MG and Rover to compete again
New battleground ahead as MG moves east
MG TF: the last British model
SAIC was talking to MG Rover last year about selling the company for around £200 million -- but Rover collapsed, enabling SAIC to pick up the remains for the relatively paltry £67 million. Over 6,000 jobs were lost.
Interestingly, it means that MG and Rover are now in competition for the first time in decades -- but the battleground is China. That's because the MG name plus the car designs were sold to the Chinese company Nanjing Corporation by administrators. The price was similar too: £53 million
It was 1968 when the two marques were last in competition, just before the British Motor Company and British Motors merged to become the ill-starred British Leyland. It was nationalised seven years later, after it collapsed, and the MG badge was left with the vestige of an association with its sports car heritage.
But now a new chapter awaits Morris Garages. MG is going to stand for something new under its new owners, according to Nanjing boss Zhang Xin. He said: "We want Chinese consumers to know this brand as 'Modern Gentleman'. To see that this brand represents grace and style."
Sounds like the Chinese are trying to rebrand it back to what it was before Longbridge decided to slap bling wheels and bodykits onto Rover 200s in an attempt to flog em as new designs while costing as much as a pre-owned beemer.
But what else can we expect!! 
The party that runs the country is bankrupt and two Jags 
still has a job!!
Sounds like the Chinese are trying to rebrand it back to what it was before Longbridge decided to slap bling wheels and bodykits onto Rover 200s in an attempt to flog em as new designs while costing as much as a pre-owned beemer.
Thay did a lot more then just bling wheels and boodykits to the 200. The problem was that a car that drove very well (for a FWD) had the body of an old rover not that thay did not do a good job of it. It was just the woung job!
P~
People said that about:
... Japanese cars 30 years ago
... Korean cars 10 years ago.
P~
People said that about:
... Japanese cars 30 years ago
... Korean cars 10 years ago.
Yep!!..
How BMC, Ford, Vauxhall etc all laughed at these funny little Datsuns turning up at our docks!
How Triumph and Norton Laughed at these silly little Honda`s with all their cylinders!!.
And who on earth is going to buy these they all said?!!!.........
When will people wake up and see its our heritage and our childrens future being sold off for peanuts!! Tell me this..would the americans let harley davidson or ford be sold off? would the germans let say mercedes or porsche go? would the italians let ferrari or ducati go? I think not some how ..with out a lot of struggle any way!
We need more people like John bloor who have saved Triumph motorcycles ..they now have brilliant bikes and are becoming world leaders again...Well done john for having the balls!!
There is enough money and ability in this country to have the trend reversed!! Please can the money and power people of our country do something for our future ..
If you want to see the sad story of the British motor industry, visit the Heritage Motor Centre at Gaydon.
Here you see decades of automotive glory, stopped in their tracks in the 1970s, by a deadly combination of political interference, rubbish management, and killer unions.
The initial results included merga-mania and ghastliness like the Marina, Allegro and TR7. From then on it's downhill, with the results we see today.
I visited the Ryton factory in the '70s and the PR guy showing me round was terrified that we might put a foot wrong and bring the place to a halt.
For a snapshot of the sorry saga of UK aerospace, visit the Science Museum in London. Here you can see a similar story, particularly in space -- gawd, we once flew our own satellite into orbit. And it's still up there...
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