MG to reinvent sports car
British engineers and designers searching for "new breed" of sports car. Help them find it
“There's a definite understanding from our Chinese owners what [a sports car] will do for our brand," David Lindley told us.
He reassured us that it doesn't have to mean we're getting a production version of this year's Icon concept - a small SUV coupe wearing the face of an MGB. That's no-one's idea here of a sports car, but it's hard to imagine how they're going to reinvent the classic two-seat, rear-drive roadster set-up.
“The traditional sports car industry is shrinking and shrinking," said Lindley. He also pointed out that China doesn't buy sports cars, a problem when right now the majority of MG sales are over there, although it has big plans for European expansion.
“We want to create something that's seen as the next breed of sports car," Lindley told us.
The last attempt to reinvent an MG sports car didn't go down too well, despite the audacious styling job Peter Stevens did on the 4.6-litre SV. Okay so these guys are somewhat better funded than MG Rover, being the eighth largest car maker in the world and all, but they're not about to pour money into a project that will appeal only to the select few.
So over to you PHers, MG is looking at what'll be the next big thing in sports cars. We don't want them thinking a 'sporty' SUV will do the job, so which direction do you think they should be taking?
What is the objective here? Produce a car that will sell to PH purists, who say one thing but in reality tend to do something else. After all, Lotus make proper sports cars and they seem to be doing terribly well....
Or is the plan to produce a "sports car" that will sell around the world in large numbers at a relatively low cost?
Given that large parts of the world do not have perfect road quality, something sporty with ground clearance could actually sell well.
On the other hand, if they are to go the traditional "sports car" route, then Mazda have that covered with MX5. And these days, such cars dont sell as well as they used to....
MG really need to build up their product presence in the UK before they do anything. I know compared to China we are just a backwater, but it would be great to see MGs being sold in large numbers here again.
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