MG Launches Rover 75 Based 7 Series In China

The former British built MG-ZT (sporty version of the BMW Groupe developed, Rover 75) has been officially launched in China as the MG 7 Series or, just MG7 for short. The models introduced to the Chinese market include three 160Hp 1.8-litre Turbo variants of the MG 7, and a flagship version, the MG7L which is equipped with a 2.5-litre V6 240 Hp powerplant. If you’re wondering what the “L” stands for, the MG7L is 200 mm longer than the standard MG7. Nanjing MG, who acquired the rights to build the car, said that in China, prices for the MG7 range from £12,600 to £22,260 ($25,500 to 45,700 or €18,000 to 32,400). -Continued after the jump Commenting on the introduction of the MG 7, Nanjing MG’s sales director Yang Junhu said: “We are bringing British automotive culture to our country. Until now no other car from a British marque has been manufactured and sold in China. Today customers are becoming more demanding in terms of their requirements which we will be able to satisfy thanks to the different variants of the MG7.”





 

Chinese Cops Get MG7 Police Vehicles

Have you ever wondered what kind of vehicles do Chinese cops drive? Whilst many might rush to answer Ford Crown Victoria clones based on the Zinghai Ziouzitsou platform, Chinese cops at the Jiangsu Province recently received a new batch of Nanjing MG 7s. And if you’re wondering why, the reason is that the MG-ZT based MG 7 is built in the specific Chinese province. -More pics after the jump






 

China: Shanghai Automotive Buys Nanjing Auto

State-owned Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. (SAIC) has come to an agreement with Yuejin Motor Group (also state-owned…) to buy its Nanjing Automobile’s auto-assembly and component-making businesses. The deal, which is valued at 2.1 billion Yuan or approximately $286 million, will set Shanghai as one of the biggest players in China’s booming auto-industry. According to reports, the combined sales of Shanghai and Nanjing will surpass the 2 million units mark by 2010.
Of course a deal like this wouldn’t have been carried out without the consent of the all-mighty Chinese government who wants to see more mergers in China's fragmented passenger car market which kinda reminds the US and European car industry in the first half of the 20th century when there where like 50 or more independent car makers. -Continued
Interestingly, Nanjing Automobile owns MG Rover assets along with the right to the brand MG, while Shanghai Automotive (SAIC) obtained design rights for two Rover models including the 75 which it sells under the name Roewe.

MG TF LE500 Production Commencing at Longbridge Plant in August 2008

Chinese carmaker NAC MG who owns the rights to the MG name has announced that production of the TF LE500 mid-engined roadster will commence at MG Rover’s Longbridge plant in Birmingham at the beginning of August, with the first cars delivered to showrooms in September.

The revived MG TF LE500 is virtually a mildly facelifted version of the original MG TF that was introduced in 1995 when the British marque was still under the control of BMW -talk about retro... The roadster received two facelifts in 1999 and 2002 before it went out of production in 2005. -Continued

Chairman for NAC MG UK Ltd, Mr He, Xiao Qing, said; “I am delighted to be in a position to talk about a launch date for the TF LE500 following a process of planning, re-organisation, active quality improvements and parts optimization that we recognize resulted in frustration for our stakeholders. We are now fully focused on bringing our hard work to fruition.”

NAC MG added that the company is planning to extend the MG range into additional sectors in the near future.

MG to Bring Three New Cars to Europe – U.S. Plans Scrapped

In addition to a revamped version of the current TF LE500 roadster, NAC, the Chinese owner of MG is planning to introduce three new models in Europe according to company’s managing director, Gary Hagen. “We’re planning a four-car range of MGs – first to arrive will be a mid-sized saloon sharing its platform with the Roewe 550. The planned introduction for this car is late 2010 and, looking at today’s marketplace, I see the main opposition as being the Mazda 6,” said Hagen in an interview with the British website Austin Rover Online. -Continued

“After that, there will be a C-segment compact and a B-segment supermini – and, no, that won’t be the MG3 SW, which has been a major success for us in China. Clearly, we have the capacity to build these cars in Longbridge and the Chinese are keen for this to happen,” added Hagen.

NAC MG’s managing director also took the opportunity to shed some light on the company’s ‘on and off’ plans for a return into the North American market. “We’re starting with the UK and Ireland and, once we’re up to speed, we will be pushing to sell in Europe. The USA isn’t on the short-term radar as an anticipated market for us but, with the right product, it would be good to return there,” Hagen told Austin Rover Online. The MG brand disappeared from U.S. dealerships in the early 1980s.