival was happening in Cofton Park in 2013.

 

It really is a massively poor former shadow of itself.

[Ghosty]

 

 

Registration number: VX10 MXO

✓ SORN

 

✗ No MOT

Expired: 28 August 2014

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Vehicle details

• Vehicle make MG
• Date of first registration 12 August 2010
• Year of manufacture 2010
• Cylinder capacity (cc) 1796 cc
• COâ‚‚Emissions 0 g/km
• Fuel type PETROL
• Export marker No
• Vehicle status SORN in place
• Vehicle colour WHITE
• Vehicle type approval Not available
• Wheelplan 2 AXLE RIGID BODY
• Revenue weight Not available

[coalnotdole]

I've been inside this summer,

 

CAB 1 has been out of use for a while (a small portion of it been used to bolt some bits to the chinese MG's, but it looked like it had been unused for at least 6 months at the time of my visit.) Part the building was still in use to store MG3's and 6's and looked like they were doing pre delivery inspection type work there. There were a number of left over chinese bits littered around the production line but I must confess I diddnt take too much notice of the recent stuff. The CAB 1 building is all 40's 50's ear and still shouts out its Austin heritage, the underground tracks and assembly lines all still look almost as they did when they had A40's and A 70's on them.

 

Paintshop 3 now occupies part of the 1965 CAB2 building and does indeed have a few bodyshells still on the line, (MGF's and rover 45's though there are only a couple of each, much of the plant is still there and intact the power is still on in places but the roof leaks and it is very much in a state of disrepair. It has not produced anything since the demise of Rover Group.

 

I belive the rest of Cab2 is mostly empty and was never properly utilised after the new MINI was moved to Cowley. AFAIK there have been no recent images from in there.

 

The core of the offices and the development areas are all still well used but the majority of the remaining assemberly areas are untouched since 2006.

 

I could possibly sort out some photos but have been wary of posting too much online while there is still a chance I will go back...

[Inspector Morose]

The Kremlin is on borrowed time, apparently. Due to go early next year as its (or already has) being handed back to st Modwen.

[Inspector Morose]

Production/ assembly ended in June/July.

[Felly Magic]

Sounds like the whole lot is on borrowed time then tbh, I tried telling MG lickers on ArseOnline this from day one, but they wouldn't have it. 

[Inspector Morose]

Longbridge has a future for sure. Just not as a car production facility.

[Felly Magic]

Yes as a modern toytown housing development, with nothing to do with Chinese cars. They could run the whole lot from a small unit at Felixstowe docks where the cars come in to be brutally frank. It's been nothing more than a farce since day 1

[Inspector Morose]

You're wrong.

[coalnotdole]

Production/ assembly ended in June/July.

Yes thats the widely circulated time of closure in the news, however the state of neglect on the production line suggests nothing has been on it since late 2015. Maybe even earlier than that.

 

Its hard to say how long the current operatoin will stay on site, after all most of the longbridge site is still empty wasteland and if the chinese wish to carry on leasing a bit of it I doubt st modwen will be in a rush to fire up the bulldozers as they have plenty of empty space on site which has yet to be developed*. Though I can well belive they will chose to flatten the production areas once the lease is up as its clear MG have no real intrest in further productionon site.

 

*By developed I mean turned into houses that will fall down in 20 years or a retial/buisness park thet will be defunct in 10.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Interesting that there are still parts of the site remaining - I assumed the whole lot had gone. In a perverse way, I like the idea of trying to get that TF out of there. Surely someone has tried getting in contact with the owners?

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Just found a recentish article on it. TF wantage. I'm surprised BL lickers haven't tried to snap up parts and paperwork/brochures...

 

https://www.google.co.uk/search?site=&source=hp&ei=Q5k2WJMGyd1R6e6DmAE&q=longbridge&oq=longbeudge&gs_l=mobile-gws-hp.1.0.0i13k1l5.2596.4831.0.6113.11.11.0.3.3.0.225.1600.0j9j2.11.0....0...1c.1.64.mobile-gws-hp..0.10.1059.3..0j5j41j0i131k1j0i10k1.6MBx5It3g_I

[Wilko220]

After all these years, I believe I'm still yet to see an MSG in real life which isn't either a hire car or in a showroom. Not that this really bothers me, given that the whole set-up has appeared from day one to be run by absolute cretins.

 

Part of me would love to explore the remains of Longbridge as some on here have, but I think I'd just it find it too depressing tbh.

[Faker]

What about the tunnel mini? Is it still in hiding?

 

Disregard!! Quick Google and it's in the heritage museum

[oldcars]

Does anyone know the latest with the Longbridge site? I thought it was flattened and housing built on the site? Or is there still a smaller factory setup there? Whatever the case, I've just seen this photo which apparently someone took at Longbridge just the other day. Really early one, Shirley? He quoted that there are 'various other bits and pieces around' as well...

History on it, sat for a while. I would so love to have a look inside. Took some photos outside a few weeks ago but it was dark and hard to see much. Shame we can't get a look around before its all gone.

MOT history of this vehicle

• Test date29 August 2013
• Expiry date28 August 2014
• Test ResultPass
• Odometer reading24,525 miles
• MOT test number5696 4154 3298

[sierraman]

I'd guess most of the bits and spares will get baled. There'll be some ridiculous health and safety rule that says everything must be binned.

[alcyonecorporation]

The last CKD/assembled MG3 came down a section of the CAB 1 line on Jul 5 this year. 

All of the accumulated drawings and artefacts from the Kremlin have been binned. The staff that worked there now have offices inside CAB1.

 

Cars had been arriving fully built (from China/Thailand) at Portbury for PDI for some time before that. 

 

Longbridge will end up as an engineering and emissions test hub for SAIC Motor UK - it invested in two new dyno cells and has been advertising for apprentices for a while. 10p says the Kremlin will soon be flattened. 

Word in the trade says the GS isn't fully type approved for the UK. 

[Dick Cheeseburger]

I'd guess most of the bits and spares will get baled. There'll be some ridiculous health and safety rule that says everything must be binned.

Can't we get something to blow the bloody gates off, and drag a few shells out ourselves? I'll grab the TF pliz.

[Zantimisfit]

Interesting thread.

 

It would be/have been nice if St Modwen had a plan to convert some of the more iconic buildings like the Krelim and the Elephant House for 'modern' use whether commercial or residential.

 

Over here the main reason for Malmos existance was a huge shipbuilding yard called Kockums. Needless to say the shipyard closed and the whole site has been covered in apartment blocks, offices, supermarkets and the 'turning torso'- the tallest building in Scandinavia! But the original tricorn shaped Kockums office block from the late 1950s has been retained, converted back to its original appearance and let as new offices. It looks good (in my opinion - I like that sort of thing) and is a reminder that at some point something was made here.

 

1963 with ships

 

 

2016 without

 

 

....but I guess its cheaper to clear the site and fill it with wriggly tin sheds in readiness for PC World etc and 'slums for the future'

[Dick Cheeseburger]

The fella that posted the MG photo which I started the thread with has just shared this one. Surely there must be some way of negotiating for some of the remaining shite at Longbridge? Not that I want a polystyrene and clay full size car model, obviously.

[dollywobbler]

GS not type approved? That's an interesting one. Meant to be getting my hands on one in January...

[Snipes]

Some fun photos contained in the DailyMail article I found dated Sept. 2016 via Google. The writer repeatidly mistakes 45s for 75s but it is the 'Mail after all.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3809684/Photographs-Longbridge-MG-Rover-plant.html

 

 

 

 

Makes me wonder what Honda thinks of what has become of their old trading partner.

[Felly Magic]

I think it is time some people faced hard facts, that site is worth more to the owners with all existing buildings demolished, having the Chinese rent a small bit just simply isn't a viable financial option, plus MGUK is losing money at a massively alarming rate, that cannot really continue, plus I have yet to actually see an MG GS on the road.

 

I've just looked at the SMMT figures, and I'm sorry, but up until October, they registered just 3,005 cars this year, that is not enough units for dealers to actually sustain themselves, for Christ sakes, even Dacia have managed to shift just shy of 21,000 in the same time period, but sales of them are more or less identical to 2015, so looks like they may have peaked. Even Ssangyong have managed to sell more cars than MG so far this year. I don't think Subaru will be in the UK market for much longer either, their sales figures are through the floor, and Infiniti, well that's been a damp squib for Nissan, that surely must go bye byes soon. SEAT is another brand that is in freefall. I think 2017 is going to be an 'interesting' year for many brands, and don't be surprised if we see a few old names vanish from the UK sales charts

[Rod/b]

GS not type approved? That's an interesting one. Meant to be getting my hands on one in January...

I've heard that too.

[Rod/b]

As for Longbridge, MG are 2 months late filing their accounts again.

 

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/05779958

[sierraman]

I'd imagine it would cost more to sell off the parts than it would to bin the lot administratively speaking. How many Rover 45 body shells do we need? I heard Rimmer brothers had sold next to none of them, whose going to reshell a 45? In 20 years possibly but it's a big item to store all those years

[Snipes]

I'd love to build a car up from just a shell with all new, brand spanking bits.