Bartek S.
Aerodynamic Ace
Rabid MG fans can sleep well tonight knowing production has returned to the Longbridge plant in the U.K., with the roll-off of an MG TF sports car after a two-year hiatus and ownership change.
In July, 2005, China’s state-owned Nanjing Automobile Corporation (NAC) bought the Longbridge assets of the bankrupt MG Rover Group, maker of affordable sports cars. Nanjing also bought Power Train Ltd., Rover’s engine operation, but the intellectual rights to Rover cars was bought by SAIC Motor Corporation.
NAC MG built two new plants in Nanjing, one to make engines and transmissions and the other to make sports cars and sedans, and production began in China March 27 of two-seat convertibles and the MG7 series sedan. These were the first new MGs since 1998, and all destined for the Chinese market, complete with Euro4-compliant engines in preparation for the European rollout of the marquee.
But for loyalists, the recommencement of production on modified lines at Longbridge marks the true return of the brand that is part of Britain’s auto making history. Volume production should ramp up later in the year, and a British trade union used the May 29 ceremony to urge Nanjing to honor its promise to create 1200 jobs.
British-Built MGs - Car News - Car and Driver May 2007
