MG5 unveiled at Longbridge
Wednesday 20th April 2011, 1:14PM BST.
A week after MG car production returned to Longbridge, the Chinese-owned firm has unveiled a new, sharply styled family concept car.
The MG5 is slightly smaller than the MG6 which is now being assembled at the West Midlands plant.
It would be assembled from the same platform as the MG6 but is a more compact vehicle, making it more of a direct rival to the likes of the Ford Focus.
The MG5 was unveiled in concept form yesterday at the Shanghai Auto Show, and among the guests at the event were a group of MG dealers from the UK.
The dealers were given the lowdown on the brand’s product plans for the next five years. MG will initally roll out saloon version of the MG6 before concentrating on the MG3 supermini towards the end of the year.
Dealers were told that the firm’s long-term plans included a new sports car which would have to be rear-wheel drive “to invoke the spirit of the MGB”.
The vehicle would follow in the footsteps of the TF roadster, which is being phased out following the arrival of MG6 assembly work at Longbridge.
MG’s Chinese owners, the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC), reckon it would be 2016 at the earliest before the new sports car could be launched, as feasibility studies are only just beginning.
Also on the cards is a “crossover” to rival the Kia Sportage and Nissan Qashqai. This has been pencilled in for 2014.
There are also plans for a new MG7 which could be built off the same platform as the Vauxhall Insignia, since SAIC has access to GM technology through its Chinese joint venture.
Meanwhile, Midlands-based dealership Motorpoint is marking the return of car production to Longbridge by selling off its last batch of MG TF LE500 roadsters for £9,999 — more than £6,000 off the original asking price.
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