Not just that with BMW. Rover had designed the sunroof aperture with a visible seam. This was not acceptable to BMW who insisted no seam should be visible. The redesign delayed the car and cost £1million to no real improvement.
Call it German perfectionism if you like. I'd call it something else.
Either way it was probably £1m that could have been better spent elsewhere.
And at the launch of the 75 Bernd Pichtesrieder of BMW demolished the morale of the Rover team by using the launch to attack the government for not providing more subsidy, and questioning the value of keeping the place going.
The motoring press were frankly amazed at him doing such a knife job on his own staff, and doing a pretty good torpedo job on the launch of the flagship car.
Its a bit like launching the 159 TI and announcing the closure of Pomigliano as a by the bye.....if you follow my drift.
AlfaLincs