Manganese Bronze Share Discussion Threads

[davidosh] 13/5/2010 12:22

Those huge international orders they had seem to have disappeared and actually selling less than last year overseas.

[alunmorris] 13/5/2010 12:09

More bad news in IMS. April sales down 6%.Overall vehicles sales for the four months to the end of April are down 10.9%.
Geely placing: 'The price of the shares to be placed is subject to further review by Geely Automotive Holdings. This is to reflect recent market conditions and the need to combine a majority shareholding for Geely with raising sufficient capital to fund the accelerated growth programme referred to above. Geely hope that these processes could be completed by the end of June.'

I read that as putting the 70p placing price in doubt. Why would Geely pay 70p when they can buy shares at 50p in the market right now?

[m.t.glass] 11/5/2010 16:13

Eight sells within 2 minutes an hour ago. Price now at lowest since 2008, and falling.

[davidosh] 15/4/2010 11:44

Errrr....What happened to those orders they supposedly had waiting for thousands of overseas sales once the chinese production line was ready and flowing announced two years ago !!

[alunmorris] 15/4/2010 10:51

Tradingmarkets.com:
'Geely's Shanghai plant produces 400 TX4 per month, half of which are exported to the UK. According to the China National Passenger Vehicle Association (CNPVA), only 14 TX4 obtained license plates last year. Geely believes that the Chinese taxi market is monopolized by local carmakers. In the coming two to three years, the company plans to boost the sales of the car model to 3,000 to 5,000 vehicles a year.'

[alunmorris] 13/4/2010 08:15

Geely launches a modernised cab, hilariously called the Englon TXN.



What does this mean for MNGS royalties? Is it based on the TX4 chassis?

[alunmorris] 02/4/2010 11:22

'Geely blamed the poor sales of the TX4 taxis to a taxi-monopoly by Chinese automakers.'

[crystalclear] 11/2/2010 20:24

Signs of action today. It can't hover for ever and has to move one way or the other.

[crystalclear] 05/2/2010 11:23

Well, I am back in.
I was in last year for the ride £1 to £2.
Bought on 25% margin, that's 5 times my money.

I don't expect the same this year, but a little something would be nice.
Of course, like lots of people, I keep quiet about my losses elsewhere, LOL!

[moneybags] 26/1/2010 18:36

Used to be the darling of the city, this share.
Sad hard times for it...

Hope it can overcome the problems.

Regards , Moneybags

[liam1om] 26/1/2010 16:10

Expect these to keep falling after that update. Very poor.

[alunmorris] 05/1/2010 08:21

(cont)
TX4 in China costs 250k yuan ($32,000). A Toyota Camry 2.4 costs 200k yuan. Ordinary cars for government departments must cost less than 160k yuan.

I think at best they would get 2% of the market which is 4k PA if the replacement cycle is 5 years.

[alunmorris] 05/1/2010 08:17

'After an initial false start, the real drive to get them into circulation is only now taking shape as they begin to be spotted cruising through the capital's arteries...
Voted the best taxis in the world in a 2009 survey by Hotels. com, Manganese suggests that there are around one million taxis in operation across China, and so they would need a relatively small corner of the market to make a profi t. By pairing with Geely, they now have access to over 1,000 dealerships throughout China...
Nevertheless, there has been some reluctance for taxi companies in Beijing to make the switch, and some that have made the changeover have gone back. Reasons cited include customers unhappy with the extra cost; though the engines have been reconfigured from the London version to meet Chinese emission standards, the 2.4 liter engine still requires more fuel per mile than the standard Beijing taxi.
Geely and Manganese now face increasing questions as the Chinese government recently announced tax cuts for hybrid, environmentally friendly cars and those with an engine smaller than 1.6 liters. Drivers also complain that their speed o£ the mark isn't sufficient for Beijing's hectic roads. "They aren't very fast, and are too heavy when you need to change lanes quickly," said Xiu Liaopei, a Beijing cab driver who drove one throughout the Olympic games. "There's nothing wrong with the taxis we have, they work fine." '

[davidosh] 11/12/2009 12:52

This just seems to get weaker by the day. Has anyone seen the official SMT sales figures for Sept to Nov ? I suspect they must have been very weak.

[alunmorris] 02/12/2009 20:31

Present for London cabbies whose taxis caught fire:



Very expensive though, like the TX4!

[davidosh] 04/11/2009 12:59

This just seems to get weaker by the day. Has anyone seen the official SMT sales figures for Sept and Oct ?

The recent IMS stated...

Current UK Trading

Trading in the UK continues to be negatively impacted by the recession, as previously indicated at the time of the interim results. As reported in July, the Board believes that demand for new vehicles in the second half of the year will follow the normal seasonal pattern (and be below that of the first half). UK business conditions continue to be uncertain, with overall vehicle sales for the eight months to the end of August down 9.1% to 1,207 vehicles versus 1,328 vehicles in the comparable period of 2008.

Lower volumes with high discounts and marketing support initiatives have resulted in continuing losses. The manufacturing breakeven level continues to be approximately 2,000 vehicles per annum while the current run-rate of sales is below this. The benefits of lower cost Chinese parts has not yet been sufficient to reduce the breakeven level as price increases from UK suppliers and sales discounting has more than offset this benefit.

[marben100] 21/9/2009 13:07

As it happens there is also a lengthy article in today's FT on MNGS:

It includes this rather revealing quote:

..."We can't stand on our own two feet without China," says Mr Russell, whose business cards are in English and Chinese characters. "We [have] always said the business is fragile."...

That being the case, how much of future profits (if any) are likely to end up in the pockets of UK shareholders?

ISTM inevitable that the business will ultimately end up in the hands of the Chinese.

I had considered whether this might be another short opportunity (having shorted MNGS in the past) but won't do so, as I do not wish to participate in hastening the process of another British business ending up in Chinese hands (with likely further UK job lossess). No criticism of others that may be short implied but just something to think about.

Regards,

Mark

[marben100] 21/9/2009 09:22

Hmmmm... looks like Goldman Sachs are backing Geely:

"Goldman Invests $250 Million In Geely Auto's Expansion

A Goldman Sachs Group Inc.-managed private equity fund is investing about $250 million in Geely Holding Group's Hong Kong-listed arm to fund the Chinese auto maker's growth ambitions, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. is expected to announce the investment by Goldman Sachs Capital Partners on Monday, a Geely executive said.

The Hong Hong-listed Geely arm plans to use the money to fund its working capital as it expands. That could free up capital for its parent to bid for Ford Motor Co.'s Volvo unit..."

Cheers,

Mark

[toffeeman] 13/8/2009 14:36

Just saw that Toscafund have bought 17% of FDL through a placing

[the analyst] 06/8/2009 10:53

St Helens Capital BUY note out today - target increased to 250p, from 82p, saying the JV in China is beginning to pay dividends

[cliffyburger] 29/7/2009 11:23

Interim results:

[davidosh] 26/6/2009 20:09

The BBC covering the cabs made in China...

[smarm] 10/6/2009 12:33

FYI



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