[potto]

oh come on the British motor industry hadnt built a decent mass volume car since the decline of British leyland! Patriotic duties is what the British motor industry has always muddled through on! Now the public is tired and in this intense global market, where national identity of products is blurred, probably doesnt care. This is now a world of huge volume sales, world markets and conglomerations. The worry that we should have is if creativity and technology is stifled. We should be investing in research and not trying to hold up a dying company

 

[potto]

As others have said, despite the "global" market, in other countries people do care. And as for British Leyland producing "decent" mass volume cars... their alleged "decent" cars are an albatross that hangs around Rover's neck - even now, the press just can't seem to help but mention the Allegro when talking about Longbridge!

that's because we are a more mature market, we`ve been there and done the patriotic stint. I was inferring that British Leyland cocked it all up big time in fact British shipbuilding, the aircraft industry and car industries all capitulated spectacularly all in the face of increased competition and dwindling assured (protected) markets. We should be looking at the next evolution of transport as lets face it the car as it is now is not living up to its social and environmental duties! This will mean more cross-national partnerships and even more erosion of national identity of products

 

[potto]

one thing that I think has been a mistake in this painful decline, particularly in terms of the EU, was allowing cheaper goods to be imported into the EU from countries where there has been litttle or no social or environmental impact added to the cost of their production. This should have been dealt with much more strongly and across the board. This could have had a number of benefits; the playing field would have been much more level providing for a softer and less dramatic decline in the already indsutrialised world and ...ideally... the added 'tax' injected directly back into infrastructure of the then emerging industrialising nations... oh well it didnt happen and its probably too late in the day to try