MG means business at Longbridge

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New name for MG

19 January 2009 - Chinese-owned MG has changed its name to “reinforce the presence and image of the MG brand”.

Since being taken over by Nanjing Automobile Corporation in 2005, MG has been operating as NAC MG UK Ltd, but will now be called MG Motor UK Ltd.

“It is anticipated that the new name will help strengthen the company’s reputation and re-emergence in the market by emphasising the already well known MG brand,” said the company in a press statement today.

MG recently relaunched the MG TF with a limited-run model called the MG TF LE500

http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle/MG-TF/237046/

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Production halted at Longbridge.

Production lines at the MG Rover plant in Longbridge have been stopped and up to 20 employees could be made redundant, the BBC has learned.

Production of the MGTF sports car restarted at the factory last year.

It is thought production work will not restart until next March, BBC Midlands Today Transport Correspondent, Peter Plisner, said.

MG Motor UK Ltd, previously Nanjing, said it was making some workers redundant but had not decided how many.

In a statement, the company, which bought MG Rover's assets following its collapse in April 2005, said: "Clearly this is a difficult time for employees and it would be irresponsible to make this a bigger issue than it is".

Peter Plisner said the firm had confirmed 2009 production of the MGTF model at Longbridge had now ended.

Under Chinese ownership, it was hoped that new models would be built at the plant and more jobs created.

But in April MG Motor UK Ltd said it could not make assurances of long-term employment stability for staff due to the current economic climate.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/e...ds/8291612.stm

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Production of MG6 gets underway at Longbridge:
http://www.aronline.co.uk/blogs/2011...in-longbridge/

Production of the MG6 is now underway at MG Motor UK Limited’s Birmingham factory in Longbridge, almost six years to the day since the Administrators were called in at MG Rover Group Limited.

This represents an important new phase in MG Motor UK’s development - since SAIC Motor Corporation Limited took control of the company in 2008, a total of only 906 MG TFs have been built in a series of batches. The MG6′s final assembly process and the number of cars being produced – which, according to Sales and Marketing Director, Guy Jones, will be between 2000 and 3000 per annum for the moment – represents an exciting new start for the factory.

SAIC Motor’s decision to resume MG production in the UK has never been in doubt since 2008, although it didn’t look that way before the company’s merger with former MG owners, Nanjing Automobile (Group) Corporation (NAC). However, the good news is that this re-commencement of volume production will keep some 400 people in employment. It’s still a modest investment, though, and a demonstration of SAIC Motor’s commitment to under-promise and over-deliver – the assembly process remains very much a CKD operation with cars being built and finished here from large Chinese-built sub-assemblies.

AROnline has already covered the MG6′s UK introduction in great depth and, with a growing Dealer Network, the car should meet these modest targets -especially given the keen initial pricing of the entry-level models, excellent dynamics and overall style. Guy Jones told us at the car’s launch, ‘we’re building MG slowly, and the petrol-only line-up fits our plans. By the time we have additional capacity, the diesel will be online.’

Today marks a significant and, hopefully, historic step forward for the MG marque and MG Motor UK. However, with the cars now rolling off the line in the Longbridge facilty, the company must now press forward with its future model plans – and decide precisely what part MG Birmingham will play in those.

[Rally Red Lancer GTS]

I remember the day after work at The Boeing Company's Everett plant picking up a magazine that had a MG on it, it was on the very back page of the magazine in an ad. The MG was new then, it was in 1998, one of the latest ones built in Europe. Nice looking rig-I sometimes envision buying one of these, though I don't think there's plans to even import them in to the U.S. at this time.

Are these Chinese-built MG's gonna go to the U.S.? Anyone know?

[Juntos]

To achieve that and still maintain MG's traditional values, it had to look, sound and feel like a racing car without sacrificing its road comfort.

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Chinese premier starts UK trip with MG6 car launch:
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2...t_12779633.htm

[Joest]

Does anybody know how many MG6 have been sold in the UK so far?

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In June SAIC managed to sell 48 MG's:
http://es.autoblog.com/2011/07/09/ve...1-reino-unido/

[Johnny Blaze]

very impressive!
go MG!!

[Joest]

They sold 11 cars in April and 50 cars in May. That makes a total of 109 MG6 sold so far.

That's really disapointing.