Datamonitor's Business Review newsletter reports that MG Rover has expressed an interest in Slovakia as a potential location for a new €200 million vehicle assembly plant.

MG Rover was also invited this week to a fresh series of discussions (an MG Rover bid had proved abortive in 2003) with Daewoo-FSO and the Polish government. MG Rover had bid to take over the Polish Daewoo car plant, which assembles Daewoo models but was not bought by GM Daewoo from the former Daewoo Motor's Korean creditors.

- In the UK, the Transport & General Workers Union has indicated that if MG Rover appealed successfully against this week's Birmingham County Court ruling that its workers enjoyed protection from redundancy under an agreement between unions and former Rover owner BMW, the T&G would consider taking the case to the House of Lords.