MG Motor

This article is about the current company which produces cars under the MG marque. For the marque and MG Car Company original, see MG Cars.

MG Motor UK Limited (MG Motor) is a British car manufacturing company headquartered in Birmingham, United Kingdom and a wholly owned subsidiary of the China-based SAIC Motor. It designs, develops, assembles and markets cars sold under the MG marque.
MG Motor operates the historic Longbridge plant. Currently the majority of MG vehicles sold in Europe are principally manufactured in China before being shipped to Longbridge as complete knock-down kits for final assembly. There is also a major research and development facility at the Longbridge site.

Founded	2006 (Birmingham)
Founder(s)	Cecil Kimber
Headquarters	Longbridge, Birmingham, United Kingdom
Key people	William Wang (Managing Director)
Parent	SAIC Motor
Website	www.mg.co.uk

History

Following the collapse of MG Rover in 2005, the Chinese automaker Nanjing Automobile acquired the Longbridge plant and the rights to the MG marque for US$97 million. Nanjing Automobile formally established NAC MG UK Limited as a holding company for the plant and marque on 12 April 2006. In March 2007, Nanjing Automobile unveiled the first MG vehicles manufactured in China, the MG TF, MG 7295 and MG 7275.
Assembly of cars restarted at Longbridge in August 2007, with production of the MG TF LE500.
In 2007, Nanjing Automobile was acquired by Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC), and in early 2009 NAC MG UK Limited was renamed MG Motor UK Limited.
The first all-new model from MG for 16 years, the MG6, was officially launched on 26 June 2011 during a visit to MG Motor's Longbridge plant by Chinese premier Wen Jiabao.
By March 2012, SAIC had invested a total of £450 million in MG Motor. Sales in the UK totalled 782 vehicles in 2012.

Products

Current

Currently the majority of MG vehicles are principally manufactured in China before being shipped to Longbridge for final assembly. Since the merger of NAC with SAIC, some MG models have Roewe-badged equivalents.

MG6

An MG6

The MG6 hatchback was announced in April 2009. It is based on the Roewe 550.
The MG6 went on sale in Europe in May 2011. The model is assembled at Longbridge using complete knock-down kits produced in China.
The MG6 GT received good reviews, although the initial one engine choice (1.8 litre petrol) received some criticism. A 1.9 diesel engine and other engines are planned for 2012. It has also had mixed reviews from some in the media as regards the quality of the lower dash plastics though reviewers say the drive and handling makes up for it.
A saloon version of the MG6, the MG6 Magnette, went on sale in July 2011 after making its debut in June 2011.

Former

MG TF

The MG brand was relaunched in Britain during 2007. An updated MG TF model produced in a limited edition of 500, called the TF LE500, was assembled at the Longbridge plant by NAC MG UK. This was followed by a TF 135 model and a further limited edition TF 85th Anniversary, of which only 50 were produced. Production of the TF at Longbridge was suspended again in October 2009 and finally ended in March 2011. MG have said that they will first concentrate on building passenger cars, and have not given a release date for the TF's successor.

Planned

MG3

An MG3 concept car

The MG3 originally appeared as the MG3 SW (a car similar to that of the Rover Streetwise) in 2008 but only went on sale in China. In 2010, SAIC unveiled the all new MG3, which was shown in concept car form as the MG Zero. This was later renamed the MG3 again. The car is expected to come with a 1.3L or 1.5L petrol engine made by General Motors and is to be launched in September 2013 to the UK market. It is also expected to come with a Streetwise styled model called the MG3 Xross.

MG5

The MG5 is currently in concept stage and was unveiled at the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show. It is a Ford Focus sized hatchback using the same base as the Roewe 350. It is rumored the car will have a 1.5 or 1.8 engine for entry models with a 2013 entry. It is expected to rival the Ford Focus,Vauxhall Astra, and Volkswagen Golf.

SUV

An MG SUV similar in size to the Nissan Qashqai was in development as of March 2012, following a positive reaction to the MG Icon concept car unveiled at the 2012 Beijing Motor Show.

List of MG car models

Category	Models
Current models	MG3, MG5, MG6, MG7, MG 350, MG 550, MG 750
Historic models	MG TF

Motorsport

In January 2012 MG Motor announced that it would enter the 2012 British Touring Car Championship through the newly established MG KX Momentum Racing team. In its debut season the team will run MG6 GT cars driven by Jason Plato and Andy Neate. The cars will be prepared by Triple Eight Race Engineering.

Gallery

MG3 front view	MG3 rear view
MG5 front view	MG5 rear view
MG6 front view	MG6 rear view
MG7 front view	MG Roewe 350
MG 550	MG 750

Last updated on 3 September 2013 at 19:48.