Briefs

It was mothballed when MG Rover went bankrupt in 2005.

Full-volume production of the two-seater MG TF LE500 sports car was underway at the facility in Birmingham, Britain's second city, giving a much-needed boost to the country's motor industry.

After 100 years of vehicle production in Birmingham, the traditional heart of Britain's motor industry, about 6,000 jobs were lost when historic car manufacturer MG Rover collapsed.

Nanjing Automotive bought MG Rover's assets for £53 million (Bt3.5 billion) in July 2005. They were taken over last year by Shanghai Automotive Industry.

Gary Hagan, director of marketing for Nanjing MG UK, said: "The launch of this car also marks the re-introduction of the MG brand to the UK. - AFP

Siemens, Europe's largest engineering company, agreed to sell a cordless-phone unit to Arques Industries, completing its retreat from telecommunications, on which it was founded 160 years ago.

Arques will acquire 80.2 per cent of Siemens Home and Office Communication Devices, which reported ¤792 million (Bt41.3 billion) in sales last year and employs 2,100 people, Munich-based Siemens said.

Siemens will book a "mid-double-digit-million" euro book loss from the deal this year, chief financial officer Joe Kaeser said on a conference call.

The cordless unit was Siemens's last remaining consumer-products asset.

Chief executive officer Peter Loescher is refocused on automation equipment, power networks and medical scanners.

The retreat from telecoms started in 2005 after Siemens paid Taiwan's BenQ ¤250 million to take its mobile phone unit.

The German company had racked up more than ¤500 million in losses from phones the year previously, after some mobile models failed to attract buyers and the sale of faulty equipment damaged its reputation. - Bloomberg

Italthai Industrial's president Maetta Sanguandeekul recently signed a contract with Somchai Wasantwisut, chairman of Distar Electric Corporation.

Italthai will distribute Distar's HIGER bus. - The Nation