Blog : MG UK – So long, and thanks for all the fish

Keith Adams

MG6 at launch back in Marcg 2011
MG6 at launch back in March 2011

Well, here we are a year on from the build-up of the UK ‘launch’ of the MG6, and how things look different 12 months on. Back in the late months of 2010, and following months, nay, years of MG and Longbridge inactivity and a Chinese Wall of secrecy from the overlords at SAIC, it finally looked like our beloved company was about to go nuclear in a big way. The new design centre at Longbridge was opened to us, and very impressive it looked too; and it looked like the start of a five-year plan that had the potential to shake up the European establishment – after all, MG and SAIC would be able to combine British engineering skill with Chinese cost effectiveness. What’s not to like?

However, from that moment on, and even before the launch of the incredibly important MG6, things it seemed started to go awry. The first official UK showing at the Top Gear Live/MPH Show drew the punters in, and got bums on seats, but proved something of a Public Relations home-goal as the mouthpiece of that event, a certain Mr Clarkson was quick to pronounce the car – and its maker – moribund. Did he have a point? Well, we were all certainly ticked off about it at the time, but for my part, the disappointment was aimed at MG UK (for launching in Clarkson’s backyard) rather than the great man himself (for being true to form).

Anyway, on to March, and the first drives of the MG6, and the muttering rotters who made the trip to Longbridge to drive the car seemed largely impressed. There might have been a few rough edges with the interior, but the dynamics were pretty much spot on, and the all round value proposition seemed okay, too. Think of it as a Mondeo sized car for Focus money, and you’d not be too far off.

But even at this point, months before the MG6 was due to go on sale, the re-launch plan wasn’t really looking as shiny as it might. SAIC truly is an industrial giant, and is now one of the world’s main automotive players – and yet, here we were at Longbridge driving the new cars, and it was clear that the company’s PR budget amounted to very little indeed. When a company with international ambitions launches its mid-market mainstay on its home market, you’d expect it to really push the boat out – yet here we were with a limited number of cars, and limited places. It all seemed very cheapskate.

For me, and for the AROnline readership, that’s probably no problem at all – and great opportunity to meet the guys behind the UK development of the car at the coalface, as well as have a proper look around the factory. But as major launches go, the UK first drives of the MG6 were truly low-rent. The alarm bells should have started ringing then – if there’s no PR budget, where does that leave marketing? – but I was just relieved that the MG6 had the makings of a good car.

Slowly, but surely we moved to the MG6’s on-sale date of May – and first we had the hasty GT and Magnette branding exercises, followed by the TV commercial which, thanks to its copious use of an MGB roadster, proved toe-curlingly awful. ‘It’s time to love fall in love again’, it preached as the old classic was overtaken by the sporting new pretender. As long as you’re not paying for your own fuel or tax, we all thought to ourselves thanks to the 1.8-litre turbo petrol being the take-it-or-leave-it option.

And that brings us to the matter of the business community. Would any serious company fleet manager chance his arm on a range of cars that was offered with such an unfavourable set of residuals? And why, when we addressed our concerns to Longbridge on this very matter, were we greeted by silence? We know the diesels are coming – but it’s a reflection of the Chinese company’s ambivalence to fuel from the black pump, and its inability to listen to its European staff that we’re in this situation that there’s going to be an 18-month gap (at least) between the petrol and diesel MG6 launches. And that’s a disgrace in the era of the £1.39 litre.

But it was a start – the MGs were at least on sale and the message was getting out there. Except that it wasn’t. Here we are six months later, and part of a sympathetic crowd, and most us us have yet to see an MG6 on the road. Let alone a billboard advert. Or a dealer. And this is where – sadly – I think the marketing budget, or lack of it, is really killing the MG6. And SAIC in China should be ashamed of itself for allowing this to happen – leaving Longbridge out in the wind, despite it being talked up as a serious bridgehead into the EU marketplace. Not that anyone else in the EU can buy an MG6. Not even the Irish.

Back to the UK. Why isn’t the company sending fleets of them around the M25 every weekday or plying the M1? Why aren’t the adverts running on constant TV heavy rotation? Where are the cute viral Internet videos? But then, this all costs money – lots of it – and the Chinese aren’t too  generous in parcelling it out to the UK. And that casts doubts on the operation. Which potential customers must surely pick up on.

MG's insistance on releasing images like this will not have done its image a world of good...
MG’s insistance on releasing images like this will not have done its image a world of good…

In fact, MG UK’s entire online and social strategy seems to be regular posting of pictures on its Facebook group, especially the infamous ‘sold!’ shots showing new customers taking deliver of their new 6s. And most were, er, hardly reflective of the young and dynamic potential Alfa Romeo or SEAT owners the company was chasing. Luckily, once it became clear that sales were slower than anticipated, the pictures stopped coming…

And that’s ultimately the biggest disappointment about MG UK’s performance in its first year, and that sales have fallen well behind the admittedly pessimistic annual target of 2000 cars. And let’s be honest, that’s not really down to the product – as I’ve said from the outset, the MG6 is a good car to drive, and a fine family car, at a reasonable price. Yes it doesn’t come with a diesel option, but it should have been enough for the MG message to get out there as part of a soft-launch building up to the arrival of the MG6 diesel, MG3 and MG5.

And let’s face it, once those cars are on sale, MG’s range will begin to look a lot more tempting, and the scope of SAIC’s ambition for the company will become a little clearer. But, then, production in Longbridge is clearly not part of SAIC’s global plans for MG and, if it fails after a couple of years, at least the head honchos in China can say they gave it a shot, and ultimately failed – leaving the Birmingham factory open to become the R&D centre it was always planned to be.

However, that’s under-selling the potential that Longbridge has in the European plan for MG. I still believe European buyers will take these cars more seriously if they know they’ve been built here – and less likely to refer to them as ‘Chinese cars’, and all that entails. Even if they’ve been made up from kits. But the way things are looking, it’s all going to be academic, as SAIC Motor seems to have scuppered the plan for Longbridge before it was even it approached fruition… and all for the sake of a little marketing money.

A shameful state of affairs…

Keith Adams

114 Comments

  1. Keith… a very true analysis of the SAIC/MG situation. They should be doing much more to promote the car on TV, Billboards/mags etc. They need to add that much hyped diesel engine, build up a credible dealer network and emphasise it’s built (OK,assembled) in the UK.

    As I stated previous, since its launch I’ve only seen a single MG6 on the road. That fact surprised and saddened me.

  2. “As I stated previous, since its launch I’ve only seen a single MG6 on the road. That fact surprised and saddened me.”

    Me too Hilton – and that was at the AROnline bash at Gaydon, which seemed a lot like product placement!

  3. I saw an MG 6 on the road the other week and thought that the overall styling was fine. Unlike many of its forebearers you wouldn’t have to apologise for its appearance except for one thing. This was one aspect that looked absolutely awful and it’s something I haven’t seen in the photos. It’s “poise” was so far above the road that it reminded me of a pseudo off-roader like the Nissan Qashqui. It didn’t suit a sporting saloon at all.

  4. Just had a look at the website and although at first glance it looks quite nice, it is rather light on content and the dealer locator is simply Google maps with a load of pushpins in it! Ok it works but they could at least have made it look MG branded and maybe made the screen come up a bit bigger!

    For the record there are three MG dealers within 30 miles of me – the nearest one is in fact only about 10 miles in the next city (Winchester). So it’s not all bad.

  5. I have never seen an advert, except via ARO.

    Never seen a test, except via ARO.

    I’ve never seen a new MG on the road, ever.

    In fact I have never seen on in the metal at all.

    I kind of suspect they don’t exist.

  6. When you got me an invite to Longbridge and the virtual launch of the MG6 back in February Keith, I had very high hopes for it. I’m hugely disappointed by its failure.

  7. MG have (I believe) no dealerships in London, madness.

    I think the MG6 is a short lived model. SAIC don’t want to sell many due to concerns regarding the old engine and the fact it is due a heavy facelift (following Ford and GM principles) in around a year or so and I suspect (and hope!) that once the MG3 and MG5 come over here the economy might have picked up and SAIC can launch a revised MG6 Mk2 with them.

  8. I do at least a 100 miles a day on europes busiest motorway (the M25) and have never seen one in the wild. My local dealer has a few, and that’s where I found the horrific future value paper work (as per a blog a couple of months back).

    Face it. If you reading this MG, your shit. Even with a meagre budget you could have bunged one in Emmerdale Farm or paid a driver to permantly drive one round the nation, stopping at every services with a boot full of brochures and free biros.

    And please stop the comical “sold!” shots before some wag starts a DIGNITAS CAB SERVICE with MG6’s ferrying your client base to Switzerland. One way.

  9. Oh and lend every member of ANY olympic squad one next year – Stratford needs to be awash with Black cabs, Red Buses and MG’s in 2012. Ring up Westfield in Stratford now and buy the bloody foyer floorspace next summer. Your car will be seen by the people who buy cars on instinct rather than apraisal. Its your only chance!

  10. Of course SAIC has no presence in the UK – it has no intention of being a big player in Europe. The UK operation is only in existence to give credence to the brand values that MG thinks it’s inherited. SAIC is also canny enough to know that the MG brand carries little prestige in the UK these days, but that any brand with a European base is very desirable in China. Let’s face it everyone, take off the rose-tinted glasses and smell the coffee (and other such clichés) – SAIC is not interested in MG UK, and never was. It is only interested in tapping into the engineering and design expertise available in Europe.

  11. well put keith sad but the truth, from the inital outset of mg the actual overall launch of mg has been shameful . .no advertising /sales /dealers /investment.etc SAIC have still the opportunity to turn things around as you say the models are quite impressive but it needs to happen now ,6,500 employees lost there jobs at longbridge and within that framework they had the opportunity to employ some world class manufacturing employees from the prototype areas that had the ability to take these products forward. investment at longbridge has been directly aimed at the engineering block and manufacturing as been shamefully ignored. evrything within the cab 1 framework is now set up in china apart from the 75 line and mg tf.lisetening to current employees making remarks on the site and our family and friends employed at mg only confirm what we all no .The cars need to be assembled in longbridge in a WORLD CLASS FACILITY. not the run down leftovers the chinese didnt want .i have every respect for the current manufacturing employees and the efforts they have applied but they are mgtf assemblers and do not have the experience or qualifications to apply themselves to new models ,

  12. Simon, that’s an interesting argument, as by having the plant in the UK, back in China they can advertise it as a foreign car, made in China, akin to the Chinese assembled Audis, Citroens etc!

    As sales were only meant to be 2000 this year, I guess you wouldn’t expect much advertising and publicity. How many Lotus Elise or AM V8 Vantage adverts do you see on TV or in magazines?

  13. The cars I’ve seen have looked OK, way better than those that other Chinese manufacturers have displayed at Frankfurt these last few years. I imagine that home market demand continues to be strong, meaning that European sales aren’t yet a priority.

  14. “As sales were only meant to be 2000 this year” Maybe so, but seriously, I trudge up and down the M42 between Bromsgrove and Solihull twice a day, and the only MGs I see are logo’d up works cars – and this is MG’s stamping ground! Does that strike you as a company that is actually selling anything? I see more brand new Astons than I do MG6s…..don’t get me wrong, I love the car – and like many, I’d seriously consider a TDi model (if it ever appears), but it strikes me that SAIC are treating the UK market as a ‘halo statement’ to help market the cars in China, rather than having a serious stab at getting established in the UK……

  15. @ jonathan carling… forgot to add the only one I saw was LHD so must have been a demonstrator? Still havent seen any in the North East where I live.

  16. I could say I told you so… But Im nice so I won’t.

    I have seen one on the road, a gunmetal grey demonstrator. There is one dealer in Colchester Essex selling them – Tolleys on Berechurch Hall Road.

    They do look better in the flesh so to speak, but very anodyne & ‘me too’.

    I already said my piece about that ‘advert’.

  17. do we give it another 5 years and find nothing at all at Longbridge…looking that way. The promotion is at best lame, amateur facebook pics of retired gents with confused expressions thinking they have just picked up the keys to their new Wolseley 16/60??!! Come on, do you really think that will revive a brand that has had 40 years of bad publicity and mis-management?

  18. I have been doing some marketing work for a Ford garage that has just taken on the MG Franchise. The car has been on display all week at a local shopping mall and I have done some stand duty to book test drives. The reaction to the car has been positive but the buyer interest profile is male private drivers over 55 years old. In this climate a very small market. Of the interest received half want the diesel, 10% need it on motability and 10% want an automatic. There is a market but it is very small. 2000 cars would be reaonable if an excellent finance package was available with guaranteed buy back at three years. They have just announced free 5 years warrenty, free fuel for 6 months and 3 years free servicing – this should have been in place from day 1. The diesel needs to essentially be a relaunch operation and SAIC need to either take Europe seriously or pull out altogether. I actually think their home market situation has been based on huge untapped demand and they cannot grasp a mature market where sales are hard to come by even for established players like Renault. If they are not careful though the few dealers they have got will abandon them in droves. Dealers exist to make money and the MG franchise is no money spinner at the moment!!

  19. Like everyone else I was looking forward to seeing the MG6 out on the open road attracting admiring glances from all and sundry. That would show ’em MG was back! The reality has been somewhat different. No sightings on the road, nothing beside the road (ie billboards) and nothing on TV. Is it still on sale?
    All of the above is a shame because it did seem to be a good car, and one I may have bought at some point in the future. As things stand it appears to be a big secret which is odd because I thought car manufacturers tried to sell cars not keep them hidden away from public view.

  20. Surely there are enough unemployed graphic design and marketing graduates out there to staff a fairly big MG marketing department on unpaid internships alone!?!?

  21. As I am not on Facebook I have not seen the infamous”Sold” pictures before. Surely MG could see that was a very restricted marketing ploy.As the old phrase goes”You have got to speculate to accumulate”

  22. Well Ive got one I dont really care where its made as long as it well made and reliable (which it is)as for lack of publicity and advertising they did say that they were going for a “soft launch” Im sure when the diesel arrives everything will pick up nicely. As for what people think of it ive had loads of comments and they’ve all been positive and from unexpected people (bmw drivers).

  23. Evans

    Great to hear you’re enjoying your MG6, and I think they look very good indeed. It’s not the product that’s at issue here, it’s the marketing (or lack of it) that is a real problem, soft launch or not.

  24. Bloody Hell Evens! You’ve got one!! Keep us informed of how ownership progesses will you? My mate Martin Williamson has got one and he loves it and highly rates the service back-up from Longbride.

  25. Here we are AGAIN – questions about the management!!

    Re-launching MG with a petrol only MG6 is limited (soft). However, if managed successfully, such a strategy is capable of making people aware of MG as a new car option and wetting appetites. However, the lack of marketing, advertising is unbelievable – another management blunder!

    Without a big promotional campaign how are you going to start the ball rolling as far as brand awareness is concerned? The minimal sales effort almost makes designing the ‘6’ a waste of time. It may not form part of your longer term strategy but why not make the most of your investment and try to sell some!!

  26. Great Article Keith. I do wonder however if MG are quite happy with the slow sales and the low key launch. lets say for instance that a company did by a fleet that turned out to be a fleet of lemons (like the first daiwoo) and lets say MG sold 20000 lemon straight away, then that would be truely a launch failure. but if sales are slow…then MG gets to see how the cars perform in the real world….and failures or not (lemons or grapes)….hopefully not too much disgrace. They are effectively a “new” motor car company. i susect the adertisements and things we see (including the email I got from MG last night) are jsut enough to sell a few cars and keep the interest at just the right level for them 🙂 for me though the MG styling doesnt do it for me. I still like the 827 Viteese and I like the look of the Kia Magentis and the new Suzuki, the XF Jaguar, the RR Evoque but this car is let down by its looks. alex

  27. PS I could be wrong but I imagine MG are probably keeping quite a close eye on the few cars they have sold. heres the email I got from MG.
    MG are happy to announce our new amazing ‘54321’ offer, which includes:

    5 MONTHS FREE FUEL
    + 4 YEARS ROAD FUND LICENCE
    + 3 YEARS EUROPEAN ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE
    + 2 YEARS EXTENDED WARRANTY
    = 1 GREAT BIG OFFER ON AN MG6

  28. Alex Scott, comment 32 –

    I don’t agree. Even if you don’t personally like them that much, the MG6’s looks are hardly an obstruction to sales.

    I think the 6’s looks are actually a plus point – slightly distinctive front, rakish profile, attractive rear….

  29. Great article Keith – the best article on the new reborn MG that I’ve read.

    I’ve just had a look at the website. I was puzzled as to why I’ve never seen an MG dealer in Leeds (for the uninitiated Leeds has dealers for pretty much every marque there is, everything from the usual Honda, Ford, Vauxhall dealers to exotics such as Ferrari, Porsche and Maserati). The reason I haven’t seen an MG dealer in Leeds is because there isn’t one – the nearest is in Bradford and the biggest county in the country (Yorkshire) has only 3 dealers! Mind you, it could be worse – the whole of Scotland has only two dealers and the North-East of England has just one. The dealer spread is very strange, probably connected to the fact that when you click on the “Dealers” tab on the website you get a choice of “Find a dealer” and “Become a dealer” suggests that selling the new MG is not a particularly attractive proposition.

  30. In an age when fuel economy is everything (or rather, perceived fuel economy), not having a diesel seems very strange. Reminds me of when brands like Kia, Hyundai, Proton etc started in this country – cheap cars, minimal engine choice (petrol only, not particularly economical) and bought by older people.

    A shame. The MG brand deserves better.

  31. Lord Sward I will keep u posted if i see u on this but so far its been great with no faults done 2000 miles so far and it does 36mpg around town which is ok i think for a big car. If MG had a dealer around here they would sell lots.

  32. Your fuel economy figures compares precisely with Martin’s. Thats to say its highly competitive on cost-per-mile with most diesels. Keep us up to date with ownership, thanks.

  33. A brilliant article which pretty much sums up the thoughts of most sales orientated people.

    Should things carry on as they do, MG don’t have a hope in hell of making any form of impact here in the UK, why? well quite simply because the current line up here is flawed beyond imagination. The parts supply is very very poor and the lack of an auto option and a diesel variant pretty much wrecks the all important fleet market for starters.

    The total number of sales of MG (and that includes TF) to the present day is less than what one volume dealer could do in one year.

    The Chinese decision to not go ahead with the FIAT JTD diesel because the Itallians refused to knock more money per unit has resulted in SAIC developing a different engine. So IF we ever seen an MG with some Chinese YING SANG DONG HOKEY COKEY 3000 TDi engine, are the public going to feel confident with unproven technology and rush out to buy them – probably not.

    Sales & marketing: okay, we all got exited about the tv advert recently, seen any more? – erm nope. Press advertsing? – erm. Billboard posters? – erm. To be honest, I am disgusted and saddened that after all the marketing and PR clangers MGR made, NOTHING seems to have been learned. The above picture of the dealer handing over the car is a joke, besides, it looks a like picture from a TV Times competition winner circa 1983.

    Long Term future? – Well I know for a fact that 4 dealers have thrown the franchise back at MG UK. SAIC promised this and that ever since 2000 and all we have are two worthy yet very average cars, with poor back up in logistics and product range.

    I tried to sell and market Chinese King Long buses and coaches, I had the same problems and the following killed the idea after 7 solid hard months of dedication & perciverance:

    Logistics
    Parts Availability
    Customer concerns over residual value
    Dealer Infrastructure
    Finance houses reluctant to fund owing to unproven product
    Product/option list not sufficient to create bespoke vehicle
    Public perception of poor quality or inferior “copy”

    This is THE REAL WORLD, and I along with many REALLY hope MG do well, but we need to face some reality here. SAIC along with most other Chinese companies have NO TIME for nostalgia and are in it purely for the money. Anyone who thinks they bought MG purely for some fancy high faluting historical road trip should think again.

    They bought MG simply because they are, to quote The WHO? – selling England by the pound. Asia love the idea of a slice of England – it sells like you wouldn’t beleive. Back in Rover Group days, they sold just over 60% of all Mini’s to Japan – for EXACTLY the same reason. One of the largest export markets for Rover was Italy, why? – Ditto.

    It’s sad really when I think that it’s only us who seem to have a problem with buying British. We build a company up, then knock it all down – and then have the audacity to whinge and moan when it’s all gone. So now, with our Asian friends holding the MG brand I wonder where it will all go from here.

    As mentioned before, the Chinese love the English brands and culture, but here the critical flaw: they NO understanding of what it actually is or stands for. They don’t understand that we buy with our eyes and noses – one of the reasons that the MG6 leather interior is lacking any fragrance of hide, they actually produce the leather to make no smell at all, it’s all about touch and feel here in the UK. The Chinese are superb learners, but poor listners, untill they get some idea of what the European market really wants – its dead in the water!

  34. @ Steve Bailey

    ..and one of the Scottish ‘dealers’ is after-sales only. It is just the one in Stirling that actually sells the things.

  35. To be honest, the way they are going, the rest of the dealer network will have thrown in the towel long before the range has expanded, and if I was one of the franchise holders, I would be suing these Chinese knuckleheads to get the franchise fees and cost of doing up the dealership back. They haven’t a clue how to run a car company, and the public know it is just an overpriced Chinese car, shipped over in a crate, with old technology and a second hand value of nil.

  36. ‘marty b

    you hit the nail right on the head marty,regardless how many times people expect the chinese to deliver the majority of the buying public like it or not have the old adage made in china ,to try and treat the public with the contempt they have shown only goes to show how unprofessional they have been in promoting MG as a whole .i live in longbridge and it well known of the facilities in cab 1 to produce these cars or should i say put the badge on before it goes to sales,since mg was launched saic have given the people of birmingham nothing ,the promise of jobs the expectations of a new world class facility and most of all a promising future for the manufacturing of mg vehicles.Like most top car companies who have come in and pillaged mg rover technology when theyve finished with what there trying to achieve they will put the lights out and close the gates behind them.

  37. @ Mike Humble

    Your comment about it being only us [the British] who have a problem with buying British hits the nail right on the head. Why? I sadly do not know the answer.

    However, in the case of the Rover brand back in the 1990s, I do know that the Italians loved Rover cars for their stylish exteriors, cossetting interiors and their British heritage. Cars like the 600 and 800 Series were particularly well liked and considered to have a ‘premium’ appeal over other marques.

    Then again, the company was always proactive back then in delivering the types of cars that people actually wanted to own.

  38. I drive over 1000 miles a week,plodding up and down the M6/M74. Being deeply interested and observant of all cars on the road, I can also say I have not seen a single MG6 out of captivity (ie not on factory plates ‘VU11…etc’ )
    Reading this article, my worst fears about the launch have been confirmed by Keith.

  39. The name says it all – “MG Motor”, surely somebody must have pointed out it should’ve been “Motors”? If they don’t understand that, they haven’t got a clue.

    SAIC could’ve had a world-wide dealer network and a loyal, 100,000 customers but they chose to corner MGR and stamp what little life was left out of it.

    They thought they were being crafty but they simply devalued the marque completely.

    MG RIP

  40. Might be worth waiting for a couple of years and then snapping up a secondhand one with much of the original price devalued away. Mind you, if they aren’t selling any new ones, there won’t be any secondhand ones either….better buy a Chrysler Delta.

  41. “The name says it all – “MG Motor”, surely somebody must have pointed out it should’ve been “Motors”? If they don’t understand that, they haven’t got a clue.”Well Longbridge is known locally as ‘The Austin’, rather than “The Austin Factory/Works/plant”, so you can’t really blame SAIC for calling it “MG Motor” rather than “MG Motor Company”, if the Brummies themselves can’t get it right…..

  42. I drive the brand that is kicking the living crap out of most car companies at the moment with waiting lists of up to 8 months too, Yep I drive a Skoda. I do feel sorry for those who have fallen into the trap of actually buying a 6. You do realise you will have to keep it until it does quite literally fall to pieces, because the used car trade simply will not touch them.

    The MG name will be dead in another 12 months in the UK, as more & more dealers simply pull the plug. Selling 43 cars in the peak month countrywide? Dealers cannot afford to sell that few cars, and need to shift that amount minimum per dealership. Even Keith has lost faith, and he is a dyed in the wool fan. It just says it all.

    By the way, on average for a franchise, a dealer has to shell out nigh on half a million quid (Over a million now for any VAG brand), and they will want their investment back asap. Shifting 5 cars a month means only one thing. A slippery slope into insolvency. I see echos of the Daewoo farce with this MG Motor nonsense. 

    99.9% of the population see MG Motor for what they really are. A bunch of asset stripping liars, with a ship load load of false hopes and broken promises.Firms like Skoda UK have a slick marketing team, and the recent Bonneville Salt Flats antics have proved that Skoda aren’t a laughing stock any more, and are now VW’s cash cow. 225 mph in an Octavia to celebrate 10 years of their vRS? Now that is using your noggin. MG Motor take note.And Skoda launch 2 new cars in 2012, one of which is a sub £8000 city car, that is airbagged to the hilt, fairly well spec’d, and no doubt built like a tank.

    Plus it is in the free VED band. Another Skoda to have a long waiting list? I think so.

  43. @ Marty BI had a Skoda Fabia Comfort (52 plate) 1.4 MPi a couple of years back – six years old with 120k on the clock, ex driving school.  

    Didn’t bode well, you’d think.It was one the best cars I ever owned.  It was incredibly comfortable, drove and felt like a big car, quiet, very well equipped (best air conditioning I have ever experienced), had really good features like the VAG fuel computer and the dials and controls lit up with superb clarity at night.  

    Everything felt solid on it – everything.  The only thing against it was the MPi engine (old Skoda one from years back) – it wasn’t particularly quick or that good on fuel.  

    One with the VAG TDi 1.9 would be absolutely perfect.  I still fancy getting a vRS version one day.The strange thing is, some people still laugh at Skoda, despite the fact that they were always by far the best of the old Iron Curtain manufacturers (the Favorit was an excellent car for the money in its day and the Rapid Coupe was a great individual and quite stylish car for a pittance) and despite the fact that they are equal, if not better, quality than Volkswagens – in a recent internal quality audit of the VAG group, Skoda were only just beaten by Audi and were ahead of Volkswagen, who were ahead of SEAT.  

    Their loss – Skodas really are excellent cars.

  44. Oh dear Marty another Skoda joke car owner who couldnt afford a proper VW, Skoda are nothing but a badge they dont do anything VW does it all for them and they stick the Skoda badge on them. And lets be honest here they all look so old fashioned the Octavia even manages to look even more old fashioned than the VW Passat and says something. You say MG will be “dead in another 12 months in the UK” well lets see. Oh and maybe you should test drive an MG 6 ! And as for the £8000 city car we all know Vw are selling them at a loss to boost volume and upset every other car maker while their at it.

  45. @ Evans For information, I’d actually gone to look at a Volkswagen Polo.  I chose the Skoda in preference to the Polo, due to its better build, better equipment and more space.  

    I could afford an Audi if I so desired (the car that Volkswagen buyers can’t afford, but desperately want) – I didn’t wan’t to be lumped in with the idiots who sit on my back bumper on the motorway and overtake in stupid places.The Fabia replaced a Honda Accord 2.0 VTEC Executive with Tiptronic.  

    I replaced the Fabia with an Accord 2.2 VTEC Type R, which I then replaced with a Honda CR-V which I still have – care to have a go at those?  Thought not.  The fact that I rated the Fabia so highly when I’m used to Hondas says a lot about how good the Fabia was.  

    I’ve driven recent Fords and Vauxhalls (supposedly “better” brands than Skoda) and they don’t come anywhere near the quality or engineering of the Hondas, as neither, I doubt, would the MG, sadly.As for VW doing everything for Skoda, that’s factually incorrect.  

    Skoda develop their own suspension settings for a better ride, rather than the horrid rock hard Audi / Seat ride.  Many car journalists preferred the Skoda chassis settings to the rest of the VW range.  Okay. it’s not designing the car from scratch, but when the Skoda has the best ride and costs the least, that makes it the intelligent choice.  

    Badge snobbery is just that – snobbery.With regards to the MG, like most people on this site I really hope they succeed, but I’ve a horrible feeling that they won’t.  

    I’m glad you like your car – so you should, they look a good car, although I’ve only seen them in photos.  

    That’s the main problem…

  46. I’m glad you’ve written this piece Keith as it puts out into the open what many of us think that MG have got it massively wrong. Whilst us mere minions in this motoring world have thought this for a while someone of your standing in the world makes it more important.

    I went to the first off the line event, in fact I took many of the pictures used to accompany the article. When I was there the atmosphere struck me as odd, rather empty if anything. What has become increasingly obvious since then that there seems to be a lack of budget and interest in selling this new MG6. I’ve driven one and liked it but when I came to buy a car the other month it wasn’t on my list: It’s an awkward size, the residuals are appalling, it’s expensive for an upstart car company and the engine choice is just completely out of touch.

    I really want things to work but i;ve bene monitoring the SMMT figures for the last few months and the figures speak for themselves. To sell so few cars and be outsold by Proton to me really says this is time for a serious rethink. The latest 54321 offer just smacks of desperation to try and shift some of the cars sent over already. But really who is actually responsible for this? Is it really SAIC? What’s going on inside MG right now? Motivation in sales and marketing must be rock bottom – no sales, no budget to speak of and the team have resorted to making random visits to shopping centres and other attractions in a seemingly desperate attempt to drum up interest in the car.

    Thinly disguised as a charity event the marketing seems to only involve Facebook and a few poorly placed online banners such as the one on What Car which totally panned the product. As a marketer I understand the importance of social media tools but MG seem to only use Facebook rather than running a proper integrated strategy. You have to wonder what the hell they do all day? I can only assume they piss the day away on Facebook posting pointless comment, occasionally dropping unanncounced into a deserted shopping centre and then head back to the office to find that absolutely no one has bought the car.

    Even of the 40 odd cars sold last month how many were registered by MG themselves? Currently everything appears wrong: wrong strategy, wrong product, wrong pricing, wrong engine, wrong marketing, wrong people, wrong support, wrong time, wrong, wrong.I’d actually like to hear from someone senior within MG who’s prepared to either admit it’s all going wrong and why or perhaps explain why no one’s worried? The majority of us on here want this whole thing to work.

  47. Not sure why you’re not getting paragraphs; I just hit return twice…

    …and that seems to work.

    In the meantime, I’ve added some par breaks for you in comment moderation page 🙂

  48. “I could afford an Audi if I so desired (the car that Volkswagen buyers can’t afford, but desperately want)” – crap.

    I could afford an Audi but drive a VW because they are better value for money and you don’t get stigmatised with the “moron” badge associated with Audi/BMW drivers (are they morons prior to driving these marques or do they become morons when they sit behind the wheel for the first time?).

    I also own an 05 plate Fabia 1.4 TDI – 143k miles and has been extremely reliable (pound for pound the best car i’ve owned). The 1.4 TDI is a remarkable engine.

  49. We have got a dealer in Hemel Hempstead. I have never seen one on the road round here though. In fact I go allover the place with work, Gateshead last week, and I have never seen one anywhere. Do they mean to sell them?

  50. Apparently the Number One MG dealer in the UK is based in East Devon where they have sold at least eight MG6s to date. Yes, in towns such as Budleigh Salterton where this dealer operates from and which is predominantly populated by the retired, who love the town’s very slow 1950’s pace of life and don’t like to venture out too far, the MG6 has gone down a storm.

  51. @ Russell G

    I could have phrased that better – I have a few friends who have Golfs and they desperately want Audis.  

    Doesn’t apply to all VW owners though!  The VW badge has a far better image in my opinion than the Audi badge.  There is no such thing as an “typical” VW driver, whereas Audi drivers…well we all know what people think of them! 

    I’ve always wondered about the 1.4 TDI engine – what mpg do you get?  

    Is it okay on the motorway, does it pull okay from 50mph in 5th that sort of thing?  They seem really good value secondhand – far less than the 1.9TDI and the MPG is probably the same, possibly more.

  52. when employees who build the cars are standing in the middle of shopping centres try to sell cars its a shameful declaration of SAICS attempt to take the mg brand forward,  all those who make comments on the website were waiting for the mg explosion that is slowly di-integrating into a powder puff,GUY JONES  has to look at the whole MG  strategy and question the saic investment within the facilities on the manufacturing side of the business and the whole marketing programme, we all new  as former employees.

    what the intention was when they employed the mgtf  track workers especially when you consider some of the staff that were made redundant through mg were some of the car industries finest prototype employees from body in white /flight/shed/methods with all the qualifications reqiured to build cars from metal to showroom, the bmw mini is testimony to that.

    im probably a bit deeper tham most when i comment about the employees in manufacturing  ,as a former mg employee now retired the mg manufacturing team started off with the usual strategy ,not what you no but who you no ,a recipe for disaster even though i will say the employees with the limited knowledge they have , tried  very hard with the tools they have been given   to be the best you employ the best from the top to bottom, SAIC have either been grossly misled or as i expect they have tried to create something for nothing with no return and unless they change dramatically it will be there downfall .

  53. I feel sorry for the MG dealers, they’ve spent serious money on branding their dealerships and keeping to their side of the bargain, only to find that no-one has heard of the new MG due to MG themselves not keeping to their side of the bargain.  Cars don’t sell themselves, especially not ones new to the market from basically a new manufacturer. 

  54. dolomitefan

    INVITATION TO GUY JONES

    i like you am a mere minion with my own interpretations of what goes on but as you say keith is a well respected member of the motoring fraternity and  a solid mg supporter i like most people who post on this   would like someone from the mg management team /SAIC TEAM  to give us an explanation  or an in depth answer of what is the real intentions of .SAIC

    and to be open and honest with there sole intentions as at this time  as the current direction they are heading is doomed to failure .with the right marketing /major investment /in longbridge /and more professionalism it has the  opportunity to  be a successful operation 

    LONG LIVE MG

  55. Marketers talk about the 4 ‘P’s – Product, Price, Place, Promotion, and if you want to get fussy you can add People, Processes and Physical Evidence too. 

    Modern car brands have this covered, VW/Audi/Skoda/Seat for example, BMW and XF-era Jaguar understand and apply these principles thoroughly. Even the ‘newer’ and ‘reasonably priced’ brands such as Kia are doing it pretty well. SAIC / MG however have failed on too many counts, and the sad thing for me is that on the evidence we see (or lack of it) the current MG experiment looks to be heading for failure, in UK at least.

    I hope it doesn’t but right now it does not look good for Octagonal brand followers in UK…..

  56. Had another look at one in my local (mainly) Renault* dealer – inconsistent panel gaps and a rather drab/uninspiring interior. Problem with the MG6 seems to be that it is patchy – very good engineering in how it drives but not good enough/what the market wants in other areas – is this down to inadequate skills or management?

    Not convinced about the diesel argument though, especially in the UK – could have been a much more economical petrol option.

    Ironic that today it was announced that VW may become the World’s largest  vehicle manufacturer, partly due to its links with SAIC (who are also busy with GM = the World’s 3rd biggest) – so they should be familiar with volume sales.

    *Renault are busy sending out letters apologising that certain brochures are out of print due to high demand – how long does it take to get something printed? Clearly MG is not the only VM with marketing issues… 

    I would like to hear more about what MG dealers think of the current situation.

  57. @IanS

    Product – Yes and No (lack of diesel)
    Price – No, too expensive for some Chinese car with a bad past
    Place – The market is the UK, there’s no issue with that
    Promotion – Miles off People – Clearly a no
    Processes – Certainly no evidence of a sales process, plan etc
    Physical Evidence – Yes, loads of dealers who’ve spent a fortune with little to show except some nice signgage and carpets

  58. I hope someone (high up) at MG Motors UK is reading all our comments.  Then they may wake up to doing something more positive about promoting their products.I agree with Mike Humble’s comments in particular and that photo of salesman & customer does look uncomfortable!

  59. If MG Motor want to show their “SOLD!” collection of new customers, whom from what I’ve seen nearly all appear to be  over-weight late middle age gentleman (nothing wrong with that mind, I’m just saying) why are they selling them a dynamic sports hatch trading on it’s sporting heritage and dynamics, when surely they’re mistaking their whole client base? 

    If there is a market for this niche, which evidently there is a rather small one, taking over from the whole Rover “werthers original” sector, why not badge a version  of the thing Wolesley, or Morris or Austin or VDP or whatever else they have on ashelf in China, and save the MG marque for a more appropiate and appreciative market sector.

    It just seems such a waste that Burt and Berryl are popping down to feed the ducks in their new Pitch black MG GT petrol turbo class leading dynamics sports hatch and not a VDP Allegro! 

  60. It’s a pity there wasn’t a Hyundai fan site back in the early 80s. I can imagine it now – months after launch people complaining about no-one buying the either the completely rubbish Stellar or Pony’s, and how there wasn’t a single one to be seen on the roads.

    And their chronic lack of advertising, apart from sticking a few cars in Shopping Centres. What were those Koreans thinking? Anyone know how it worked out for them in the end?

  61. Or that Malaysian firm, oh what was their name again? ahh yes KIA.

    They started with one model, a rebadged Mazda 121. I struggle to remember a single Kia advert from their launch.Yes people laughed at Kia’s when they came out, as they did with Diahatsu’s, Toyota’s, Hyundai. I think they all started with one model ranges. 

    There are of course more people in China than the whole of europe, so it makes sense that they concentrate their efforts at home before making too much of an effort in the UK. They can afford to take their time, SAIC are vast and heavily backed by the chinese state. It’s only really been 5 years, and they can still do it yet. I just don’t think there is an economic case to really go for it in the UK at the moment, when it’s not so easy for people to get credit or find a job.

  62. @ dolomitefan,
    could get picky with definitions but we can both see whats wrong!

    @ Dennis,
    proper marketers (not like me) will tell you that the best time to invest in promoting a brand or product is exactly now, so that the market is primed and ready to go when things pick up. With fierce competition and new models appearing all the time that is all the more important.

    @ SAIC / MG Motor (if anyone cares to reply) –
    come on guys, what are you up to??

  63. I know quite a few people who drive newish Audis and they all seem to be perfectly respectable, decent members of society. Oddly enough, the only people I come across who claim Audi drivers are morons tend to be, er, morons!

  64. @Paul H   

    Take a trip on my M62/M1/M621 daily commute and you’d soon change your mind!  I don’t doubt that Audi owners are perfectly respectable, decent members of society (they clearly must be to have twenty grand cars), it’s what happens when they get behind the wheel that’s the problem!    

    I know too know three nice Audi drivers (one with a new A4 convertible, one with a ten year old S3 and one with a ten year old A3 TDI) but I’ve been cut up and overtaken by loads more, as have most people I would wager.

  65. @Charles:

    Please don’t assume that all those who like Rovers are members of the “wuthers original” brigade. I’m in my thirties and appreciate Rovers for their  timeless, elegant designs and sense of wellbeing that the MG offerings didn’t offer.

    An “overweight, late middle-age gentleman”, I’m not, more a young, slim gentleman. Whether dynamic or not, the new MG6 sadly does not appeal to me in preference to a well sorted Rover 75.

  66. And please will someone sort out the paragraph problem I keep on experiencing, even after hitting the ‘Enter’ key twice.

    In other words, no spacing between paragraphs. Arrrggghhhh!!!!

  67. Charles – comment 75

    Don’t agree with the Werthers Original, late middle age comments.However, one does wonder if  MG UK are totally missing a large part of Rover’s, MG Rover’s customer base. The more Old English theme did appeal to a lot of people AND not just older folk. The Rover image has for a long time appealed to me.

    Even when applied to what are essentially Hondas it can be surprisingly effective. When the car is ground up Rover (75!) the effect is pure class and that can appeal to all ages.I drive a 75 – I’m not overweight and at 43 years not quite yet middle aged!

  68. @ Keith:

    No, I don’t usually sign into the website, but simply insert my comments in the ‘Leave a Reply’ box that follows the comments.Would it better for me to sign in before posting comments? If so, I will have to my existing “sub-brand” to David3500.

  69. Re – where are the dealers, there is a dealer at Winchester called Martins who did have a car on display adjacent to the busy A34/M3 interchange. They also had a stand at a well-attended local show featuring a GT, Magnette and TF. Another dealer locally, Sewards, have dropped the franchise. However I have yet to see a car on the road; there are lots for sale from dealers on EBay. I liked the cars when I sat in them at Longbridge in the spring, but not enough to risk buying one at anywhere near list price or to replace my ZT while its still functioning.

    No-one seems to have mentioned MG’s knocking banner ads aimed at German makes a few months ago and promoting the make’s Britishness, I thought this was more than a bit rich.I don’t know what all this ill-tempered nonsense is about re. Skodas, all I would add is that I have a 2001 Octavia 4×4 and it’s a fantastic car, the only disadvantages being high fuel consumption and tax compared to the diesels I’m used to. I know it’s a Golf underneath and virtually everything is marked made in Germany – that’s part of the attraction!

  70. A few comments on the above: In general, MG’s marketing isn’t high-profile enough; The MG6 is an ok car but I’m not really in the market for new cars. I drive a Maestro and you can get 3 of those for the price difference between two trim levels on a 6. And I’m 22 so no old men in Rovers jokes. And modern Audi drivers can be decidedly moronic, especially if they see your Maestro. 

  71. Oh dear, doom and gloom all round. I certainly agree that things are not as we had hoped they would be by now but I still think that this is very early days yet in the rebirth of MG. I hope SAIC/MG are taking notice of what is being said on here and elsewhere but I do believe that they are finding their way in a very uncertain world.

    The advertisement was poor (Ridley Scott’s company made it, I think) but nostalgia is not the way to go. For fans of the marque, MG needs no introduction. For newcomers to the brand, they need to hear about a smart new car and not see pictures of MGBs and the like.I hope things pick up when the diesel and the 3 arrive. I hope that Longbridge gets busier. I hope SAIC realise that more UK involvement would be a good thing.As regards the past, I for one don’t want to see too much of ‘olde Englande’ in the new cars.

    A little goes a long way and ultimately Rovers were swamped by all that and customers stayed away in their droves. People didn’t want it then and they don’t want it now. I know a lot of people on here adore the 75 but I don’t. I had three (company) 75s and was less than impressed. They were no better than any other competitor and in some ways worse. I much preferred the 600.Let’s hope for a brighter future for MG.

  72. @Keith Adams

    Sane goes for me with paragraphs – I just leave a reply.  I haven’t signed up to the website yet (I will at some point but I can’t face remembering yet another online login and password right now!)

  73. @ Steve Bailey. No offence taken! The 1.4 TDI engine pulls well in 5th – I certainly don’t find myself having to change down a lot on the motorway, plus doesn’t get “breathless” at higher speeds like small petrol engines tend to. Like all diesels its sluggish at low revs until the turbo kicks in . Doing a steady 70 mph gives ~60mpg, unfortunately I have a bit of a heavy right foot but even stints at 75-80mph mid 50’s mpg. Feels like an engine thats very well suited to the size of car it’s in.

  74. In which other countries is the MG6 for sale either as the ‘6’ or a Roewe 550?   Is it selling in big numbers elsewhere?   Is the UK ultimately a manufacturing, research & development facility?   Are big sales in the UK not currently a priority?  It would seem not, but why not?  There’s a loyal market of once MG Rover, Rover buyers to exploit.

  75. @Russell G  Thanks for that, I’ll be in the market for something cheaper to run in a couple of years so I’ll try a 1.4 TDI Fabia then – I always presumed that it wouldn’t be powerful enough being a 1.4, but with the turbo it looks like it’s better than the old 1.9 SDI non turbo was.

  76. Keith,You have been a staunch Rover/ MG commentator for many years and I greatly value your opinion, but I do hope you are wrong about the new future for MG in the UK and I offer the following observations from my reading of the situation:- Unlike in the old MGR days 

    I do think MG UK has a strategy for development of the brand in the UK and Europe and have some good people on board to do this.- While sales are clearly not as good as expected we must remember that the 2000 per year figure was a production rather than a sales target, so at present after 5 full months producution there should be about 800 completed 6s around, of which 200 we know are registered, say 200 are at dealers (40 dealers now with say 5 cars each) and 400 at the factory/in the supply chain. Yes they are holding a fair bit of stock, hence the recent 24321 sales campain, but I not sure it is situation critical yet- Re national ad campaings and other marketing 

    I agree this has been lacking and the focus, such as it is is, has been dealer led, but at launch they had about 32 dealers accross the country most of which had no new mg branding and few cars in stock. A major national campaing would only have alterted alot more people to the fact that their nearest dealer is 50 miles away and hasnt even got a proper website- There does seem to be commitment to signing new dealers and at least 10 have joined the network in the past 3 months. In reply to an email recently 

    Keith at MG also tells me there are others on the point of signing. Yes, from the outside it looks a bit dire, but to me I can still see a UK strategy being implemented dispite the many constraints of the current market and the limited model/engine options. Lets give them a bit more time before we write MG off once agian..     

  77. Richard James – comment 94When you haven’t seen a single MG6 on the road it’s hard not to wonder what’s happening.  Still your comments are encouraging.  It seems that initial sales TARGETS are very low and that things are still following the planned strategy.However, surely sales need to rise rapidly whilst the car is still fresh.

  78. Yes, as true car nerd,  I do check the SMMT sales figures every month and have been pretty dissapointed by only 42 MG registrations in September. The October figures will be interesting and will hopefully show some improvement follwing the charity test drive promotion. But I do think the strategy is to get dealers signed up (they are aiming for 50 dealers by the end of 2011), get the dealer sinage and websites up to speed, then start the more widespread ad capaigns (and hopefully a decent finance package to attract the private byer). It has been a soft start as planned I expect, but i agree it is now time to see some metal on the road 

  79. If, as it seems, we are trying to highlight MG Motor UK’s marketing flaws, surely it seems logical to start with the new MG6 itself. People have been talking about SAIC not having a grip on British culture or heritage, and highlighting the lack of advertising (Since the 6’s release, I have seen the TV ad twice and a few paper ads in TopGear magazine, but that is it), but where I think MG has gone very wrong is with the car they chose to release in the UK to signal MG’s ‘big return’.

    We were given a slightly modified Roewe 550, very plain and ordinary, if slightly Renault looking, whereas what we should’ve had to welcome the marque back is a TF replacement. Most people who know about MG’s history and heritage (as, evidently, no-one in Shanghai does), think of its history of sports cars and convertibles, such as the B and the Midget, and newer, younger customers would like the  speed and the thrills of such a car, and would also like the fact they would not have to break the bank for open-top speed.

    Once we have the all-important MG sports car back, SAIC could’ve done anything with MG; perhaps look through the history books of the various pieces of BMC that they own and bring in some new marques and cars using names from the olden days of British motoring. That is, if they don’t completely misinterpret the heritage again and give us another cheap Chinese box with a British badge sellotaped on as they have with the 6.       So, to summarise for the benefit of SAIC: BRING OUT A SPORTS CAR, NOW!      P.S. Does anyone think that Saab will suffer a similar fate to MG if it goes bankrupt?

  80. i agree with just about everything everyone has said above especially about lack of marketing  and range being the mg6’s problem’s,a diesel is coming but what about a hot version and even a non turbo 130bhp for fleet operator’s

  81. H Jones the last thing SAIC will launch is an open top sports car and I don’t blame them one bit and the reason, nobody buys them in China and not that many buy them here, and as a MG6 owner Im very dissapointed at your comments about the car , your probably one of these people that drive around in an MGB and would rather MG would have died with Rover in 2005.

    The Brits have had their chance at running MG and they messed it up, SAIC and MG Motor Uk have allready done two things MGR never managed to do, theyve given us a reliable version of the K Series and launched a brand new model and I wish them all the best for the future and I hope they ignore this site and the doom and gloom merchants that comment on it.

  82. Has Birmingham and other local councils bought any? What about selling/lending some to the police to improve the halo image? How about a bit of TV product placement – MG could possibly learn a bit from how Land Rover gets its products on BBC programmes.

    It would be good if MG could go touring car racing soon.

  83. I’ve seen one in the wild!!!!!!!!!! It was the Toomey demonstrator mind, but it was still prowling the streets. I nearly got a bad photo to upload to facebook too…

  84. It’s odd, after all this time I still haven’t seen a 6, not even a demonstrator, it’s almost getting to the point I think you’re all trying to wind me up about the 6, and it doesn’t really exist!On the other hand, I suppose what would be it’s 2nd cousin (twice removed) The Range Rover Evoque are positively common, and I see at least one every trip out, hell there were even 2 in close convoy earlier!

  85. All very depressing.A couple of thoughts;If 2000 cars sold is their target one would assume there are valid reasons for that. That being the case then it would clearly make sense to not get carried away with the marketing. You won’t be making profits on that volume. Again, if 2000 sales is the target then you wouldn’t want many dealers would you? And the dealers wouldn’t want the competition. You can’t make any money unless you can sell 100s of cars so 10 dealers would be the most you’d need.My question is….why only target 2000? Could they even cope with 10,000, 20,000 orders?

  86. LOL….how many times do you have to hit “Enter” to create a space between paragraphs? I tried 3 but obviously not enough.TestTest

  87. When you realise the initial sales targets are so low, the fact you ain’t seen one isn’t so hard to understand, so depressing for all us enthusiasts. However, as asked above, why are the initial sales targets so low? Why invest all that money in designing AND setting up production facilities for a new car and then not bother trying to sell a significant number?

  88. I seem to recall that I was accused of doing down MG by suggesting that their target of 2000 sales in a year was both a) profoundly unambitious and b) likely to be unachievable. Enough said!

  89. I think the example of MINI is a good one – recreated in the USA despite the lack of a nostalgic memory of the car there, and yet look at it now! It required savvy marketing and substantial investment, by some of the best people in the business. I wonder what they could have done with the MG name in the USA? Trouble is MG’s MG6 is a good car in search of an identity – is it a Skoda rival or an Audi/Alfa rival? I think they will seriously miss a trick with MG if they don’t show willing with an MGB for the 21st century – even as a loss leader that would be one way to give the brand the lift it deserves.

    • @ Adrian, this was a terrible image to launch a new car with, sort of thing FSO would have done in the eighties . ( Just a thought, I wonder if the owner bought Ladas when he was younger as he looked the type).
      Yet this is 10 years ago, the MG6 is now dead and dealers like this have either given up or upped their game. The Bristol Street Motors MG showroom in Carlisle is as modern and immaculate as one that would sell Volkswagens, the staff are well dressed and knowledgeable, and the cars are selling in large numbers.

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