Just saw an advert for MG On Discovery

Something called a MG 6 Thought MG went belly up  Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

Chinese owners are now starting to make cars.

I think, at the moment its the MG6, and some super efficient city car is in the pipeline.

MG6 isn't too bad a car on paper, well priced, reasonable spec. Whether the MG brand will take off again is another thing.

designed and put together just down the road from me

Not sure they are gonna be able to shake their past but good luck to them - I'm all in fvour for supporting british brands even if German ones are better!!!! Freelander 2 TD4 Auto, SE, Narvik Black, Alpaca full leather, Rear Headrest Entertainment System, 6 CD, 18 HSE Wheels, Privicy tints

npinks wrote:

Just saw an advert for MG On Discovery

Something called a MG 6 Thought MG went belly up

This is essentially a Chinese built car, from a Chinese owned brand, with a team of 40 in the UK essentially fitting the pre assembled engine and suspension and then testing the finished product. Unfortunately, this is not the return of serious manufacturing at Longbridge

Tigger wrote:

This is essentially a Chinese built car, from a Chinese owned brand, with a team of 40 in the UK essentially fitting the pre assembled engine and suspension and then testing the finished product. Unfortunately, this is not the return of serious manufacturing at Longbridge

Executive Valeter wrote:

Tigger wrote:

This is essentially a Chinese built car, from a Chinese owned brand, with a team of 40 in the UK essentially fitting the pre assembled engine and suspension and then testing the finished product. Unfortunately, this is not the return of serious manufacturing at Longbridge

Not quite correct. It's not a lot different than when it was owned by BMW as they arn't British either. The plan eventually is for China to build cars for the Asian market & England to build cars for the European market.

Main difference is that unlike BMW who only wanted the original company (Rover Group) in 1994 to rape it for the forthcoming Mini that they take the praise for but didn't design & Landrover because they didn't (believe it or not) have the technology to build a 4x4 ( & even now don't seem to be able to do a very good job lol).

S.I.A.C. actually want to invest in & grow the product. They also have their hand in a vast amount of other manufacturers, VW & Fiat to name 2.

Tigger wrote:

I would recommend www.aronline.co.uk for some really detailed back ground reading on the matter, especially relating to the shared development of the MINI between the UK and Germany. Their site is moving servers at the moment, so it may be down for a short while.

Executive Valeter wrote:

Tigger wrote:

I would recommend www.aronline.co.uk for some really detailed back ground reading on the matter, especially relating to the shared development of the MINI between the UK and Germany. Their site is moving servers at the moment, so it may be down for a short while.

Just out of interest are you a member on there & if so what do you have?

I am a member there, but it's not a Forum first and foremost, it's more like of a detailed reference site on all things from BMC onwards. In the late 80's and early 90's a ran a series of Montego estates and 2.0 litre MG Maestros as work cars (hugely underrated, but with panel gaps that only a Defender provides now!).

From 2004 to 2010 I owned a Cooper, then a supercharged Cooper S as my own private (non company) cars and was very heavily involved in the MINI club scene and still Administer the MINI club site for Devon and Cornwall, though MINI clubs are much quieter than they were 5 years ago. My wife and I have had an interest in Minis and then MINIs since the late '80's.

I've been on quite a few factory tours, and a launch event at Cowley, over the past 7 years as part of club events and even met and talked to Gert Hildebrand (Head of MINI design at BMW for 10 years). Not a man I have a lot of faith in, I'm afraid! Going around the current Cowley site makes an interesting contrast to visiting the same works in the late 80's when we saw the original Rover 800 being built; they wouldn't even let any visitors in to see the Montego and Maestro production line

Tigger: you are better informed than EV - thankfully.

EV: you are still drinking from that polluted chalice that Red Robo got drunk on. Wake up to the reality. The Chinese have the asset they want (the MG brand name) firmly in their grasp. They employ only 40 souls to screw together the kits from China. As soon as (or if) the european market acceptance and demand requires commercially sustainable volumes then they will ship completed cars from their homeland. The economics of production scales and the neighbourly logistics of part suppliers dictate that. Longbridge is simply a "political and marketing incubation plant" - once the baby can walk the umbilical cord will be cut and full scale production for global markets will be exported from China.

Keep watching SAAB. The same scenario as the Rover 4 is being played out right now. The Spyker shower have bankrupted themselves and have gone cap in hand to the chinese. Last week they were refused a huge investment injection. The Moaists want it for next to nothing just like they got the entrails of Rover Group.

athelstan wrote:

Tigger: you are better informed than EV - thankfully.

EV: you are still drinking from that polluted chalice that Red Robo got drunk on. Wake up to the reality. The Chinese have the asset they want (the MG brand name) firmly in their grasp. They employ only 40 souls to screw together the kits from China. As soon as (or if) the european market acceptance and demand requires commercially sustainable volumes then they will ship completed cars from their homeland. The economics of production scales and the neighbourly logistics of part suppliers dictate that. Longbridge is simply a "political and marketing incubation plant" - once the baby can walk the umbilical cord will be cut and full scale production for global markets will be exported from China.

Keep watching SAAB. The same scenario as the Rover 4 is being played out right now. The Spyker shower have bankrupted themselves and have gone cap in hand to the chinese. Last week they were refused a huge investment injection. The Moaists want it for next to nothing just like they got the entrails of Rover Group.

Tigger wrote:

Executive Valeter wrote:

Tigger wrote:

I would recommend www.aronline.co.uk for some really detailed back ground reading on the matter, especially relating to the shared development of the MINI between the UK and Germany. Their site is moving servers at the moment, so it may be down for a short while.

Just out of interest are you a member on there & if so what do you have?

I am a member there, but it's not a Forum first and foremost, it's more like of a detailed reference site on all things from BMC onwards. In the late 80's and early 90's a ran a series of Montego estates and 2.0 litre MG Maestros as work cars (hugely underrated, but with panel gaps that only a Defender provides now!).

From 2004 to 2010 I owned a Cooper, then a supercharged Cooper S as my own private (non company) cars and was very heavily involved in the MINI club scene and still Administer the MINI club site for Devon and Cornwall, though MINI clubs are much quieter than they were 5 years ago. My wife and I have had an interest in Minis and then MINIs since the late '80's.

I've been on quite a few factory tours, and a launch event at Cowley, over the past 7 years as part of club events and even met and talked to Gert Hildebrand (Head of MINI design at BMW for 10 years). Not a man I have a lot of faith in, I'm afraid! Going around the current Cowley site makes an interesting contrast to visiting the same works in the late 80's when we saw the original Rover 800 being built; they wouldn't even let any visitors in to see the Montego and Maestro production line

Tigger wrote:

Going around the current Cowley site makes an interesting contrast to visiting the same works in the late 80's when we saw the original Rover 800 being built; they wouldn't even let any visitors in to see the Montego and Maestro production line

Probably just as well lol As much as I like them then & now! (Past) Freelander 2 HSE 2010 MY In Rimini Red.
(Past) RR Evoque Dynamic Lux Si4 In Firenze Red.
(Past) RR Evouque Pure Tech in Barollo Black with bespoke Firenze Red colour coding.
(Present) Freelander Metropolis 2015 MY In Santorini Black with Ivory Premium Leather.

Executive Valeter wrote:

Shut Up, you bore me! pillock!

Executive Valeter wrote:

Excellent. I would love to chat with you in more detail. I am slowly restoring a 1990 MG Montego in Flame Red. I did a few tours of Longbridge including MG Sport & Racing & at the time (May 2005) I & a freind were the only members of the public to drive out in the ZR-X motorshow car& all round the call centre etc!

I went into a customer's workshop's a couple of years ago and they had one of their customer's cars in for work - a completely original Montego Turbo in Moonraker blue. Apparently the retired owner had had it for years - possibly from new. Exactly the same colour as one of my Montegos and one of the MG's, so it was hard to ignore! As an aside, the first MG Maestro still holds my own personal record for outright speed on 4 wheels, at 126mph. I'd best not say where and when that record was set, but it was nearly 25 years ago....

You must have been one of the very last to visit Longbridge, didn't they enter administration in April 2005?

I'd be interested to see any photos of how the MG is coming along.