MG on the rise as MG6 model in production



We may not be able to buy new MGs in New Zealand, but if you're going to Britain any time soon, Avis can rent you one while you're there.

It's expected that the now Chinese-owned MG company will be re-introducing the brand to New Zealand some time this year, but details of who, when and which cars are being considered are still a little sketchy.

MG Motors is based in Birmingham, England, along with Chinese company SAIC's European Technical Engineering Centre (SMTC) and they jointly employ 400 people in automotive styling, design, engineering, manufacturing and support services.

The MG6 GT sports fastback and MG6 Magnette sports sedan are both designed and engineered in Britain at MG Birmingham, where final assembly also takes place.

Avis Rent a Car has taken delivery of 100 MG6 GT fastbacks and MG6 Magnette sports saloons. It is the first order of its kind for MG.

The cars will be put on Avis' national car hire fleet and customers will soon be able to hire them for business trips, holidays and other journeys.

Both the MG6 GT fastback and the MG6 Magnette sports saloons are powered by 1.8-litre turbocharged engines.

The cars offer comfort and space for five adults and judging from reports from British colleagues, offer the kind of MG driving dynamics we've become used to.

The MG6 is the first all-new MG in 16 years, and customer car No 1 came off the final assembly line in the car assembly building at the firm's plant at MG Birmingham, marking the start of a new era in the 87-year history of the MG brand.

It was driven off the line by Lisa Ponter, the only woman working on the production line.

Three trim models of the 1.8-litre turbocharged petrol MG6 are available with prices ranging in Britain from about NZ$40,000 to NZ$51,000.

The MG6 GT offers a comprehensive list of standard equipment, including 18-inch alloy wheels, cruise control, iTPMS tyre pressure monitoring, leather sports seats, rear view parking camera with front and rear reversing aids, driver and front passenger electric seat adjustment, heated front seats, automatic dual-zone air conditioning, electronic rain sensing wipers, a built-in full colour display sat nav system, RDS radio, CD player, MP3, USB, Aux-in capability and Bluetooth mobile phone integration.

In time for the next northern hemisphere summer, two new MG sports cars are being launched: the affordable MG TF 135 and a model to mark the 85th anniversary of the brand, the MG TF 85th anniversary

patpending wrote:Well well well!

Nothing stands in the way of the land of "Caution: Left Hand Drive Test Car" now!

After the collapse and sale of MG Rover, we thought we would never see new MGs here again. So it is good news that we will be seeing the brand in showrooms in the next month or so, as the MGB celebrates its 50th birthday.

Our MGs will be sourced from China for reasons of cost and transportation, and the importer, British Motor Distributors, is expecting delivery through the Port of Auckland this weekend of examples of its MG6 GT, while the upcoming MG5 and MG3 should appear later in the year, although in each case there is a wait for automatic transmissions.

The MG6 GT is here for evaluation by dealers and potential dealers as well as journalists.

The specific dealer lineup has not yet been finalised, says Kerry Cheyne, operations manager at British Motor Distributors, but there will be a lineup of at least three model ranges when things start to move for MG in New Zealand.

The MG6/Magnette model is a C/D-sized car and was the first all- new MG to appear since the Rover Group's sale of the MG and Rover brands to the Nanjing Automobile Group in 2005. The Nanjing Automobile Group was taken over by the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation in 2007.

The MG6 GT is a five-door hatchback, launched in Britain in the middle of last year. Ours will have 118kW turbocharged TCI- Tech 1.8-litre engines, and a turbo diesel version is due by the end of the year. Again, this is auto transmission dependent.

Likely to be the volume seller of the new MG range is the MG5, which has been seen only as a show car so far. Sized in the Focus/Corolla area, the car uses the 1.5-litre VVT engine from the Roewe 350, on which the car is based, with 80kW of power and 135Nm of torque in naturally aspirated form. A turbocharged version of the engine is also expected.

A dual clutch gearbox designed with General Motors will also reach the MG5 and this may even pervade the whole lineup before too long. The unit will be launched in the new Roewe 550 in April at the Beijing Motor Show, where the final signed-off MG5 will also appear.

The MG5, coded AP12, is just one of a series of cars based on the Roewe 350 AP platform. The AP13 light SUV and AP14 station wagon will appear soon too.

Previewed as the MG Zero concept at last year's Beijing car show, the MG3 is a Polo and Fabia-sized five-door hatch and in its Chinese home market it will have a choice of 1.3-litre and 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engines. For New Zealand, we can expect the 1.5-litre.

There is also speculation of a front-engined rear-drive small sports car to replace the mid- engined MGF/TF model.

The company has always said that it has wanted to create a new MGB for the 21st century and that car's 50th birthday this year represents perfect timing for a concept car.

It is expected that SAIC's joint- venture relationship with General Motors will lead to a new MG7 flagship model, based on the on the Opel Insignia Epsilon II platform.

The MG5, coded AP12, is just one of a series of cars based on the Roewe 350 AP platform. The AP13 light SUV and AP14 station wagon will appear soon too.

patpending wrote:

The MG5, coded AP12, is just one of a series of cars based on the Roewe 350 AP platform. The AP13 light SUV and AP14 station wagon will appear soon too.

So it's more than just pure speculation.

The AP13 is therefore not the MG3 XROSS. And an "MG5 estate"? New to me. Do we have a picture of these developments similar to the one showing the likely release months?

patpending wrote:By "more than speculation" I meant references to "the importer British Motor Distribution".

Eight MG6 liftbacks and sedans have just arrived in Auckland as demonstration cars ahead of the late-February retail rollout of MG by importers British Motor Distributors (BMD)

patpending wrote:

Eight MG6 liftbacks and sedans have just arrived in Auckland as demonstration cars ahead of the late-February retail rollout of MG by importers British Motor Distributors (BMD)

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/motoring/news/article.cfm?c_id=9&objectid=10783083

Windy wrote:

patpending wrote:

Eight MG6 liftbacks and sedans have just arrived in Auckland as demonstration cars ahead of the late-February retail rollout of MG by importers British Motor Distributors (BMD)

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/motoring/news/article.cfm?c_id=9&objectid=10783083

There are nine in the row by the ship!