MG Rover continues talks, but investment unlikely

On Tuesday, representatives of the Polish government met in Warsaw with Nick Stephenson, deputy president of British automotive company MG Rover. The Polish were trying to find out when the company would make a final decision about its potential involvement in the Warsaw automotive factory Daewoo-FSO and what cars might be assembled there. "We heard that Rover was still conducting talks with Chinese partners concerning entering their market. However Stephenson did not exclude the possibility of merging the investment in Asia with the one in Poland," said Ignacy Bochenek, Deputy Treasury Minister. The next meeting will be held in mid-January 2004. According to the Minister, the Polish party proposed that before the cars were actually assembled in Warsaw, Rover could test the capabilities of the factory. Nick Stephenson said that his company would analyze this proposal and that without doubt, locating a plant in Poland would substantially lower costs. According to sources, however, Rover simply does not have the money for the investment in the Warsaw-based factory. (Puls Biznesu, pp. 1, 9) M.M.