MG reborn; mixed feelings

[edward ericson]

With all the Chinese-made aftermarket parts out there and their “outstanding quality” it seems there is finally a rival for 1950s British car-build quality….

From the Wall Street Journal:

A POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE: Once, a
long time ago, I owned a red 1960 MGA Series II, a tiny, scroll-fendered
roadster built in Abington, Oxfordshire, in England. It was a soulful
and lovely death trap and I still miss her.

As one of thousands of Americans who
imprinted on MGs, I am a little discomfited by the company’s fate. In
2005, MG Rover Group sold the MG name to the Chinese carmaker Nanjing,
which in 2007 merged with Shanghai Automotive, also known as SAIC.

SAIC also builds Roewe, which is the
crudely renamed shadow of the British marque Rover. Roewe cars are
manufactured in China as knock-down kits, then shipped to England, where
they are assembled in the old MG Rover Longbridge factory.

In markets outside China, Roewes are rebadged as MGs.

Here in Beijing, SAIC showed off its
first MG-specific design, the Icon crossover concept. It stopped me in
my tracks. The hand of MG’s dear old designer Syd Enever could be seen
in the Icon’s canted oval headlamps, the narrow rectangular grill, the
small vertical taillamps and the rear fender haunches.

“This is our vision for British global
driving heritage,” said design chief Anthony Williams-Kenny. “We wanted
it to be progressive and dynamic.”

What psychic rewards could the MG
brand offer young Chinese consumers? “???They are very discerning,” said
Mr. Williams-Kenny. “They understand brand, they understand the
Internet.”

For me and doubtless many more
decorated veterans of the spanner, MG’s reboot as an upscale imprint of
some dull Chinese car company, well, it’s hard. And yet I marvel that in
2012, 8,000 miles and a couple of world orders away from the old Morris
Garages, there is still an MG, and Abington is still hallowed ground.

You lads carry on.

???Dan Neil

[Paul Mossberg]

I share the writer’s sentiments.

I learned to drive on a 1966 Volvo 122 station wagon, have owned four Volvos and my current daily driver is a Volvo.

After Ford almost killed the brand, Volvo was bought by a Chinese firm.

But at least the current models, as exported to the US are still built in Gothenburg!

Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica Roadster

If you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)

[Dan Rosa]

my first 3 cars were British 59 Metropolitan 56 Hillman minx California convertible ,and a Triumph Herold convertible ,and a few MGs over the years, even a fake British maker as MG in China will bring a smile  to many I have always thought mazda / ford should have bought the MG name and put it on the Mx5 Dan Dan R2012-05-22 08:08:26

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