China Watch : SAIC develops new MG cars for China and Europe

Namrita Chow, Automotive News China, 25th March, 2009 

MG6 is now under development
MG6 is now under development

Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. (SAIC) is now developing new MG models on the platform of its Roewe 550 compact car, say sources at the company. SAIC will launch a new MG car in China at the end of this year, says a source with SAIC in China who is familiar with the situation. 

The 5 door hatchback MG6 will have a 1.6-litre petrol engine and offer manual as well as automatic transmission versions. It will share its platform with SAIC’s Roewe 550 compact sedan, says the source. The car will be first sold in China, but will be made available in Europe in the future, he adds. 

According to Eleanor de la Haye, spokesperson for MG Motor Co. in Britain, in addition to the new five-door MG car, SAIC is developing another model for Europe. Says de la Haye: “We are currently developing a four-door model and a five door model based on the Roewe 550 platform that will be sold in U.K. and Ireland.” 

We are currently developing a four-door model and a five door model based on the Roewe 550 platform that will be sold in U.K. and Ireland.” Eleanor de la Haye, MG Motor UK Limited 

She declines to provide more details on the two models. But she adds these cars may be sold in other European markets as well. MG Motor is now a subsidiary of SAIC. Currently only three  MG cars — the MG7 four-door saloon, the MG TF roadster and the MG3 SW hatchback, are built and sold in China. 

In Britain, MG Motor Co. now only sells the MG TF. In China, SAIC only sold 129 MG TF cars in 2008. It also sold 4715 units of the MG3 SW small car and 4357 units of the MG7 sedan last year, according to JATO Dynamics. 

[Source: Automotive News China]

Clive Goldthorp

4 Comments

  1. I am hoping that China will offer the classic bodies of the MG with a new engine & electrical wiring. I would love to buy an MGB with a 1972 body. My brother would buy the 1963 MGB. The new body is fine but it is the MGB that I love.

  2. If SAIC could only determine to sell/produce MGs for US consumption… I am confident 15K+ cars per year would sell easily!! All of the older MG lovers would be strongly drawn to the new models as well as the younger buyers. SAIC… ya gotta believe.

  3. @Linda Shorey
    I doubt that will happen, but YOU can buy a BRAND NEW body from British Motor Heritage Limited and use a not so good car as a donor vehicle. Most engines and wiring can be made reliable these days – chances are, in fact, that someone sells a “reliable” after-market loom. It’s not uncommon to fit modern engines to MGBs and that includes the Land Rover Discovery V8 with the engine manangement system, Rover Tomcat engines and so on. See: http://www.bmh-ltd.com/ Good Luck!

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