MG Motor is an automotive brand owned by the Shanghai-based, state-owned carmaker SAIC Motor.[3] It is a continuation of the original MG marque, a British brand that was established in Oxford, UK in 1924. SAIC Motor gained control of the brand in December 2007 by acquiring Nanjing Automobile Corporation (NAC), a smaller Chinese company that first acquired the brand from the defunct MG Rover Group in 2005. Currently, MG is a division within SAIC's passenger vehicle branch.[1]
MG vehicles are designed and developed by SAIC, and manufacturing mainly takes place at SAIC's plants in China. SAIC also produces MG vehicles in Thailand, India and Indonesia for the respective regional markets. The brand briefly assembled cars at the Longbridge plant in UK from 2007 until 2016 for the UK market, before switching into sourcing cars directly from China instead.
MG has been positioned as SAIC's main brand internationally.[4] Since 2019, MG has been the largest single-brand car exporter from China.[5] In 2023, MG Motor sold around 840,000 vehicles worldwide, with 88 percent of its sales coming from outside China.[2]
In China, MG is also known by its Chinese name "名爵"; Míngjué, and it is one of several passenger car brands owned directly by SAIC alongside Roewe, Maxus (LDV for some export markets), Rising Auto, and IM Motors.
History
2005–2009: As NAC MG
Following the collapse of MG Rover Group in 2005, Nanjing Automobile Corporation (NAC) acquired the MG marque, the Longbridge plant and its production tooling for £53 million ($97 million), outbidding the larger SAIC Motor, which also sought the acquisition.[6][7] While SAIC managed to obtain the intellectual property rights for the Rover 75 and Rover 25 models, it was unable to secure the Rover trademark, which was purchased by Ford from BMW in 2006.[8] Eventually, SAIC established the Roewe brand to produce and market the former Rover vehicles in China.[9]
A 2007 MG TF, which was produced in Nanjing, China
NAC formally established NAC MG UK Limited as the UK-based holding company for the plant and marque on 12 April 2006. Production of MG vehicles such as the MG TF, MG3 and MG7 restarted in China on 27 March 2007 at an NAC facility in Nanjing.[10][11] At the Longbridge plant, production of the MG TF LE500, MG TF135 and MG TF 85th Anniversary resumed in August 2008.[12][13]
On 26 December 2007, NAC merged into SAIC. The merger saw SAIC obtaining full control of NAC MG, while NAC took a 15 percent holding in SAIC.[8] The acquisition resolved SAIC's issue regarding a bottleneck in Roewe production due to the ownership of Rover engine production rights by NAC, along with other technologies.[14] In early 2009, NAC MG UK Limited was renamed MG Motor UK Limited, and became the national sales company for the UK market.[15]
In October 2008, SAIC started exporting the Roewe 750 and 550 with MG badges to Chile as the MG 750 and MG 550 respectively. The company asserted that compared to SAIC's own Roewe brand, the MG brand has the "popularity, loyalty and premiumness" to enter export markets, including Europe.[16]
Logo used in 2010–2021
In 2011, SAIC and General Motors which are joint venture partners in China announced a tie-up to develop a new petrol engine family called the SGE, which include 1.0, 1.2, 1.4 and 1.5 litres, all turbocharged. The engine family are used in many MG models.[17][18]
The first all-new MG-branded model for 16 years, the MG6, was officially launched on 26 June 2011 during a visit to MG Motor Longbridge plant by Chinese premier Wen Jiabao.[19][20]
By March 2012, SAIC had invested a total of £450 million in MG Motor.[21][22] After being previewed as the MG Zero concept car in April 2010,[23] the MG3 went on sale in the United Kingdom in September 2013.[24][25]
On 23 September 2016, MG Motor announced that all car production had ceased at the Longbridge plant. The closure affected 25 jobs at the assembly plant, while sales, marketing and after-sales departments based in the Longbridge complex were unaffected. The company cites "improving production scale efficiencies" as the reason of the plant closure, promising that production in China will "allow faster access to product and help to meet ever-increasing customer demand."[26] Since then, MG vehicles had been imported from China into the UK.[27]
In December 2017, the company opened its first overseas plant outside China in UK in Chonburi, Thailand. It is a joint venture between SAIC and Charoen Pokphand, a Thai conglomerate company. The plant has a total annual production capacity of 100,000 units.[28]
In 2018, SAIC Design opened a new advanced design studio in London, which deals with the advanced design of MG and Roewe vehicles.[29]
MG vehicles became available in the rest of Europe since late 2019 with the release of the ZS EV in the region. SAIC Motor established operations based in Amsterdam, Netherlands to oversee sales activities in the region.[30][31]
During the 2020s, MG saw significant sales increase in UK and Europe. This growth was primarily driven by the expansion of its dealer network and the introduction of several new electric vehicle models.[32] Between 2020 and 2023, MG was one of the fastest-growing brand in UK and Europe, where it posted growth amid the COVID-19 pandemic, during which many other brands experienced a decline in sales.[33][34][35][36] Sales of MG vehicles in Australia also quadrupled between 2020 and 2023 due to its attractive pricing.[37][38][39] The MG4 EV, MG's first ground-up-developed EV that was launched in 2022, significantly contributed to driving MG's sales growth and received widespread acclaim from the press.[40]
Initial MG Motor products consisted of refreshed MG Rover vehicles, such as the MG TF, the first-generation MG3 and the first-generation MG7.[10] MG Motor began releasing new vehicles in 2011, starting with the MG6 then the second-generation MG3. MG Motor also markets rebadged vehicles from parent company SAIC Motor such as Roewe and Maxus, alongside vehicles dedicated for the MG brand.[41]
MG Motor started producing vehicles in India since 2019, where some of the products are sourced from corporate sibling SAIC-GM-Wuling.[42] Products such as the MG Hector and MG Comet EV are exclusive to India. The marque also offered commercial vehicles only for Thailand, such as the MG V80 and MG Extender which are sourced from Maxus.[43]
At the Shanghai Auto Show in April 2013, MG showcased a concept car that previews its first SUV model, the MG GS. The production version of the GS went on sale in China in March 2015.[44] The GS went on sale in the UK in June 2016.[45] MG Motor followed up the release of the GS with a smaller SUV, the ZS, which went on to become the most popular MG model globally. In 2018, the GS was replaced by the MG HS.
The first production electric car from MG is the eZS (ZS EV outside China), which was announced at the 2018 Guangzhou Auto Show in November.[46] Based on the ZS SUV, the vehicle became available in export markets such as the UK and Europe as the MG ZS EV since 2019.[47] The ZS EV was followed by the MG5 SW EV (a rebadged Roewe Ei5), which went on sale in the UK in September 2020 and in Thailand in November 2020 (as the MG EP).[48][49] The MG4 EV, introduced in July 2022, helped MG increase its sales in Europe significantly. The model is a European-focused C-segmenthatchback with a dedicated electric vehicle platform called the Modular Scalable Platform (MSP).[50] In 2023, MG introduced another electric car and its first roadster, the Cyberster, which went on sale in 2024.[51]
The most popular MG Motor product in international markets is the MG ZS. It is one of the most exported car from China, with 201,874 units exported from China to international markets in 2023, not including the MG ZS EV with 49,418 units exported.[5]
MG6 Pro
MG ZS
MG Cyberster
MG Extender, a rebadged Maxus T60/T70
Operations
Development
MG Motor UK HQ–SAIC UK Technical & Design Centre
MG Motor cars were once engineered by SAIC at the Longbridge facility in Birmingham, UK. Longbridge was formerly home to Austin, British Leyland, Rover Group and, later, the MG Rover Group. Currently, most of the design, development and R&D takes place in China by SAIC Motor R&D Innovation Headquarters (SRIH).[52]
The Longbridge facility has been retained as the base to SAIC Motor Technical Centre UK (SMTC), which had significant design and engineering input into SAIC products globally.[53][54] SMTC once employed around 500 people at its peak.[55] SAIC reduced its presence in Longbridge in 2019 with the large Technical Centre downsized to 20 staff and moved to London.[56] The facility used to host a design studio, before moving to London.[57]
SAIC Design Advanced London in London, UK at Marylebone Road succeeded the Longbridge design studio.[58] Led by Carl Gotham and Robert Lemmens with 20 employees, the studio conducted some key design work for MG vehicles and works in conjunction with the automotive manufacturer's other studios to support future product designs for brands including MG, Roewe and Rising Auto.[29][59]
Some MG models particularly in India were developed by SAIC-GM-Wuling, a joint venture that is majority owned by SAIC.[60]
Production
Longbridge plant, 2009
After MG Rover collapsed, Nanjing Automobile Corporation (NAC) resumed production at the Longbridge plant in 2008. NAC used Longbridge to produce the MG TF, which they mildly redeveloped. SAIC took ownership of the MG brand, and from 2010 onwards, the MG6 was produced in China. From 13 April 2011, MG Motor started producing the MG6 at Longbridge.[61] From 2013, the MG 3 also saw some limited final assembly at the same factory.[62] Activity at Longbridge was later gradually reduced. In September 2016, MG Motor ended production at the Longbridge facility, with Matthew Cheyne, head of sales and marketing at MG Motor UK, citing "moving production abroad was a necessary business decision". Cheyne claimed that the company "did no actual production there", with workers only performing minimal additions for the three models, the MG3, MG6 and MG GS that came as knock-down kits.[26] 25 employees were made redundant as a result of the move and other employees moved to different areas. This marked the end of MG production in the UK, and production was fully moved to China.
In December 2017, MG Motor opened its first overseas plant outside China in UK in Chonburi, Thailand. The plant was established and operated by a joint venture between SAIC Motor and Charoen Pokphand, a Thai conglomerate company. The plant has a total annual production capacity of 100,000 units. The new plant replaced an older plant located in Rayong that was used since 2014, which had an annual production capacity of 50,000 units and had been closed since.[28] In 2022, the facility exported 6,684 vehicles to Vietnam and Indonesia.[63]
In 2019, SAIC Motor opened its fourth factory in China located in Ningde, Fujian, that is mainly used for producing and exporting MG vehicles. It is SAIC’s fourth factory in China, after plants in Shanghai, Nanjing and Zhengzhou. The 5-billion yuan ($702 million) factory is capable of producing up to 240,000 vehicles a year at full capacity, increasing SAIC's annual production capacity in China from 740,000 to 980,000 vehicles. The first vehicle produced in the plant was the plug-in hybrid version of the MG HS.[64]
In most markets outside UK and Europe, MG vehicles are fitted with a "Brit Dynamics" emblem, as part of the "Brit Dynamics" marketing campaign that highlights "British" engineering, styling and driving behaviour.[65]
Starting 2016, MG is a sponsorship partner of football club Liverpool F.C.[66] Initially a regional partnership for the Chinese market, since July 2019 MG extended their existing long-term regional relationship to incorporate global markets.[67] The partnership ended in mid-2022.[68] In January 2024, MG Motor UK announced a multi-year sponsorship with London football club Arsenal F.C.[69] Previously, MG Motor has previously sponsored Copa Sudamericana, the secondary pan-continental clubs competition in South America, as well as French football club Olympique Lyonnais.[69]
MG Motor started selling cars in Australia since 2013 through a direct factory-backed operation, instead of local distributor-led operation. Between 2013 and 2016, the brand sold a single model, the MG6, with the MG3, MG6, and the GS joining in 2016.[71] In the country, the brand went from selling just 600 cars in 2017 to 58,346 units in 2023,[72] becoming the seventh best-selling brand in Australia.[73] The brand's popularity in the country were widely attributed to its competitive pricing.[74]
Europe (mainland)
MG Motor started its sales operations in mainland Europe in late 2019 separate from its UK operations,[75] when company established SAIC Motor Europe B.V. and a European headquarter in the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, MG started selling the ZS EV in late 2019, and also sells its models through the Woonexpress home furnishings group's outlets.[76] In February 2020, MG entered Norway, which has a mature electric vehicle market. Later that year, MG expanded to Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Iceland, and Luxembourg. In 2021, MG entered Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Portugal.[77] In November 2022, MG Motor merged its European and UK operations into a single business.[75]
During the first half of 2023, MG along with Tesla are two brands with the largest growth in Europe. According to JATO Dynamics, the brand registered 104,300 vehicles in H1 2023, a growth of 128 percent compared to H1 2022. The sales increase was attributed to the introduction of the popular MG4 EV.[34] Electric vehicles are MG Motor's strength in the market, as unlike other manufacturers, SAIC is not restricted on traction battery supply and production volume.[76]
In July 2023, Yu De, general manager of SAIC's international business department stated that Europe market is will be SAIC's largest overseas market, with annual vehicle sales predicted to surpass 200,000 units in the longer term. The company indicated that it is studying plans to establish a manufacturing base in Europe.[78]
As of July 2023[update], MG Motor asserted its position of not having official presence in the Russian market, due to the complications of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[79]
MG-branded vehicles are manufactured and distributed by MG Motor India, a SAIC Motor subsidiary, which was established in 2017 and started operations in 2019. The company acquired a former General Motors facility in Halol, Gujarat.[80] It is the only region where MG acquired models from SAIC-GM-Wuling, such as the MG Hector and the MG Comet EV which are rebadged Baojun 530 and Wuling Air EV respectively.
In November 2023, the company entered into a strategic joint venture with JSW Group, which allowed the latter to acquire 35% in the company due to restriction by the Indian government of receiving funding from China. Following the tie-up, the company was renamed to JSW MG Motor India.[81]
Mexico
MG Motor entered the Mexican market in late 2020. From October 2020 to April 2021, the brand opened 34 dealerships in the country and has sold over 2,000 vehicles.[82] In 2023, the brand sold 60,128 units in the country, representing an increase of 25 percent compared to 2022. In that year, MG became the eighth best-selling brand in Mexico with a market share of 4.4 percent.[83]
Middle East
MG vehicles officially sold in the GCC market are imported and distributed by Auto Class Cars in Qatar, Inter Emirates Motors in the UAE, Zayani Motors of Bahrain, Jiad Modern Motors of Saudi Arabia, Mohsin Haider Darwish of Oman and Adel Alghanim Automotive in Kuwait.[84][85]
MG vehicles are assembled and distributed in Pakistan by MG JW Automobile Pakistan, part of local company JW Auto Park, which in turn owned by local businessman Javed Afridi. In 2020, it introduced three SUVs in Pakistan, namely the MG HS, ZS and ZS EV.[86][87] The company set up an assembly plant in Raiwind, Lahore, which also assembles MG electric cars alongside the petrol-powered cars.[88]
Southeast Asia
Thailand
MG vehicles in Thailand are locally assembled in Chonburi by SAIC Motor-CP Co., Ltd., a joint venture between SAIC Motor (51 percent) Thai conglomerate Charoen Pokphand (49 percent). MG vehicles are distributed in Thailand by MG Sales (Thailand) Co., Ltd.[89] The brand debuted in the country in March 2014 at the 2014 Bangkok Motor Show.[90]
Indonesia
MG Motor entered the Indonesian market in March 2020.[91] In February 2024, MG Motor started assembling electric vehicles in a facility owned by SGMW Motor Indonesia, which include the MG4 EV and MG ZS EV.[92]
Philippines
MG operated in the Philippine market in 2015 until 2018 under Morris Garages Philippines. From October 2018 to July 2023, The Covenant Car Company, Inc. (TCCCI) was the distributor and importer of MG brand vehicles, with a network of 42 dealerships nationwide.[93] On 1 August 2023, SAIC Motor Philippines, Inc. (SMP), a subsidiary of SAIC became the new distributor and importer of MG products and services, with a total of 44 MG-branded dealerships across the country.[94]
Singapore
In Singapore, Eurokars Group was appointed the official distributor of MG cars in October 2019 and launched two models, the electric MG ZS EV and the MG HS SUV, at the 2020 Singapore Motorshow.[95]
The team returned in 2013, with Sam Tordoff driving, who performed well in his debut year having joined through the KX Academy scheme. Plato once again came third, with Tordoff sixth.
MG / Triple Eight British Touring Cars 2016
In 2014, MG won the Manufacturer's Championship[97] to break Honda's four-year reign. After just three years of competition, the MG6 GT sealed the title by 95 points at the season finale at Brands Hatch.
Drivers Plato and Tordoff racked up seven wins and 20 podiums in the 30-race calendar. Plato finished the Driver's Championship in second place, behind Colin Turkington, while Tordoff finished seventh. The 2014 season also saw a third MG6 GT on the grid, driven by Marc Hynes and also maintained by Triple Eight but in a new livery which did not resemble the other two MG cars. Hynes finished his debut season in 18th.
For the 2015 campaign, MG fought to regain the Manufacturers / Constructors title with a new driver lineup. 2013 Champion Andrew Jordan and young gun Jack Goff paired up in the MG6 to fight against Honda, BMW and Infiniti for the title. MG finished second in the Manufacturers / Constructors title challenge, with Andrew and Jack in fifth and ninth position, respectively, in the drivers' standings.
MG announced a new three-year contract extension with Triple Eight Racing for the 2016 BTCC campaign. The team plan was to bring in young and up-and-coming drivers with an intention to grow its own champion over the duration of the contract. Josh Cook, a former 2014 Renault UK Clio Cup Vice-Champion, and BTCC 2015 Jack Sears Trophy winner (award for the top rookie) and Ashley Sutton, graduating to BTCC after leaving the Renault Clio Cup as reigning 2015 champion, were announced as the new line up for MG. After a hard-fought campaign the MG drivers finished in 12th and 13th place, respectively, with Ash picking up the Jack Sears Trophy for the top rookie.
Another new driver lineup was introduced for the 2017 season as Árón Taylor-Smith and Daniel Lloyd drove the MG6 cars. The season was a disaster, with not a single win or podium finish to show for their efforts. Lloyd left the team after four meetings and Josh Cook was brought back to help improve results, whilst Taylor-Smith was withdrawn from the Croft rounds of the championship after being involved in a multi-car accident during the wet qualifying session at the circuit, the Irishman struggled thereafter, picking up just six further points all season. Cook was ultimately the highest placed of the MG drivers in the championship, but only in 18th (that includes the points he obtained when driving for Maximum Motorsport before returning to MG), and the team finished a distant last in the manufacturers standings.
Triple Eight merged their operations with BMR Racing for 2018, and therefore MG exited the championship again as a manufacturer. The MG6 continued to be used for a further two seasons, firstly by AmD Tuning in 2018, and then by Excelr8 Motorsport in 2019, with rather limited success in both years.
^ ab"上汽名爵事业部总经理陆家俊在上汽大通时业绩辉煌 如今有压力吗？" [Lu Jiajun, general manager of SAIC MG Business Unit, had brilliant performance when he was at SAIC Maxus. Does he feel pressure now?]. www.sohu.com. 2 August 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
^ ab"全球热销超84万辆 上汽MG连续五年蝉联"单一品牌出口冠军"" [Globally selling over 840,000 units, SAIC MG has been the “Single Brand Export Champion” for five consecutive years.]. 新华财经-中国金融信息网. 19 January 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
^"图辑：南汽首批名爵系列新车下线" [Photo Album: Nanjing Automobile's first batch of new MG series cars rolls off the assembly line]. 28 March 2007. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
^"MG名爵高层即将调整 双品牌战略MG加荣威车-搜狐汽车" [MG executives are about to adjust the dual-brand strategy of MG plus Roewe]. auto.sohu.com. 10 December 2008. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
^"运动与舒适兼具 五问五答上汽名爵锐腾:锐腾为何有两个名字？基于何平台打造？-爱卡汽车" [Five questions and answers about both sportiness and comfort SAIC MG Ruiteng]. info.xcar.com.cn. 19 March 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
^"上汽海外销量大涨40% 五菱晴空、宝骏530齐换标MG" [SAIC's overseas sales soar 40%; Wuling Qingkong and Baojun 530 are all rebranded as MG]. Sohu. 10 July 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
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