scheint nicht gerade gut um Rover zu stehen: Hier der heutige Artikel aus "The Independent":
Crisis talks over Rover's future stall
Chinese fear £100m government loan might not be enough
By Michael Harrison Business Editor
05 April 2005
Talks to rescue MG Rover through an alliance with China's biggest automotive group appeared to have stalled last night over the question of the UK car maker's solvency, casting even greater doubt over the embattled company's survival.
After a fourth day of negotiations in China between Department of Trade and Industry officials and executives of Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC), UK government sources said the onus was on the four directors of MG Rover's parent company, Phoenix Venture Holdings (PVH), to come up with guarantees to break the deadlock.
DTI officials said it now appeared that PVH would remain technically insolvent, even after the provision of an emergency £100m bridging loan from the Government. "The directors have got to come up with something to resolve this. The ball is in their court," said one source close to the talks.
The so-called Phoenix Four, who bought MG Rover from BMW five years ago for a symbolic £10, have already been told they will have to contribute "several million pounds" of their own money towards any rescue deal. The four, led by John Towers, a former chief executive of Rover, have made an estimated £40m from MG Rover since the buyout in May 2000.
They are now being asked to come up with further guarantees about the solvency of the parent company. SAIC is understood to want a commitment that PVH will be able to fund its involvement in the alliance for at least two years. Under European Union state aid rules, the £100m bridging loan would need to be repaid within six months. Any longer than that and it would be classed as subsidy and would therefore breach Brussels' strict state aid regime.
The latest setback in the talks came after a day of rumour, speculation and conflicting claims. At one point, MG Rover executives were put on standby for an announcement from the DTI that the negotiations had been concluded "positively". Union sources were briefing the company that the government intervention appeared to have succeeded in brokering a deal.
It is not known whether talks will resume today but what is known is that MG Rover is running out of time and cash. Unless the £100m loan is made available by the end of this week, it is expected that receivers will have to move into the car maker's Longbridge plant on the outskirts of Birmingham. A collapse of the company would lead to 6,000 direct jobs losses and thousands more among suppliers in the West Midlands, dealing a damaging blow to the Government.
Some observers were suggesting last night that ministers now accepted MG Rover could not survive and were positioning themselves to pin the blame on its four directors for concealing the true state of the company's finances. Whitehall sources said SAIC and the DTI had been shocked to discover in recent days that PVH's finances were in an even more parlous state than they had been led to believe.
Sources close to SAIC said it was concerned about the deficit in MG Rover's pension fund and the firm's ability to fund the 2,000 redundancies which would be required.
Ernst & Young has investigated PVH on behalf of SAIC, while KPMG has carried out a similar exercise on behalf of the DTI. Both accountancy firms are understood to have concluded that it is technically insolvent.
No one was prepared last night to completely write off the prospects of an eleventh hour deal being stitched together. But hopes appeared to be receding fast.
es mehren sich Gerüchte, dass MG Rover ohne den SAIC Deal und ohne den Kredit der Regierung am Freitag (8.4) insolvent sei.
Die BBC vermeldet jedoch soeebn dass die Verhandlungen mit SAIC wieder aufgenommen wurden:
Talks on Rover lifeline continue
Crucial talks in China over a rescue deal for MG Rover have restarted, with the car maker set to issue an update on their progress later on Tuesday.
Rover bosses, headed by chairman John Towers, are trying to secure the firm's future through a deal with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC).
Talks had stalled over fears about Rover's finances, which are reported to have deteriorated in recent months.
Rover's future - and that of 6,000 jobs - is hanging in the balance.
Guarantees
Officials from the Department of Trade and Industry and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) - headed by chairman Chen Xianglin - have been in talks about a deal with Rover's owners for the past day and a half.
The UK government has offered Rover a bridging loan - widely reported to be worth £100m - to cover its short-term financial needs until it can attract fresh investment.
However, the Chinese company is worried about Rover's finances, after a report by accountancy firm Ernst & Young claimed the company was rapidly running out of money.
Mr Towers, together with Rover directors Nick Stephenson and Nigel Petrie, is leading the car maker's team in China.
Rover has been asked to provide extra guarantees about its solvency to satisfy SAIC's concerns.
Possibilities include the four members of the Phoenix consortium - which bought Rover from BMW in 2000 - putting in more of their own money into the company to ensure the deal goes ahead.
Vital jobs
Reports say they are being asked to cover the cost of interest payments on the £100m bridging loan, which must be paid back in full.
The government was urged on Tuesday to do all it could to secure Rover's future.
"What we still have is an infrastructure plus an area of very sizeable and important employment far beyond the Midlands into the other car companies - who are very dependent on what we would call the West Midlands nexus," said Martin O'Neill, chairman of the Commons Trade and Industry Committee.
Shadow chancellor Oliver Letwin said no stone should be left unturned to ensure that the deal went ahead.
"I hope that the government is pulling out every stop that is within the competition rules and will give value for taxpayers' money," Mr Letwin told the BBC.
Money worries
If SAIC walk away from a deal there is a high risk that MG Rover could be forced into administration.
The firm employs 6,000 staff at its Longbridge plant in the West Midlands.
Dozens of West Midlands engineering firms also depend, at least partly, on supplying MG Rover, Britain's last surviving mass car maker.
Birmingham could be an important battleground in the forthcoming general election as it has several marginal seats.
Under the proposed deal, the Chinese firm would inject cash into MG Rover to help it develop new models; in return it would secure rights to the firm's more advanced technology.
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