MG Motor

MG Motor continued to assemble cars at the historic Longbridge plant until 2016 when production ended, but retained a large technical centre known as SAIC Motor Technical Centre which employed around 500 people at its peak, together with a design studio.[1][20] SAIC further reduced its presence in Longbridge in 2019 with the large Technical Centre downsized to 20 staff and moved to London.[21]

Formerly home to Austin, British Leyland, Rover Group and, later, the MG Rover Group.

MG Motor UK HQ–SAIC UK Technical & Design Centre

MG has a £30 million flagship dealership in the heart of London's Piccadilly, which was opened in July 2015.[22] Its location is 47-48 Piccadilly, opposite the historic Fortnum & Mason store.

MG Motors now has dealers across Australia and New Zealand.[23]

MG vehicles were primarily designed in United Kingdom between 2005 and 2019, with a reduced UK input since then.

Longbridge has been retained and Research and Development is currently undertaken at the Longbridge Facility, with Longbridge being home to SMTC, which has significant design and engineering input into SAIC products.[24][25]

MG has headquarters in United Kingdom, with production in China, Thailand (from 2016) and India (since 2019) but the primary design was held at the Longbridge, Birmingham headquarter. Studio is based in a newly renovated building in the heart of London on the Marylebone Road. The new creative space is SAIC first facility, to specialise in Advanced Digital Design Technology, and will work in conjunction with the automotive manufacturer's other studios to support future product designs for brands including MG and Roewe. Advanced London is the second SAIC Motor design studio to be established in Europe, following the studio in Longbridge, which opened in 2011. The London Design Studio will focus more on advanced design research projects and creative exploration of conceptual ideas. London makes use of advanced virtual reality technology to design vehicles, which allows for the designers to fully immerse themselves into the design concepts, greatly improving the level of detail at which ideas can be reviewed before they are turned into more costly physical models. Using state-of-the-art functions such as this will allow Advanced London to explore innovative design concepts, broadening design possibilities." Advanced London is managed by SAIC Design European Advanced Design Director, Carl Gotham.[19]

After MG Rover collapsed, Nanjing Automobile continued production at the Longbridge plant. Nanjing used Longbridge to produce the MG TF, which they mildly redeveloped.

SAIC took ownership of the MG brand, and from 2010 onwards, the newly released MG 6 was produced in China. However, from 13 April 2011, MG Motor produced the MG 6 at Longbridge.[26] From 2013, the MG 3 also saw some limited final assembly at the same factory.[27]

Activity at Longbridge was gradually reduced. It was announced in September 2016, that production at the Longbridge facility was to be stopped in 2016 and moved to China, with Matthew Cheyne, head of sales and marketing at MG Motor UK citing "moving production abroad was a necessary business decision". Twenty-five employees were made redundant as a result of the move and other employees moved to different areas. It marked the end of MG production in the UK. and production was fully moved to China, with a later factory in Thailand.

In 2019, MG Motor is set to open a fourth factory in China, The factory will be in Ningde, Fujian Province. The factory will specialise in producing electric vehicles, with the new all-electric production sports car being produced at the factory. MG and Roewe's upcoming SUV, codenamed IS 32 (MG) and IS 31 (Roewe) are also set to be produced at the factory.[28][29]

MG 3

In 2010, MG unveiled the all new MG 3, which was shown in concept car form as the MG Zero. The car was initially launched in China with a choice of 1.3L or 1.5L petrol engines, and underwent a face-lift in 2013, with sales in the UK following in September 2013.

Also introduced with the MG 3 was the Xross model, which similar to the Rover Streetwise and the earlier NAC produced MG3 SW, features chunkier off-road styling, raised suspension and roof bars.

The MG3 was voted the '10th-Best Car To Own' in the Auto Express Driver Power survey of 2015.

For the 2016 model year, the MG 3 was upgraded for the UK Market. The existing SMTC developed 1.5L petrol engine was tuned to meet EU 6 Emissions. The engine was upgraded to include the new stop start feature and new two-tone paint schemes were introduced.

in 2018, the MG 3 underwent a full face-lift. The face-lift featured updated exterior styling, which incorporates MG's new design language, an upgraded interior with a 7-inch touchscreen, and a refined engine.

The MG 5 was originally unveiled at the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show as a concept model.[30][31] It is a Ford Focus-sized hatchback using the same platform as the Roewe 350, It was released for sale in China in 2012 but has never been exported to the UK.

The MG 5 is powered by a 1.5-litre petrol four cylinder "VTi-Tech" engine, producing 80 kW (109 PS; 107 bhp) and 135 N⋅m (100 lb⋅ft). There is a choice of five-speed manual or four speed automatic transmissions. An updated 1.5-litre turbo version was launched in November 2013, producing 95 kW (129 PS; 127 bhp) and 210 N⋅m (155 lb⋅ft). The turbo engine was mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with a claimed top speed of 200 km/h (120 mph).

The MG 5 was redesigned in 2020 as a compact sedan to rival the Toyota Corolla. The car is 4675mm long, 1842mm wide, and 1480mm tall. It uses either with a 1.5-litre petrol four-cylinder producing 88 kW or a turbocharged version producing 127 kW. New features include a digital dashboard, leather-lined steering wheel, large multimedia touchscreen, push start ignition and a sunroof.[32]

2021 MG 6

In November 2017, the second generation and successor to the previous MG 6, was unveiled at Nanjing Jiangsu Wantrack International circuit. The next generation of MG 6 incorporates MG's new design language "Emotional Dynamism" which was launched with MG's second SUV, the MG ZS in 2016. The new grille which is an important part of MG's new design language is called 'Star Rider'. The second-generation MG 6, is yet to appear in right hand drive model and as a result is yet to appear in the UK and other RHD markets such as Australia, New Zealand and India. Along with the MG 6, a hybrid plug in version of the MG 6 is available. The hybrid system is used with a 1.0L 3-cylinder engine to achieve 229 PS and 722 NM of torque. Battery life of the eMG 6 is 705 km/438 miles.[33]

MG ZS EV

MG ZS

Unveiled at the Guangzhou Auto Show in November 2016, it is MG's second SUV and uses the same name as the earlier Rover 45 based MG ZS. The MG ZS was launched in March 2017, for the Chinese market. It is to be announced at the London Motor Show in 2017 and entered the UK market in late 2017. The MG ZS is smaller in size than the MG GS.

There are two engines available: a new version of the SMTC NSE 1.5L engine called NSE Plus which has 120 bhp (89 kW) and 150 N⋅m (111 lb⋅ft) with a six-speed automatic or a six-speed manual transmission, and a brand-new 1.0L 3-cylinder turbo based on the joint venture by GM & SAIC in the SGE family of petrol engines. The 3-cylinder engines have 125 bhp (93 kW) and 170 N⋅m (125 lb⋅ft), with either a 6-speed DCT or a 6-speed manual transmission.

The ZS EV, revealed at the 2018 Guangzhou Motor Show, is MG's first production electric car, and is based on the existing MG ZS. It has a single electric motor driving the front wheels and producing 148 bhp (110 kW) and 350 N⋅m (258 lb⋅ft) — enough to take the 4.3-metre-long crossover from 0–31 mph (0–50 km/h) in 3.1 seconds, 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) in 8.5 seconds. Battery capacity is 45 kW·h with a declared WLTP ranges of 163 miles (262 km) for combined and 231 miles (372 km) for city.

UK versions of the ZS EV have CCS charging (via a charging socket located at the front of the car, behind the MG badge). Standard equipment in the ZS EV models includes adaptive cruise control and collision avoidance.

In India, a local petrol-version of the ZS EV was launched under the name MG Astor in 2021[34] as a rival to SUVs such as the Hyundai Creta,[35] Kia Seltos and Renault Duster.[36][37]

The MG HS is MG's third production Crossover SUV, which officially launched in 2018. The HS replaced the earlier GS. like the previous GS, the MG HS shares the same platform as the Roewe RX5.

The MG One is another compact Crossover SUV by MG, which officially launched in 2021. The One features the third generation design style of MG and is the second brand new model to use the updated design.

The MG GT is a small saloon, also known as the New MG 5 in some markets, which officially debuted in a box on the 2014 Chengdu Auto Show. The MG GT uses the same platform as the earlier MG 5 and subsequently the Roewe 350. Power is provided by two engines: A 1.5L petrol engine producing 105PS & a turbocharged 1.5L petrol engine producing 130PS.

The MG E-Motion is an electric sports car concept that was unveiled at the Shanghai Motor Show 2017. The E-Motion features eye-catching butterfly doors and has a four-seat layout inside. It uses advanced connectivity systems and touchscreen infotainment for both the front and rear passengers.

The E-Motion uses an all-electric power-train that has been developed in-house by SAIC and is part of SAIC's modular electric system.

It is claimed to be capable of 0–62 mph (0–100 km/h) in less than 4.0 seconds. And also has a range of over 310 miles (500 km).[38]

The MG X-Motion is a SUV concept that was unveiled at the Beijing Motor Show 2018. Like the E-Motion, it previews a production model, which for the X-Motion was the new HS.

MG Icon Concept Car

MG unveiled the MG Icon concept car at the Beijing Auto Show in 2012. It is the first SUV concept car from the company and was created by the MG global design team headed by British director Anthony Williams-Kenny. The MG Icon takes inspiration from some of the legendary brand's most famous sports cars including the MGA and MGB GT.

The MG CS is a SUV concept that was unveiled at the Shanghai Motor Show 2013. The CS previews MG's first production SUV. The design team was led by MG's Global Design Director, Anthony Williams-Kenny.

The concept car is designed to slot into the compact SUV sector, one of the fastest-growing areas of the global automotive market where style and sports utility dominate fashion trends.

MG Dynamo EV

The MG Dynamo EV concept car was unveiled in 2014 based on the Roewe E50 to celebrate the marque's 90th anniversary. The EV has a claimed acceleration 0–50 km/h—5.3 seconds and 0–100 km/h—14.6 seconds with a top speed—130 km/h.

The LFP battery generates 52 kW and working in conjunction with the regenerative braking system enables a range of over 100 km.

The battery retains more than 80% capacity after 2,000 charging cycles, equivalent to approximately ten years of typical use. The battery takes six hours to fully charge on a standard charge (220–240 V), while a fast charge (380–400 V) takes just 30 minutes.

The MG TF brand was relaunched in Britain during 2007. An updated MG TF model produced in a limited edition of 500, called the TF LE500, was assembled at the Longbridge plant by NAC MG UK.[39] This was followed by a TF 135 model and a further limited-edition TF 85th Anniversary, of which only 50 were produced.[40] Production of the TF at Longbridge was suspended again in October 2009[41] and finally ended in March 2011.[42] MG have said that they will first concentrate on building passenger cars, and have not given a release date for the TF's successor.

The MG3 SW, was based on the Rover Streetwise, and was manufactured and sold in China between 2008 and 2011. The MG3 SW only received minor changes over the original Rover Streetwise.

The MG GS is MG's first production SUV launched in 2015, with sales in the UK commenced. The MG GS features front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive variants. The MG GS starts at £14,995, with a 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine delivering 166 PS and 250NM torque. The top-of-the-range model also comes with the option of a 7-speed automatic transmission. The MG GS is also available with a 2.0L Turbocharged 4 Cylinder engine, with 220PS. All-wheel-drive and the 2.0L engine is available in the UK along with Android Auto and CarPlay.