MG Motor
The new range of MG models, that have been designed and engineered at our 69-acre site in Longbridge, Birmingham, include the MG3 and MG6.
The MG6 was the first in a new generation of MG cars and is a contemporary fastback, specifically designed to meet the varied needs of our busy customers.
Launched initially in 2011, and followed by the new MG6 in 2015, it encompasses everything you'd expect from great British brand. The MG3, which was launched in 2013, is a supermini packed with more fun, practicially and specification than any of its rivals, and at just a fraction of the cost.
MG Motor
The iconic British MG brand can trace its history back to 1924 and is world famous for making stylish cars that are fun to drive and own and are sold at remarkably affordable prices. Modern MGs, which are designed, engineered and finally assembled in Longbridge, Birmingham, continue this long and rich MG tradition.
Two cars currently come off the Longbridge assembly lines: the MG6 and the MG3 with several models planned for the immediate and longer-term future.
The MG6 is a medium-sized fastback offering fantastic dynamic handling, high levels of interior comfort and a tremendously spacious cabin area with a cavernous boot. The MG6 won the category ‘£17,500 and under’ in the Caravan Club Towcar of the Year Awards in 2015. It also won the 2014 Auto Express Driver Power Best Handling Award.
The MG3 is a new generation supermini which brings fun and style to this sector of the market at very affordable prices. The 1.5-litre petrol-powered car can also be personalised, so owners have the option of giving their car their own style-statement.
MG was voted the fourth best manufacturer in the UK in the Auto Express Driver Power Awards in 2015. MG was the fastest growing brand in Britain in 2014 as shown by official figures issued by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Currently MG has the fastest growing network of dealers in the UK as sales continue to surge.
MG is more than an iconic octagonal badge; it is once again a motoring force to be reckoned with. MG much-loved British brand has been re-launched with the financial backing of one of the world’s largest car manufacturers, which allows us to stand tall in the global market.
With strong financial backing and a bright future, MG is ready to write the most exciting chapter in what is already a very colourful story.
MG is owned by SAIC Motor, the largest vehicle manufacturer in China. In 2013 the company sold more than 5.1 million vehicles.
SMTC UK's parent company, Shanghai Automobile and Industrial Corporation (SAIC) is China's largest automobile company, founded in 1958. A Fortune 500 company, in 2011 SAIC produced over 4 million vehicles, the largest output of any China-based automaker.
MG Motor UK Ltd
Main Gate, Lowhill Lane,
Longbridge,
Birmingham
B31 2BQ
MG Cars History
MG, the initials of Morris Garages, is an English automotive marque registered by the now defunct MG Car Company Limited, a British sports car manufacturer begun in the 1920s as a sales promotion sideline within W R Morris's Oxford city retail sales and service business by the business's manager, Cecil Kimber. Best known for its two-seat open sports cars, MG also produced saloons and coupés. Kimber was an employee of William Morris.
The MG business was Morris's personal property until 1 July 1935 when he sold MG to his holding company, Morris Motors Limited, restructuring his holdings before issuing (preference) shares in Morris Motors to the public in 1936. MG underwent many changes in ownership starting with Morris merging with Austin in The British Motor Corporation Limited in 1952. MG became the MG Division of BMC in 1967 and so a component of the 1968 merger that created British Leyland Motor Corporation. By the start of 2000 MG was part of the MG Rover Group which entered receivership in 2005 and the assets and the MG brand were purchased by Nanjing Automobile Group (which merged into SAIC in 2008) for GB£53 million. Production restarted in 2007 in China, and later at Longbridge plant in the UK under the current manufacturer MG Motor. The first all-new model from MG in the UK for 16 years, the MG 6, was officially launched on 26 June 2011.
The original MG marque was in continuous use, except for the duration of the Second World War, for 56 years following its inception in 1923. The production of predominantly two-seater sports cars was concentrated at a factory in Abingdon. The British Motor Corporation (BMC) competition department was also based at the Abingdon plant, producing many winning rally and race cars, until the Abingdon factory closed and MGB production ceased in the Autumn of 1980.
Previous Owners
1924–1935: William R Morris
1935–1952: Morris Motors Limited
1952–1967: British Motor Corporation
1967–1968: British Motor Holdings
1968–1986: British Leyland
1986–1988: Rover Group
1988–1994: British Aerospace
1994–2000: BMW
2000–2005: MG Rover Group
2006–2008: NAC MG
Car Models
The earliest model, the 1924 MG 14/28 consisted of a new sporting body on a Morris Oxford chassis. This car model continued through several versions following the updates to the Morris. The first car which can be described as a new MG, rather than a modified Morris was the MG 18/80 of 1928 which had a purpose-designed chassis and the first appearance of the traditional vertical MG grille. A smaller car was launched in 1929 with the first of a long line of Midgets starting with the M-Type based on a 1928 Morris Minor chassis. MG established a name for itself in the early days of the sport of international automobile racing. Beginning before and continuing after World War II, MG produced a line of cars known as the T-Series Midgets which, post-war, were exported worldwide, achieving greater success than expected. These included the MG TC, MG TD, and MG TF, all of which were based on the pre-war MG TB, and updated with each successive model.
MG departed from its earlier line of Y-Type saloons and pre-war designs and released the MGA in 1955. The MGB was released in 1962 to satisfy demand for a more modern and comfortable sports car. In 1965 the fixed head coupé (FHC) followed: the MGB GT. With continual updates, mostly to comply with increasingly stringent United States emissions and safety standards, the MGB was produced until 1980. Between 1967 and 1969 a short-lived model called the MGC was released. The MGC was based on the MGB body, but with a larger (and, unfortunately, heavier) six-cylinder engine, and somewhat worse handling. MG also began producing the MG Midget in 1961. The Midget was a re-badged and slightly restyled second-generation Austin-Healey Sprite. To the dismay of many enthusiasts, the 1974 MGB was the last model made with chrome bumpers due to new United States safety regulations; the 1974½ bore thick black rubber bumpers that some claimed ruined the lines of the car. In 1973, the MGB GT V8 was launched with the ex-Buick Rover V8 engine and was built until 1976. As with the MGB, the Midget design was frequently modified until the Abingdon factory closed in October 1980 and the last of the range was made. The badge was also applied to versions of BMC saloons including the BMC ADO16, which was also available as a Riley, but with the MG pitched as slightly more "sporty".
The marque lived on after 1980 under BL, being used on a number of Austin saloons including the Metro, Maestro, and Montego. In New Zealand, the MG badge even appeared on the late 1980s Montego estate, called the MG 2.0 Si Wagon. There was a brief competitive history with a mid-engined, six-cylinder version of the Metro. The MG Metro finished production in 1990 on the launch of a Rover-only model. The MG Maestro and MG Montego remained on sale until 1991, when production of these models was pruned back in order for Rover to concentrate on the more modern 200 Series and 400 Series. High performance Rover Metro, 200 and 400 GTi models had gone on sale in late 1989 and throughout 1990 as the MG version of the Metro was discontinued in 1990 and the versions of the Maestro and Montego were axed in 1991.
The Rover Group revived the two-seater with the MG RV8 in 1992. The all-new MGF went on sale in 1995, becoming the first mass-produced "real" MG sports car since the MGB ceased production in 1980.
Following the May 2000 purchase of the MG and Rover brands by the Phoenix Consortium and the forming of the new MG Rover Group, the MG range was expanded in the summer of 2001 with the introduction of three sports models based on the contemporary range of Rover cars. The MG ZR was based on the Rover 25, the MG ZS on the Rover 45, and the MG ZT/ZT-T on the Rover 75.
The MG Rover Group purchased Qvale, which had taken over development of the De Tomaso Bigua. This car, renamed the Qvale Mangusta and already approved for sale in the United States, formed the basis of the MG XPower SV, an "extreme" V8-engined sports car. It was revealed in 2002 and went on sale in 2004.
1924–1927: MG 14/28
1927–1929: MG 14/40
1928–1933: MG 18/80
1929–1932: MG M-type Midget
1931–1932: MG C-type Midget
1931–1932: MG D-type Midget
1931–1932: MG F-type Magna
1932–1934: MG J-type Midget
1932–1934: MG K-type Magnette
1933–1934: MG L-type Magna
1934–1936: MG N-type Magnette
1934–1936: MG P-type Midget
1936–1939: MG TA Midget
1939–1940: MG TB Midget
1945–1950: MG TC Midget
1950–1953: MG TD Midget
1953–1955: MG TF Midget
1955–1962: MGA
1961–1979: MG Midget
1962–1980: MGB
1967–1969: MGC
1973–1976: MGB GT V8
1992–1995: MG RV8
1995–2002: MG F
2002–2005 and 2007–present: MG TF
Subcompact cars
1982–1990: MG Metro
2001–2005: MG ZR
2013–Present: MG 3
1933–1934: MG KN
1962–1968: MG 1100
1967–1973: MG 1300
Midsize cars (Medium saloons)
1924–1927: MG 14/28
1927–1929: MG 14/40
1928–1933: MG 18/80
1937–1939: MG VA
1947–1953: MG Y-type
1953–1956: MG Magnette ZA
1956–1958: MG Magnette ZB
1959–1961: MG Magnette Mk. III
1961–1968: MG Magnette Mk. IV
1983–1991: MG Maestro
1985–1991: MG Montego
2001–2005: MG ZS
2011–Present: MG 6
2012–Present: MG 5
Full-size cars (Large saloons)
1936–1939: MG SA
1938–1939: MG WA
2001–2005: MG ZT
2007–2013: MG 7
Supercars
2002–2005: MG XPower SV
Motorsport
From its earliest days MGs have been used in competition and from the early 1930s a series of dedicated racing cars such as the 1931 C-Type and 1934 Q-type were made and sold to enthusiasts who received considerable company assistance. This stopped in 1935 when MG was formally merged with Morris Motors and the Competition Department closed down. A series of experimental cars had also been made allowing Captain George Eyston to take several world speed records. In spite of the formal racing ban, speed record attempts continued with Goldie Gardner exceeding 200 mph (320 km/h) in the 1100 cc EX135 in 1939. After the Second World War record-breaking attempts restarted with 500 cc and 750 cc records being taken in the late 1940s. A decision was also taken to return to racing and a team of MGAs was entered in the tragedy-laden 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans race, the best car achieving 12th place.
Racing cars
1930–1931: MG 18/100 "Tigress"
1934: MG Q-type
1935: MG R-type
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