Blog : Three can still be the saviour of MG Motor UK

Keith Adams

MG3 has all the hallmarks of a UK hit...
MG3 has all the hallmarks of a UK hit...

I know that I’ve been a little harsh on MG Motor UK recently – what with its disappointing sales (for the 6) and lacklustre (and budget) marketing – but I do genuinely believe that there’s light at the end of the tunnel. And that light is cast by the MG3.

Come on, admit it – the MG3 in the picture above does look rather good. And if it were nestling in your local MG dealer right now, and you had £9-11K burning a hole in your pocket for a new supermini, you’d most definitely be wanting a closer look. Of course, you can’t buy one now, and the word on the street is that UK buyers will have to wait up to a year from now before the 3 goes on sale. Which, if true is a little disappointing.

But it might well be worth the wait. Because I suspect that the company has been looking at cars such as the Suzuki Swift and Skoda Fabia for inspiration when developing the new baby – and having lived with a Swift for the past six months, I can say that if MG get on terms with this car, then it won’t have anything to worry about in the months following its launch. Admittedly, the Swift I’ve had on long term test is a DDiS, and in diesel form the cheeky hatchback isn’t perhaps at its best – but despite all that, it’s a great car to drive with quick, light steering, a nice high driving position, excellent forward visibility, and nice road manners.

MG3 from the rear
MG3 from the rear

In an era of belt-tightening and high fuel prices, superminis such as the Swift are becoming increasingly relevant, and I think that when properly resolved, they can be just as painless as a mid-sized car to live with. And in fact, the Suzuki Swift, with its pint-sized 1.2-litre diesel can effortlessly cover big distances, as well as perform well in town. MG needs to learn from cars like the Swift, and ensure that there is no pain at all in driving a new 3 in the sort of day an average company car driver will rack up in his Audi A4 or Vauxhall Insignia.

And it needs to be well-priced. Forget about trying to compete with the Ford Fiesta (or indeed the Swift) on cost, because MG just doesn’t have the marque kudos. Undercut the equivalent Swift by about £2K, and make sure that 5-4-3-2-1 deal is standard from the word go. Educated buyers know it’s Chinese, and will therefore expect to pay Chinese prices, while those who aren’t will just be attracted to the vaguely sporting image (make sure you fit red seatbelts!) and sharp styling. Oh, and advertise and market the bloody thing properly, of course!

But the MG6 has been nothing if not a learning exercise. I happen to like it still – and would happily live with one if someone threw the keys at me – but there are flaws in the plan, and everyone knows it. MG, please don’t make that series of mistakes again.

Living with the Swift has been an absolute pleasure – and if the MG performs as capably in the long term, and can hit this target, then its successful European adventure may well just be beginning.

The Suzuki Swift - if the MG3 can emulate this car, then Longbridge will have something to smile about.
The Suzuki Swift - if the MG3 can emulate this car, then Longbridge will have something to smile about.
Keith Adams

78 Comments

  1. Keith, there probably won’t be any dealers left by then sadly. This car needs to be launched with a diesel & auto versions in the UK NOW, and it needs to be priced from about £8,500 to stand even the most remote chance of selling. Starting it at £11k dooms it straight away.

  2. Oh and I don’t think dealers are less than impressed with MG’s stunt at flogging a shedload of unsold TF’s to Motorpoint, who are knocking em out brand spanking (delivery miles) for under £10k. Its the Cityrover saga all over again, but this time the firm is still trading.

  3. They had loads at motorpoint, you didn’t think those recent MG registrations were all 6’s did you Keith?

  4. Argh, I hate Motorpoint’s marketing. “Save £9000”.

    Well, yes, That’s because that car has done 30,000 miles and is 3 years old.

    However, those MG TFs look compelling at £9,999. That’s what I think they should have been all along (more for packages with hardtops, etc). I’m not in a position to buy at the moment; had i known about such things before getting the 114 Cabrio, I’d have been all over them (assuming cheap finance could be had, which I suspect it wouldn’t be from Motorpoint).

    Four showing – two green, two red – and a used LE for a grand less.

  5. Austin Allegro Meets Maestro and Motocross Bike helmet all in one. have another look. still I think the MG3 looks better than the MG6. not sure why, but either way im not keen on the front end styling. alex

  6. There is a chance of MG3 being a betterseller, but it depends so much on the professionalism of the company’s sales and marketing team. I worry that they don’t realise that. Photo’s of sales to fat blokes on Facebook won’t do it.

  7. We need this car now. This is the sort of car people now want. Private motorists now prefer smaller cars. A diesel would be nice but less compelling need in this class of car. If it can be priced well then it could do OK. It will not sell loads but surely it could outsell something like a Ypsillon?

    Incidentially I was thinking the other day, does anyone think the assembly at Birmingham is some kind of tax fiddle? It might explain the total lack of marketing focusing on this aspect of the build and why no one seems to have come forward to explain why they’re not worried about selling 15 cars last month.

  8. Certainly nicer and more appealing than the 6, but the front end needs a wee bit restyling in my opinion.

    The grille’s a bit too narrow and needs to look a bit more ‘snarly’ if that’s a real word… 😀

  9. I just hope its marketed properly. Marketing is not in my business’s portfolio of services but I think I could have done a better job with the 6!

    I do like the look of this car and if they get it right there will be a lot of good will from ZR owners past and present.

    As for Motorpoint’s Fs they are not as heavily discounted as many cars they sell from mainstream manufacturers. Look at the Insignas they offer and see what I mean.

  10. “Come on, admit it – the MG3 in the picture above does look rather good.”

    I certainly don’t think it does. It’s awkward and strangely proportioned. For potential buyers who don’t suffer from MG-nostalgia (and that’s the vast majority) it has nothing special going for it.

  11. With MG Motors current track record the 3 will be priced from 12-15K and completely fail to succeed. the need a starting price of 8k and a good finance package for under 150 per month inc servicing and 5 years warrenty – plus red seat belts!!

  12. Delivery mileage MGTF for ten grand – that’s a hell of a buy. No A/C though (okay, I know the roof comes down, but people do expect A/C these days).

  13. The MG3 may prove to be a brilliant car when it does eventually arrive, however if the marketing does not improve then how many people will be aware of its existance. There are still plenty of people out there who don’t know about the MG revival and the MG6. The cars may be great but the marketing is lacking.

  14. @Paul T

    “Certainly nicer and more appealing than the 6, but the front end needs a wee bit restyling in my opinion.

    The grille’s a bit too narrow and needs to look a bit more ‘snarly’ if that’s a real word… ”

    Funny that was exactly what I thought too. The Swift (and indeed the BMW MINI) is a good example

  15. I wish the 3 well as I did the MG6 but it doesnt push any buttons for me, though I do like that blue colour. Looks rather like a Hyundai i20 and not sporty enough to wear an MG badge. The ZR fitted the bill more. Perhaps I’ll think different in a year’s time.

  16. It’s going to be tough for MG Motor….this car has got to be cheap, it must be very hard for a manufacturer to start from zero (pardon the pun)image to big sales, VW pulled it off with Skoda, but that was VW.

    I hope thats it’s a huge success, but it will be brave individuals who cough up their hard earned for this over Pandas, i20’s, Picanto’s etc…..

  17. I know the look of a car is very very subjective to one and all, but I cannot see what all the fuss is about with the styling of the 3 – it’s a perfectly good looking car, the shape and solid line is in keeping with most other cars on the road today. I think it does look quite good, it’s a supermini and therefore not a porsche and so it is never going to get someone drooling – what other supermini does? and if anyone says the Fiesta ST, it’s more a question of paint than appearance! I think this car is desperately needed as the 6 just doesnt aim at a large market of buyers – this car does, given that the majority of the UK top 10 is made up of Supermini’s I don’t think anyone could argue with that.

    The car is needed now, the engine range needs to be run of the mill and not weird and we certainly need a diesel (a small one – not a giant 1.9 litre lump)

    Spec it well, tighten up the plastics a bit and have some decent paint choices with nice wheels and details and it will find a market much more than the 6. For example, for the cost of around £0.50p you can put in an Ipod connector – so please do so – don’t add this to the £4,000 more premium model – this just smacks of ripping us all off!

    Last of all, and listen carefully MG – MARKET THIS CAR BETTER THAN THE 6!!

    Facebook campaigns to a few thousand nostalgia driven fans ain’t going to sell cars. It hasn’t sold many 6’s has it?

  18. Keith, I agree with your piece entirely. If it’s well built then, with the right marketing and good publicity, the 3 can be the car to remake MG’s fortunes. I think it looks good. I always thought it had more than a hint of the Swift and the Fabia about it, so if it can match up to those cars then they could be onto a winner. My wife drives a Swift and loves it. I love it too – when I can get my hands on the thing! It’s as much fun as a Mini and quite a bit cheaper as well. Anyone who thinks the 3 isn’t sporty enough to wear the MG badge is wrong. Think about the history of the marque and not all the cars were hot hatches like the ZR. Indeed you could argue that the Z cars of the MGR years were more of a distortion of MG’s history than the new cars proposed by SAIC.

    I always thought that the 6 would be a learning exercise for SAIC/MG. They have made mistakes but let’s hope they have learnt, and continue to learn, from them. Reviving MG was always going to take more than one car and the 3 and 5 are more likely to be the cars to do that. That said, and despite the desperately bad press the car gets on here, I still think the 6 is a perfectly good car. I have driven two MG6s and liked them both. It can still do well.

  19. As already mention and the same for thr MG6 a Diesel is badly needed, It a shame they that havent done a TV adverts yet,either model don’t seem to be pushed. They also I feel that need to pitch the MG3 to complete in the market place, I quite liked the City Rover, as we know the price structure was too high compared with MGRs competetion. I really want for the MG brand to succeed, after all its the only brand left from MGR group. Great feature as always, Regards Mark

  20. If a week is a long time in politics, a year is going to be a very long time in the new motor vehicle trade.

    If MG Motors can’t raise their marketing game in the next 12 months, then you may well see all the production of MG3’s at Motorpoint. With such stiff competition in this segment why should anybody buy a car with:

    Little public exposure
    A low dealer presence
    No track record (sorry, the Z series cars are too long ago now and were from a different company entirely)
    No diesel option (that better be there in a year)

    MG need to hit this hard with a stunning warranty package, (I mean Korea beating stunning) great deals on trade-ins or a shed load of cash off + added incentives like the current 3000 miles free fuel or insurance etc etc.

    These aren’t going to sell on nostalgia value, punters will be looking for big sweeteners to make the bold move to a virtually unknown product – it took Skoda years to rebuild their reputation and MG haven’t even got one yet!

  21. It was obvious to me that as soon as the chinese took over MG and started making cars that the brand would be doomed in the UK. I have seen nothing so far to make me think I may be wrong. The MG3 looks just as bad as the 6. I have only seen 1 MG6 on the road so far and it looked awful.

  22. Not the most flattering pic you’ve used there Keith! Front 3/4s makes it look too heavy.

    This car needs to be launched now, not in a year or so time, it needs to be properly marketed, Guy Jones needs to be given the boot, a chocolate teapot can do a better job! This needs at least the 5,4,3,2,1 offer if not something better, it needs to be priced just a tad under Kia & Hyundai money it needs a generous standard spec, but most of all it needs marketing.

    MG, if you want to break the 1000 SALES (not registrations) mark then advertise the damned cars and do it properly, a few posts on Facebook, and some welcome home posters round Brum airport just isn’t good enough. Don’t give me the crap about a high profile TV advertising campaign, one advert shown a handful of times in cheap timeslots is not high profile!

  23. god i know this is going to make me sound like a tipical MG basher, but that car is horrible. the only way to discribe it is mutton dressed as lamb. the grill is far to thin for the car, its already looking dated. it had very odd proportions, and the whole thing is very very bland! compared with the fiesta, swift or the Citreon DS 3 it doesnt have a hope in hells chance.
    believe it or not i love MG as much as anyone on this sight (although will admit to being more of a rover man from the outset) and i hope it does well purly from a providing jobs angle. but really, for a company with such a long history as SAIC i cant believe that they have cocked up the whole MG re launch so badly. the 6 is not selling not because of its many faults, its not selling because no one knows its on sale apart from car enthusiasts who see it as just a chiniese car and not british.
    i just get so angry about the whole MG saga about how its once again being mis managed so badly. MG dont just need to do alot better than this car. MG need to go away totally and properly relaunch with a bang, and some decent world class cars!
    until then i really fear the worst.

  24. the mg3 will sell,if we need a diesel and auto at launch why not have a bi-focal windscreen and drivers commode?throw a GM/FIAT 1300 diesel in the thing and off you go.

  25. @francis brett – “why not have a bi-focal windscreen and drivers commode?” – you’ve seen the recent customer profile on Facebook I assume? Cupholders are big enough for tartan flasks apparently.

  26. no kieth i dont do facebook,but on a serious note mg need this car and need it fast,as ive commented before it needs to be really on the ball as regards quality and i hope it does well.i like the look of it,not as funky say as a corsa of fiesta but its agreeable.

  27. It will never be sold in the UK.
    It is hideous, I doubt even it’s mother loves it.
    MG is effectively dead.
    Seen one MG6 in Red Dragon Centre, Cardiff – plastics looked third rate, worse than my old Estelle 105 lux. Wouldn’t touch one with a barge pole!

    Jaguar and Land Rover on the other are in fantastic form, with a fantastic range with worldwide appeal.

  28. If it matches the competition on kit, and is fun to drive, economical, and built in the UK I would buy one. Who else offers a UK built super mini for 10k?

  29. Nice try Keith – but let’s face facts – SAIC has not made any real effort to market the (rather impressive I think) MG6/Magnette – apart from stalwart BL fans, no-one gives a toss about it any more. What’s more, it is already dated, and by the time it gets a decent TDi engine will be as creaky as it’s core buyers. The MG3 is in a similar quandry – it looks about right now, albeit a little staid when compared with the excellent Fiesta and even the decidedly dated (now) Skoda Fabia. Still no small displacement TDi, no clever 3-pot, or Multi-air or, well, anything out of the ordinary. It doesn’t look that hot, inside or out, and it is from a brand that is making a magnificent job of alienating potential customers by failing to offer anything that mainstream buyers want (can’t write big enough, but we all know – it needs a decent TDI!!!!!!!!). It’s a dead duck before UK launch unfortunately. SAIC needed to get these cars, in specs that matter to UK motorists, in the dealerships last year to make any inroads. And I see no real reason why they couldn’t have managed it – apart from apathy, and a slightly arrogant attitude to the host market. I’m really sorry, and I do genuinely like the MG6/Magnette, but, for me, SAIC, I’m out. No credibility whatsover.

  30. I’m not sure if MG Motor are guilty of absolute arrogance or total incompetance.
    They seem to take forever to deliver anything of any substance in the UK.
    MG dealer’s are almost invisible.
    There is no marketing to be seen.
    Absolutely nothing to push the product forward in the public eye or any financial insentive to lure potential buyers.

    The MG3 looks like it has a lot of potential though.
    IF there are any MG dealers left, by the time it finally arrives here. Then maybe MG3 will have a chance in the UK.

    Just hope it isn’t too little, too late.

  31. It doesnt stand a chance. Lets face it MG will take over two years from first showing it to putting in the showrooms by which time it will already be very dated. The showrooms themselves will be like something out of the 60’s, there will hardly be any cars actually available for sale and there will be absolutely no marketing. Oh, and you can bet the motoring press will struggle to give it more than 2 stars. Its another Chinese car for the Chinese market, let them keep it! The future of the remnants of the British Motor Industry isnt here. Its with JLR/tata and MINI/BMW.

  32. Its okay, but it needs to be excellent in this class, I haven’t seen or driven it obviously, but it won’t have the solidity or engines of the polo Ibiza or fabia, the drive of a fiesta, the chic of a ds3 or fiat 500.
    Apart from the dubious badging, would anyone apart from delusional patriots even consider one. I love mgs and rovers but this is just a Chinese car with no form, no resale prospects, and no dealer back up. It really is cityrover part 2

  33. Another MG that looks like a Kia or some other cheap car with tiny wheels, which is very evident in the photo here:

    http://magazine.utvdrive.co.uk/news/cars/mg/2765-chinese-owned-mg-is-keen-to-show-its-british-heritage.htm

    I think the Chinese have lost the plot. This doesn’t even come close to looking as good as a ZR which is a 10 year old design now. The ZR sold very well and a direct replacement for this car with similar styling is what MG needs.

  34. It’s bland, derivative, uninspired and uninspiring. A really pathetic effort which elicits in me none of the ‘must-have’ feelings of the ZR.

    I can cope with bland cars; there are plenty of them out there. What angers me in the case of the MG3 is the disrespect shown by SAIC to the people who built up the MG marque over a period of 80 years and to the existing customers of the brand who don’t want their cars to be associated in any way with this insipid rubbish.

    The UK and European buying publics are not the fools that SAIC take them for and will see right through this ridiculous pretence that the MG3 is an MG. It is a car without flair from the Far East, for the Far Eastern market, which happens to have an MG badge pinned to its snout. I predict that this car will bomb in the UK.

  35. If the SAIC motor passenger car division has only sold 12007 Roewe and MG worldwide, they don’t have the credentials of a company that can match the nest that europe and korea has to offer. Third rate company, third rate cars, great shame.

  36. by the time mg3 hits the uk market it will be outdated.the marketing by saic has been an absolute shambles and trying to get your manufacturing employees [ track associates] to sell these cars in shopping centres beggars belief , its been a complete and utter p—s take of the mg brand from start to finish .

  37. SAIC has sold 3.3 million cars this year (up to end October) – MG UK sales can’t figure very highly in their calculations but they are still presumably comparing with some concern the worldwide MG/Roewe sales/production levels to those achieved at Longbridge prior to the MGR closure.

    If the MG3 is late to market then doing the ZT/75 replacement off a GM platform that has already been around a few years now seems a bit odd. What about the MG5 – that’s a potentially important model also and its styling has been well received – getting that wrong has often led to problems in the past for BL/Rover group.

  38. @ Craig – given the ZR’s “must have” feelings only managed to generate around 10,000 global sales a year, I think I’d rather it shared some of the Fabia’s “must have” feelings as that car manages to sell 40,000 cars in the UK alone, and a few hundred thousand across the globe.

    Constantly referring to the ZR is simply not where MG are either at, or want to be at anymore. The ZR was a short-lived, modestly UK specific success that was relatively outdated 10 years ago. Let’s forget that car and focus on the MG3 on it’s own merits – and from what I can see, in the looks department it seems to hold reasonable ground with other cars in todays market.

    The telling test will be the quality and how it drives. None of us know the answer to that yet, one hopes the time it is taking to get to UK market is being used to ensure it is more desirable and competitive than the MG6 has proved not to be.

  39. @James (point 51) – I couldn’t agree with you more. The ZR is dead and gone and was only, at best, a moderate sale success. The important thing now is for the MG3 to be class competitive.

  40. It’s an inoffensive looking car, but hardly a market leader.

    As I’ve said before, it’s caught between two stools. If it had a Chinese badge, and was 100% imported, then you could see a place for it as cheap cheerful transport. Having the UK plant adds cost, while the MG confuses the public, who expect it then to be sporty. Will the pensioners happily driving around in their Honda Jazzes associate the MG badge with the boy racer MGs, and decide it’s not for them?

    The Honda Jazz, Nissan Note and Juke are all genuinely UK built small cars incidentally.

  41. Re the MG TFs at Motorpoint – I happened across these at the end of August – at the time they were £10699 for the half leather, £10999 for full leather and £11999 for the LE 500 – their website at the time had over 40 vehicles, all brand new, spread across the various sites – so it’s a safe bet they came direct from MG UK and not from a single dealer that had gone under.

    A couple of weeks later, the Scottish Daily Express had a full page for Motorpoint with a plug for the cars at £9999 – most of them disappeared off their website by the following weekend, so it’s likely the usual thing of cars without aircon being shipped to Scottish dealers to move on (Arnold Clark all over Scotland often has a large number of pre-reg Peugeots and Citroens with no A/C for example, and I myself bought a new but pre-reg Subaru from a Scottish dealer without A/C) being the case.

  42. “disrespect shown by SAIC to the people who built up the MG marque over a period of 80 years and to the existing customers of the brand who don’t want their cars to be associated in any way with this insipid rubbish.”

    But Craig, MG UK and the MGCC are bestest pals dontchaknow!

    Still not 100% sure what a ‘new’ car was doing on a stand at a CLASSIC car show???

  43. What we really need is another moderately facelifted Rover, with some Halford’s style kits, ‘livin’ it large’ colour schemes and largely untouched interiors. It saved MG previously, it can save MG game. What we don’t need is a company playing the long game. That, as demonstrated by the Hyundai’s of this world, simply doesn’t work. We demand more spoilers NOW!

  44. MOTORPOINT MGTF’s

    I’m willing to bet a wad of cash that the TF’s that have arrived in Motorpoint in the past few months are in fact ex-Irish cars. The importer here has given up the franchise and in the 2 years+ they had the TF’s they sold none. They all disappeared over night and nobody knows where they went.

    As for the MG3. It may have a small impact now if it is launched but in 12 months time the car will be well behind the competition. Sorry but it looks old hat as it is

  45. Keith, I hope you are right about the 3, but sales will also depend on decent dealers.
    In a quiet couple of hours last Friday 11 November I did my own internet spot check on the current MG network and the results were quite revealing.
    Based on the ‘red balloons’ on the MG site’s dealer finder pages, there are currently 39 dealers plus 3 ‘sales only’ sites and 9 ‘after sales only’ locations.
    Checking the websites of the 43 dealers and sales sites, 4 had no website at all, 4 did not mention MG on their site and only 28 of the 43 actually referred to the MG6, with 18 of those mentioning the latest 54321 offer and 8 offering finance…While this is a coarse assesment of dealer commitment I think it fair to say that less than half the current ‘network’ are actally making much of an effort..

  46. @sixtyten – you poor deluded soul – MGR is dead, encased in concrete a la Jim’ll Saville, and it ain’t coming back. I do hope you were being ironic? SAIC doesn’t give a fig for the feeling that UK ex-MGR buyers have for the marque – it’s all a halo brand for reinforcing sales in Shanghai – can’t you see that?

  47. @61 you take no prisoners do you? you may have a point,mgs used to be sports cars the ones that spring to mind are the usual mga and so on, then they became metros,montegos blah blah-if they ever go mainstream in this country they will just be that,they wont evoke fond memories in folk,but for that matter i restored a couple of MGB’s and always found them horrid to drive but liked the b series grunt.Ford own the rover brand name(just so it can never be used again)so we are stuck with MG the brand,unless they introduce the akaisanyonicknockynoo 3.

  48. Looking at the MG6 i see an old Nissan Primera, whilst the MG3 looks equally staid & outdated compared to say the current Fiesta, without the proven quality or back up. I love the MG brand having owned MGB,s an MGF and at present a Midget, but i don’t see how these Chinese cars related to the brand history for MG owners or appeal to modern car buyers in general, unless they are very keenly priced.

  49. @ paul T I agree with Paul T give some more char grill and it will look almost perfect…I might even buy one. alex

  50. Looks a bit generic, but better than most other small hathcbacks these days. I hope it has more legroom than the dreadfully cramped Suzuki Swift. I note how the current fashion seems to be high waistline and sculpted doors with no rubbing strip or coach line

  51. @francis brett – I’m possibly being a little too much of a realist – but come on, does anyone who reads this website really think that SAIC will ever take the UK market seriously? After the cack-handed way it relaunched the TF, and the shameful way it hasn’t bothered to even try and market the MG6? On it’s present showing, I don’t see SAIC ever being taken seriously as a car-maker in the European market.

  52. Simon: SAIC does, and will, take the EU market seriously. UK, perhaps not, but after China Brilliance’s disastrous attempt to crack the market, SAIC has an opportunity to get in there first; to be the Toyota or Datsun equivalent rather than the Kia, Mazda or Hyundai.

    Why would Proton ever have taken the UK market seriously, really? Yet look at where they are…

  53. @66 the tf or mgf(i prefer metro derived,metro back to front subframed convertible)why did they relaunch it?was there some shells leftover from mayflower? anyway they sold well and drove well-until they became steel sprung,that it ever existed is a testament to rover engineers turning a metro floorpan into what it became it should have stayed dead with rover and SAIC should have busied themselves on the more important things like making cars that sell in volume,upto now it hasnt happened-i hope it does because id hate to see lonbridge gone,setting that aside i think lets wait and see is the order of the day.

  54. @67 – Doo what? – and I quote “Proton sales seem to be slowly declining in the United Kingdom with 2008 sales at 1518 (0.07% share of the market), compared to 2752 in 2002. These figures are insignificant compared to 2008 UK sales of 28,036 for South Korea’s Hyundai and 29,397 for Spain’s SEAT. In 2009 Proton’s UK sales fell further and the marque sold only 960 cars with a reduced 0.05% market share. By 2010, only 767 cars sold in UK.”

  55. @66 – have you been to Longbridge lately? It’s a housing estate / retail park with a little-biddy car polishing plant hidden somewhere in the middle……..

  56. does anyone remember the macro at the old Rover Mini Website where you could dress your own Mini including Indian Looking cone top grills and so on….I think this is what MG need to do 🙂 alex

  57. Proton will more than likely pull out of the UK within the next 18 months, and I have a feeling there will be no MG dealers in the UK by August 2012. MG is dead in the water in the UK. They aren’t bothered about the UK market simply because of the steering wheel location, which means lots of heavy re-engineering and tooling. China is a left hooker market, so to flog em in mainland Europe, it will only take a few very minor tweaks.

  58. Those two shots of the MG3 do look rather good. However, the MG6 also looks rather good, rather distinctive and look what’s happening to that without any sales or marketing push and a limited dealer network.

    One can only assume MG UK, SAIC know what they are doing, have a plan. However, with the MG6 on sale for six months and not a single ‘on the road’ sighting one does wonder…..

  59. I do like it but it suffers from the same problem as most modern styles. The front end lights & apron, although nice in themselves, are out of proportion with the rest of the car.

    Like the rear angle.

  60. I’ve yet to see an MG6 on the road. That says it all.
    We all know what MG need to do:
    1. Every other manufacturer advertises all the time – they’re acting like the last few years of MG Rover. So decent advetising = marque/brand awareness.
    2. They need to learn from the MG6 is that they need a car to european standards. They need to get the cabin to the same quality as a Rover 75 / MG ZT. It’s what we all expect.
    3. The new models MG3 & 5 – all need to come here sooner.
    4. Somehow reward those few dealers who have helped launch the MG6 or else no-one will touch your product

  61. Maybe, just maybe, judging from the reception in China this is a cracking little car. Price it right and it will sell, particularly if they can crack another deal with the insurance industry.

    Go SAIC!

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