A rendering of the MG TF Coupe, front, and the TF Roadster. The cars could be available before the end of the decade.
Posted on 07/12/2006 5:51:45 AM PDT by aculeus
DETROIT, July 11 — Can the mystique of a British sports car be recreated by a Chinese company in America’s heartland?
That’s the bet by Nanjing Automobile Group, which plans to resurrect the fabled MG marque in a tricontinental demonstration of how truly global the automotive industry has become.
Nanjing, which purchased the assets of the bankrupt MG Rover Group last year, aims to be the first Chinese carmaker to open a factory in the United States. The company has scheduled a news conference for Wednesday in Oklahoma to announce plans to build a newly designed MG TF Coupe there, starting in 2008. It said the coupe would compete with cars like the Mazda Miata, which sells for $20,000 to $25,000.
It also will assemble a convertible TF Roadster version at MG’s now-shuttered factory in Longbridge, England, and three sedan models in China. American and European operations for MG Motors will be based in Oklahoma City, 90 miles north of the new factory in Ardmore, Okla.
MG’s rebirth under Nanjing, which said it had $2 billion in financing for the endeavor, comes as several Chinese companies are setting their sights on the United States, the world’s largest car market.
Several Chinese carmakers have said they are two to three years away from exporting vehicles to the United States. One, Geely Automobile, displayed a $10,000 sedan at this year’s Detroit auto show, although the car fell short of American safety and emissions standards.
Geely and Chery Automobile, a state-owned company that has sparred with General Motors over the similarity of its name to the Chevy nickname for the Chevrolet brand, plan to sell cars in the United States in 2008. Nanjing, said it intends to build vehicles outside China, where it will face higher labor costs than in its home country.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
A rendering of the MG TF Coupe, front, and the TF Roadster. The cars could be available before the end of the decade.
Well, at least it probably won't have 'Lighting by Lucifer'
As long as they don't have any Lucas electrics .....
Ping...
Threat of an electrical fire at highway speed adds a little adventure to the normal Sunday drive, don't you think?
pretty generic styling
the roadster looks like the early 90s Mercury Capri
but if they can build it with cheap illegal alien labor it might be a winner
datsun came on the scene and in no time wiped the Brit cars off the circuit. These Brit cars were very finiky and required maintenance and attention.
On the track the Datsun wiped them out. My TR4 was done in by superior engineering and manufacturing.
My Acura Integra is the grand child of the revolution. The divorce must be complete or the new venture will be of no value.
YEAH! THATS THE ONE!!!!
"Chery" = "Chevy" alert.
LOL!!! I used to have to blow out the small fire in my steering column every time I used my left turn signal in my old '71 Spitfire.
So the Chinese are going to duplicate what was junk in the first place. That ought to make it double junk.
LOL! Generic styling at the same price as a Miata? Where can I sign up?
It's a dog.
I have a coworker who drives a chevy equinox. The engine and tranny is made wholely in China. He has had nothing but trouble with it in the two years he has had it. He told me a few weeks ago he is paying extra on it to get upside so he can trade it off.
Remember the old joke... "Why do the English drinkwarm Beer?... Answer: Their Refrigeration Is Produced By Lucas!"
Don't bother to flame me, I've owned many an MG, Healey and Triumph in my lifetime:)
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