The appearance of this...
Production of MG cars has restarted today, after a five-year hiatus caused by the demise of MG Rover. Now it's back, as MG Motor, with the first UK-assembled MG6 rolling off the production line as of 11am today.
This could be more than a zero-interest cooking hatch assembled from kits shipped direct from China, too: We hear tell that the MG6 actually drives in a moderately competent, amusing manner, and that SAIC-owned MG Motor has plans for the future that will see it gradually become more and more significant.
...won't mean the return of these...
It already wants to build 10,000 MG6s a year, and the intent is to expand that with an MG3 supermini and the MG5 family hatch in the fullness of time. There's the space to do it all, as well. The Longbridge behemoth is gone, to be replaced by houses and retail parks - but, for 5 years, China has been paying to keep a section of the original facility mothballed (compare its size, said one source, to other volume plants in Europe - there's still large-volume potential there).
Today, a tiny fraction of it is being used - but the huge CAB B building, originally designed to build the BMW MINI yet never utilised, is theoretically available, along with the MG Rover paint shop...
...but modern versions of these...
Here's the real key, though: all MGs will be fully engineered in the UK. The MG Motor Birmingham design centre is where all worldwide MGs are born, including the MG6. 300 engineers work there, with million-pound IT servers connecting them instantly to China. They create from clean sheets, China builds (and now, UK assembles, too).
The current MG6 might use a 1.8-litre turbo derived from the old K-Series, but new (and more interesting) motors are on the way. The smaller units will power a future supermini, but there's also a large engine family being worked on, including four-cylinder and V6 units. Next year, a brand new UK-designed 1.9-litre diesel will come, too, a brave move in a world where most independent outfits are relying on bought-in units or technological joint ventures.
...or these are on the cards
Sales and marketing director Guy Jones, also says that MG is after the enthusiast vote, and will make "desirable British sports cars, focusing on driving dynamics. They don't necessarily have the biggest engines, but affordability is key. MG has never been about rivalling Ferrari." He adds, presumably as a sideswipe at the old MG Rover's dalliances with diversions such as the MG SV supercar...
Future MGs should rival the best for sector dynamics, he says, and that includes both handling AND ride. MGs in the MG Rover days were compromised (as in, stiff-riding) because of the need to be distinct from Rovers - "we don't have to engineer in that contrast now," says a development boss. The result will be cars with, say, Focus handling and Golf ride; indeed, that's already what MG engineers have been aiming for in benchmark tests.
Actual sports cars may have to wait, though; the Chinese car market is yet to develop an enthusiast streak. The bosses in China are unlikely to sign off a new sports car, when there's so much else to be done. For now, then, it's sporting versions of family metal (which is what MG started off doing, after all). Not quite a new MGF, then, but modern versions of the MG ZR and ZT? Certainly.
It's a good-news story, the return of MG in the UK, that is cheering all the news channels today. Car buffs are naturally more cynical - but it should not be dismissed as pleasing but pointless.
No, the current MG6 may not be particularly interesting, but the plans the firm has are. Despite the Chinese ownership, this is a company with British engineering at its heart - and with British talent finally enjoying world-class resources, it could be the start of something very interesting...