Team-BHP - Britain's MG sports car to return

NANJING, China (UPI) -- Britain's MG sports cars, halted in bankruptcy in 2005, will soon be built again by China's Nanjing Automobile Group, the Chinese automaker says.

China's oldest automaker -- which bought the assets of MG's final British owner, MG Rover Group plans to build the cars in China, Britain and the United States, the company says.

Nanjing Automobile signed a 33-year lease on part of MG's old factory in Longbridge, England, and will begin making two-seat, two-door convertible MGTF sports cars there this year for sale in Britain and continental Europe, the company says.

Negotiations are also under way to produce a hardtop MGTF roadster in Oklahoma, The International Herald Tribune reports. U.S.-built MG's could be available domestically by mid-2008, the company says.

A plant in the Chinese city of Nanjing will start making MGTFs and five-seat, four-door MG7 sedans .

All cars will keep their British look and feel, Nanjing Britain Chairman Wang Hongbiao says.

source: INDIACAR.NET - Bringing you the latest auto news

Don't hold your breath about the quality, look & "british" feel of the cars. Car making today is a highly specialized & tough business especially in developed markets like Europe & US. So I won't be having much hope for a car made by the Nanjing Corp. to be any great shakes.

I know the dies, plant etc. are the old MG Rover ones but still it is very very tough in today's scenario.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chanapli (Post 391753)

The reason no car manufacturer ( correct me if I am wrong) which has plant in Britain has sustained (even Jaguar) due to high labour cost,

If that is correct then how is Nissan's Sunderland plant the most efficient plant in the world? It turns out the most cars per hour of any car plant in the world. Failure of British manufacturers is not due to labour cost (just to clarify, labour costs are even higher in places like France & Germany) if that was the case then Nissan, Toyota, Honda, BMW (engine plant at Hams Hall) etc.. wouldn't have had plants there. It is however, true that during the British Leyland days there were lots of labour union problems but it does not hold true for the past 15 years.

Jaguar, Rover, AM etc. failure has more to do with poor management, poor execution, failure to identify & introduce new trends etc. Infact I could write a book on what all they are and have been doing wrong which has led to their poor performance & ultimately demise.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chanapli (Post 391753)

except for Coventry based London Taxi's - they still doing good.

Well that's because they have a monopoly market!

MG is now said to be "Modern Gentleman" instead of the old and iconic "Morris Garages". Being an MG enthusiast I have been shattered! Sad but I have no hopes for the legendary marquee to recover and continue producing some of the best two-door sports cars.

I'd love to see MG cars back on the road, and its going to be a while before we actually see the vehicles being rolled out of the production lines. Whenever it does, its gotta have to be very close to 'perfect' for people to accept the return of MG.