News : MG Motor UK opens flagship London showroom

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Earlier this year MG Motor UK announced it would be opening its flagship showroom in the prestigious area of Piccadilly, London. Today, members of the public and invited guests are gathering to celebrate the official opening of this exciting new store.

This new showroom, part of MG’s major expansion of dealerships, is a significant move for the marque. Having a flagship showroom in London places MG in the heart of the growing economy and shows that the brand is back and here to stay.

Matthew Cheyne, MG’s Head of Sales and Marketing, said: ‘This is a really exciting day for us, as it marks the official opening of our flagship showroom.

‘This showroom will act as a shop window for anyone interested in MG. They will be able to take a look at the cars we are selling, get a preview of what the highly anticipated SUV will look like and gain an insight into the modern MG brand and the direction it’s going in. We’re very much looking forward to welcoming people here.”

MG’s move to London demonstrates the brand’s growth and expanding network, as well as its commitment to investing within the UK economy.

 

Mike Humble

40 Comments

  1. Good news that MG are increasing their presence but is Piccadilly a good location for a car dealership?

    • Audi has had one on Piccadilly for a long time, and Infinity had one for a few years. Given MG’s limited product range it’s not an unreasonable location.

      • Fabulous cloakroom in the Infinity showroom. However what use this is for MG except pure vanity is debatable.

  2. Possibly a good advertising move as dealerships within this geographical area are usually associated with displaying and selling quality motor cars. Hopefully this will increase awareness of MG’s products and ambitions.

    However the quality had better be good, considering Mike’s recent comments about the new ‘6’. I assume this is a showroom only – not providing servicing etc?

  3. Forgive me if it isn’t the first but at least the Greater London area has a dealership now.

  4. Finally saw my first MG3 on the road a few days ago in Nottingham – which is a fairly big place.

    Wondering where the nearest dealer is, I find it’s Loughborough 12 miles away, or Derby 15 miles. They certainly need to fill a few gaps.

  5. And as soon as potential purchasers realize it’s simply a cynical badge engineering exercise, nailing a MG octagon onto a cheapo Chinese hatchback, they will walk away…. Pretty much as they’ve been doing for the last few years……

    • Speaking as an MG3 driver – It’s a Chinese hatchback with a lot of UK engineering, design input. So, it’s not some kind of modern day Lada Samara as you imply. (and before anyone says it, I know Lada is/was Russian).

      It may not be an MGB, but the MG badge does add something. It ain’t simply stuck on either – MG values, in terms of driver appeal, have been incorporated. The car also stand out from the crowd visually and not just because of its rarity – it look good.

      In similar vein, the 6 isn’t JUST a Chinese car either

      • Ere ere Dave, well said. I got my Burnt Orange MG6 in April and the novelty certainly hasnt worn off yet. It still turns heads, is fully loaded with kit and is great fun to drive. It says MG on the badge, it says MG on my log book so surely its no lesser a real MG than every car that has worn that badge since the real MG company closed in 1980. Likewise the same argument could be said of every Rover badged car made since the original Rover company was disbanded in the mid 70s.

    • There will be a handful that fall for it and a proprtion of them will even become highly defensive tackle of their choice.

  6. Encouraging news, in terms of the long term presence, that there is a now a ‘Flagship London Dealer”. Especially so after the slimming of the 6 range.
    Still, the 6 is one of a dying breed. The 3 and SUV alone could attract quite a trade

  7. Having seen the MG SUV on test, it’s quite an attractive looking car. This 3 car range should be more effective, and look a treat in that new dealership.

    The 6 looks quite dramatic in BTCC guise. Perhaps they need a Z6 version! And a an auto would be nice …

  8. It’s such a shame that their flagship is sailing under a Chinese flag instead of a British one.

    @Dave Dawson: It’s a cheapo nasty Chinese hatchback in the same vein as the Land Wind.

    £13,995 gets you into a 6, a car the size of an Astra. I am reliably told that the dealers will come down even further if you show any interest in buying. I also know that you will struggle to get the most basic Astra below £15,000.

    Minicab sir!

    • Well, yes, it was cheap to buy but nasty? Hardly!! – said from the better standpoint of ownership experience.

  9. I do often wonder why some people come on this site to be so negative.

    No, it isn’t some glorious re-birth of the MG of old. It is not a run away sales success. It is not British either BUT as said above there is a significant British input. The MG influence does give the car a USP.

    Why can’t people support the British element, that last bit of BL. Why all the cheap, nasty, Chinese comments? Simple fact is, the 6 and 3 are NOT nasty. In my 1000 miles to date, the 3 has no serious flaws. In fact, not much to criticise at all. Whilst it may not be TRUE MG, the badge does add something, there is some influence there.

    • Seeing as you ask, here’s why:

      I have a real interest in British design, engineering and manufacturing and put my money where my mouth is (with a new Discovery 4 currently on order). Incidentally, I’m not rich, I’m just dedicated!

      Yes, I know it’s owned by Tata, but their R&D in the UK is huge and the car is built entirely in the UK, with the engines sourced from Dagenham and even the steel coming from the UK. Many of the components are UK sourced too.

      In comparison, SIAC (the descendant of NAC, the company that provided false hope for 6,000 UK staff and helped the P4 to negotiate the remains of MGR down the toilet) are producing a fake – a Chinese built car that is being sold as British and a very few people, who should know better, fall for it. The “Made in Britain” badge still has value internationall;, the Current SIAC/MG dilutes the credibility of that brand to sell it’s Chinese built wares.

      I’m pleased that you like your SIAC/MG, but please be realistic; it has very little UK input and competes against companies with a proper UK manufacturing base.

      So, why am I still here? Because the site is great, it includes a lot of historical information, interesting comments and press releases and stories about genuine current UK manufacturing stories, with only a very few stories about Chinese cars.

  10. I sometimes wonder what some of the haters on here do with their time in between articles about MG/SAIC being posted on this site? Can’t be very much, judging by how great their bile spews forth at a great rate when they get here

  11. Hmmmm, I’m not convinced by this whole Chinese MG offering. But I could be sold on a Japanese MG.

    Honda’s are regarded as the best engineered cars in the world. I’ve owned my 10 year old Accord from almost new and its been excellent. Why not simply purchase a Honda Civic (built in the UK), remove the Honda badges and replace with MG octagons. There you go Sir, an instant MG 4 with all the MG DNA of the Honda / ARG / Rover collaboration.

    A win win situation.

    • By whom are Honda regarded as the best engineered cars in the world ? I have seen nothing in any Honda which rendered it either better or worse than the vast majority of cars made today. And I think Jenson Button and Alonso may have views on the worth , or otherwise, of Honda engineering skills !

      As far as the road cars are concerned, the only recent one of which I have experience is the Jazz , which I regard as one of the nastiest of modern smallish cars to ride in, with a ride quality which knocks your teeth out

      • I agree, Honda make good engines but the cars are no better than Fords. I work on cars daily and find that the cars with the best reputations are usually the least inspiring or well built ones! VW, BMW and Honda for example make cars with dreadful plastics, on ten year old cars, the plastics literally turn to chalk, crumbling and falling to pieces! A recent Honda Integra (2005 plate) needed so many replacement fixings ordering from Honda it cost a fortune as loads of clips and fixings were disintegrating!

        Always thought the Hondas drove badly too, too little suspension travel, choppy ride and wobbly chassis…

  12. From my own experience, and friends who are motor mechanics, Hoda are by far and away the most reliable cars you can buy. Contrast that with the expensive horror stories of the rubbish being produced by BMW, Audi and Volkswagen these days.

    Can’t comment on Honda’s involvement in Formula 1. Its most boring motor sport ive

    • Having owned two Hondas, my own FRV and SWMBO’s Jazz, they were the least troublesome cars that we have ever owned. The FRV gave sterling service for over 6 years with ZERO days off the road other than routine service. The Jazz also gave 6 years of service again with ZERO days off the road other than services. The Jazz (53 reg) was no worse to drive than many other small cars and was a sight more practical and spacious than the equivalent Peugeot / Citroen / Renault competitors.

      To be fair, the current Civic is off my list only because of the nasty interior. The combination of digital speedo and analogue other gauges in a split level dash is an ergonomic horror (plus an obstructive trip computer).

      I criticise the Chinese MG because they have as much MG DNA in them as I have lettuce DNA. They are an inferior product. Full Stop.

      The majority of unbiased reviewers give the car one or two stars out of 5. The best score the car gets is 3 stars. I am discounting the paid reviewers for obvious reasons.

      • True no real MG DNA. Given the history of MG and the time elapsed since it was a separate marque that would be rather hard to achieve, anyway.
        MG provided reasonably priced cars with a sporty edge, where driving pleasure could be achieved at still modest speeds. These values have influenced the 3 & 6.
        Tony, you describe them as inferior as though they are a million miles behind. Simply not so!

      • I too have seen reviews which give 2/5 or 3/5 for the MG3 and sometimes just 1/5 for the MG6.

        I’m sure if the initial approach to the cars, the company had been more positive we could have seen four stars at least once with no 1/5 and perhaps only the odd 2/5. They may not be the BEST, but they are not BAD. There is a bit of USP and surely, in an overall review, the price makes up for some aspects not being quite state of the art.

        One magazine gave 2/5 for the MG 3 Style but 3/5 for lesser models. I know there is value for money to consider but this seems a big jump for different specs of one mechanical model.

        Overall, I’m a tad sceptical of the motoring press in the way it rates cars.

        • Dave, both myself and my brother are former MG owner / drivers. I currently run an MX5 as a second car. I’m sure that what you say is correct in many respects, but the 6 that I experienced just did not make me want to buy it at any price.

          I haven’t driven any genuinely BAD cars since the Daewoo Nexia / Esperos that Avis used to foist off on us and maybe the slightly later Lanos. I’m sure that the MG3 and 6 make acceptable transport, but the market (and me) are looking for more than “acceptable transport”. Even the little old grannies and grandads are flocking to Hyundai and Kia in droves because their cars are well built, comfortable and economical.

          In this case, I think the MGs are about 15-20 years behind the market. In addition, the miserable fuel economy and noisy engines mean that they are not a good choice for many. In my case I would not fancy doing my 20k miles per year behind the wheel of a noisy MG6.

          I’ve already seen my first minicab 6 BTW.

  13. I test drove an MG3 a couple of months ago, I thought it was pretty good excellent value for money you get more for your money with it than any Skoda

  14. I manage a large fleet made up of all makes and models. I am often surprised when we carry out audits into the running costs, reliability and ownership issues of all our cars. Contrary to popular belief, premium German marques are somewhat average and the Korean marques are fantastic. Honda produce great cars although the Accord diesels don’t take the mileage like they used to. Ford Mondeo and Focus also are great. But the least troublesome cars are those built by Jaguar. We only have a couple of XJs and they are brilliant. XFs are wonderful except they have an appetite for brake discs and pads. And what might shock alot of people is historically the best car we have had on the fleet has been the much derided X-Type. They have always done huge mileages and have proved perfect. I often recommend them as great used car buys. Other great cars on our fleet have been Volvo S60 both Series 1 and 2, Mazda 3 and amazingly the Fiat Panda.

    Love the site and especially everybodies input. Even if you disagree its always interesting to hear others point of view.

  15. I’ve said it before, and I will say it again. This is not a British Car, the only thing British about it is the son-of-K-series that I understand they are using as engines. Many people will realise that its a crapstiche of Morris Garages stuck on to what is effectively a Hyundai i20. Newsflash; many people wont care. Many people would still buy Rover 100’s for their kids first car despite the fact that its only slightly more likely to survive the crash than the kerb it just hit.
    That said, its not entirely a bad thing. I can get a perfectly adequate no name quad-core smartphone for £60 brand new where Shite-sung would charge me £300 for precisely the same thing, just as reliable, just as many features and a battery twice the size – whats not to like. In the same way I can get an MG6 for spavined BMW 1xx money, which is a good thing – but trying to claim that an MG6/3 is in anyway related to the MGA/B/Magnette et cetera is like saying Cecil Kimber isnt spinning in his grave fast enough to light half of East London at what has happened to the company he started, and Mandelson, Clarkson et al massacred.
    Its time to bite the grenade, the company that is MG-today bears precisely no relation to what spent a couple of years twitching and dying as MGR when new 75’s roamed the earth. Most new drivers today think that double clutching is something involving twins, or something you shouldn’t do if the girl is under 16 or you are an (ex) member of the house of lords, or probably both.
    The MG badge has one use – its a recognizable brand. Thats it, thats all the Chinese paid for or wanted, at least over here. After all, would you drive a car built by a company called Technology Happy Time?

  16. A good idea to have a showroom in central London, won’t it attract the congestion charge for test driving cars though?

  17. I think Tigger, Nige, Jemma and Tony ought test drive a 3 and be prepared to eat their words. Mine is a cracking little car. It is huge fun to drive and feels at one with you on a winding fast b road. It has bags of room, lovely styling , loads of equipment, really good seats that you only appreciate after a long drive and is wonderful value for money. The engine is quiet until you reach 4500 revs by which time both you and the car have such a big smile you don’t care! Added to all this is the vintage blower Bentley warble from the exhaust. No tester has coemtef

    • Exactly and what makes any MG badged car since the original company was closed down in 1980 anymore a “true” MG than the 3 or 6? That badge was used in exactly the same way, glued to sporty Austins and “Rovers” by a bigger company wanting to add extra prestige to the range.

    • I used to love the MG Maestro 2.0’s that I used to drive in the 80’s and would defend the use of the MG badge on an otherwise humdrum family car from Cowley, because that’s what MG’s always were. I do struggle with the idea of putting it on ordinary hatchbacks from China and then pretending that it’s British.

      However, you know what, you’re right. I might hate the concept of badging a Chinese car as British to my very core, but I’ve never driven one. I will try one and try and ignore the badge and come back and give an honest assessment. I will try one, should it be the 3 or the 6?

  18. Fantastic news! It’s great to see that the Chinese owners are building on the British element of MG and providing evidence of their commitment to the UK market.

    17000 into mg3 ownership and we don’t have a single problem to report so far with the ours.

    Lots of good fun driving though and this includes a trip across Europe where it sat at high speeds for long periods.

  19. In the Kingdom of the blind… the One-eyed man is King.

    All I can repeat is that my MG6 has now done 27k miles and absolutely nothing (touch wood…) has gone wrong with it. Wish I could say the same for the “premium” Swedish and German cars I’ve had in the past! A BMW 520i was a lovely car, sounded the business and promised much…. but delivered little. Tricky to get off the line smoothly and a BMW engineer told me “they’re all like that until you get to the 530”. ‘Nuff said – underpowered.

    So, is it 5-10 years out of date? Well, the styling compared to a German 3-box, which could have been “designed” any time in the past 30 years, certainly isn’t. Maybe I’m just 10 years out of date (usual disclaimers!!).

    But what it does have as all MG’s of the past did, is the ability to put a smile on your face, at a fair price and to put the frighteners on many a more expensive Sports saloon. What more can you ask??

    I rest my case M’Lud.

    PS: Still think MG missed a trick by not re-mapping the petrol version to say 200-220bhp. That could have been a flyer. MG PLEASE NOTE.

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