I think you'll find that in the modern automotive industry that the
'manufacturer' makes very few, if any, parts. Practically everything is
outsourced to Tier 1 suppliers who then outsource subassemblies to Tier 2
(etc) suppliers. The auto manufacturer's job is to set a specification that
the supplier(s) must meet and to assemble the relevant parts into a whole
car. MG may have been buying off the shelf parts, but the modern companies
also do that whenever they can. There is no better way to develop a part
than to buy one that someone else already amortized.
The bit where the British get themselves in trouble is the seemingly
haphazard nature of parts application. If memory serves, there were 7
different alternators in the MGB, however you can't tie them to vin numbers.
It seemed that whatever was in stock that month (or year) got used. In the
modern industry, there could easily be 7 different alternators, but each one
can be tied to a set of vin numbers. In both cases, odds are that the
company who's badge was on the bonnet didn't make them.
If you look at a GM vehicle, I doubt you'll find a single part made by GM.
GM might own the companies that make the parts, but they don't make parts
themselves. They make drawings and they assemble cars. That's it.
James
-----Original Message-----
From: mgs-bounces+james.nazarian=gmail.com@autox.team.net
[mailto:mgs-bounces+james.nazarian=gmail.com@autox.team.net] On Behalf Of
David Breneman
Sent: Thursday, July 10, 2008 11:49 PM
To: mgs@autox.team.net
Subject: [Mgs] British "Kit Cars" (Was: MG 1100 questions)
--- On Thu, 7/10/08, Murray Arundell <arundell@ghs.com.au> wrote:
> MGs could never be termed a "Kit" car. For a start you could never
> order them as a kit and assemble them at home. So am surprised at
> your description.
My description is based on the fact that like all British car companies of
the era, MG itself *made* very little. They bought gauges from Smiths,
electrical components from Lucas, wheels from Dunlop, etc. Drivetrain
components were derived from a standard assortment produced by their parent
company. The same ash tray that was in my MGB was in my MGA, and it was in
most Jaguars as well. (They didn't even make their own body panels.) You'd
never see that kind of parts interchangability between Mercedes and BMW, or
Ford and Chevrolet, and the inability to control suppliers may have been a
big part of the cost-containment problems that led to the death of the
British car industry. The closest analogy today is the Boeing 787, and
they've been having some very British-car-company-like problems
synchronizing the arrival and assembly of parts sourced from suppliers all
over the world.
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