Filed under: China, Hatchbacks, UK
MG hatchback pictures surface
Nanjing is still hanging IV bags on the battered carcass of MG, and there's a new hatchback model coming for 2010 that the automaker hopes will breathe new life into the the brand. Based on SAIC's Roewe 550, the new hatchback is about the size of a Euro Focus, and will reportedly be built at the historical MG home of Longbridge, in the UK. The car looks a little flashier than the Roewe version, and engineers from Ricardo are lending development expertise to make sure the suspension settings are all that they should be. Inside, there's a BMW-esque instrument panel, and underhood will be a 1.8-liter four cylinder, either naturally aspirated or turbocharged. With the flurry of new activity at MG -- there's the MG TF and ZS, as well as more models coming soon -- color may be returning to the cheeks of a brand once thought as good as dead.
[Source: Auto Express]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Peter 9:12AM (11/13/2008)
Wow, this company just wont die.
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TJ 9:41AM (11/13/2008)
And that's a good thing!
They need to get back to their roots though (well, as much as a Chinese owned British company can....)
(disclaimer: I own a 1952 MG TD)
David 11:03AM (11/13/2008)
TJ, I would LOVE to see MG back here in the States, but even I think they may be too far gone. If BMW had not mangled their ownership of MG/Rover, we could be celebrating the 10 year anniversary of their reintroduction here. There was no reason they could not have done to MG what they did to Mini.
(disclaimer - I have owned my 1972 MGB for the last 27 years.)
TJ 11:36AM (11/13/2008)
@david...
I would love to see MG return as a cross breed somewhere between a Lotus and a Morgan....
David 11:59AM (11/13/2008)
TJ, That would be great, but under Chinese ownership, at least for the foreseeable future, I don't see them being able to pull that off. Generally speaking, the Chinese need a lot more experience in the Automotive business to be able to do this credibly. Look how long it took Korea to build a serious Lexus competitor with the Genesis. At least Mr. (Lord???) Riley is working on the SV...
Richard 2:12PM (11/13/2008)
Wow!
Morris Garages lives. That should bring good cheer to the hapless wonks at GM and Chrysler (I think the Ford guys may be better managers than the Wagoner and Nardelli crews) that they may come out the other side of the Barney Frank driven Cluster F that will create "American Leyland."
For those of you too young to know, there were once several great car companies in the UK. They were Jaguar, Triumph, MG (Morris Garages) and Rover. In the late 1960s or early 1970s they were all in ill health. Instead of letting them figure it out, they were nationalized into a corporation called British Leyland. Quality plummeted as you would expect when neither management nor workers take any penalty for poor corporate performance. Eventually BL split up. Jaguar was purchased by Ford, Triumph died, Rover was owned - briefly - by BMW, MG lived - a little, died and its carcass was sold.
But take the lesson that Barney Frank won't: removing the rewards tied to great performance guarantees mediocrity. America's automotive mediocrity will continue or get worse until they face the truth and rebuild their companies. Of course, a big loan from Uncle Barnie will simply put off the day of reckoning - albeit with our tax dollars instead of GM's corporate coffers.
Mehul 9:12AM (11/13/2008)
Not Bad, I must say. Impressive for a chinese company. I like the back better than the front.
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dukeisduke 9:38AM (11/13/2008)
Maybe they can bring back the Magnette!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MG_Magnette
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hypermiler 9:38AM (11/13/2008)
Roewe 550/MG6
The Good : Decent engineering for a Chinese car. Original styling.
The Bad : Priced the same as Japanese and Korean cars. Panels don't fit together well(Gaps). Bombed in China(Where Japanese models are killing Chinese models)
The Verdict : Don't expect a miracle. 60% of a Japanese car for 90% of price.
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bduddy 10:24AM (11/13/2008)
In other words: Chinese, so bad. Great analysis there, buddy.
Torrent 10:29AM (11/13/2008)
At first I thought it was a new G6. Sad, though because this looks pretty good to slot under the G8... It actually kinda looks like a G8....
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Mehul 12:18AM (11/14/2008)
Loving the picture. Makes me wanna watch the movie again :-)
Swede 10:59AM (11/13/2008)
If it gets at least a four star EuroNCAP safety rating I'm all for it.
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Richard 2:13PM (11/13/2008)
They simply MUST call this the MG GT as that is what the old 3-door was called. It was great too!
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P.V. 7:21PM (11/13/2008)
Why post this bad rendering? It's a cut-and-paste job that's been badly done.
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