Just 265 TFs have been shifted in 2009
MG has halted production of the TF at its Longbridge factory in the West Midlands, while as much as a fifth of assembly line workers now face redundancy.
The move comes after a torrid year of sales of the recently relaunched sports car.
SAIC-owned MG Motor UK launched the TF LE500 last year with a production run limited to just 500 examples. Even that has proved to be rather optimistic - so far in 2009 just 265 TFs have been sold.
It's not the end for Longbridge, though. MG Motor is obviously keen to play down the shutdown and possible redundancies. "Clearly this is a difficult time for employees and it would be irresponsible to make this a bigger issue than it is," said the company in a statement.
MG's Chinese owner SAIC (China's largest homegrown car company) has also made it clear that it is committed to its British operation, with a range of new sports cars set to be developed by the 200-strong design and engineering workforce at Longbridge.
MG hasn't given up on the TF either: when the production line starts to move again there will be a revised TF line-up, with a series version of the 85th anniversary special edition sitting above the basic £13,511 TF135.
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