The end of an era. MG stops British production.

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Purchasing classics there

The Chinese MG mother SAIC pulls the plug from the British production of today's MG models. In Longbridge, MG models will soon no longer be rolling. The Chinese have decided that one central production facility is more efficient. Incidentally, not all activities with regard to the illustrious brand in Longbridge have been stopped.

It won't hurt the real enthusiasts much. For them, the legendary British brand was no longer the producer it once was. "Morris Garages" was responsible for the construction of beautiful roadsters, coupes and Sport Saloons from 1924 to 1980. Of course we all know the T-series, the MGA and the MGB and, following their ancestors, gave the beautiful logo of Morris Garages color. In the post-war years, numerous BMC models (Austin, Morris) also received an update and were provided with an MG badge. It was a first sign for the purists that MG's specific image slowly faded into the background.

Purists no longer recognized MG in this compact model. Yet the British production stop is the end of an era. Image: MG Motor
Purists no longer recognized MG in this MG3. Yet the British production stop is the end of an era. Image: MG Motor

The first goodbye

A first farewell to an era finally took place, when the factory in Abingdon closed its doors in 1980. It was also the starting signal for a further badge-engineering era. Metro and Maestro were given the MG logo and related specifications. In the 90 years, the RV8 and the MGF saw the light of day. The years 2000 - after the sale of MG and Rover by BMW to the Phoenix consortium - were mainly dominated by Rovers who went through life in sporty trim like MG. In 2005 it had happened with the MG Rover Group that originated in 2000. The Chinese Nanjing Automobile Group withdrew the MG part from the bankrupt estate. It merged with SAIC and focused in Longbridge on the production and development of new models. The MG 3, 5, 6 and 7 were launched in the current decade under the name MG Motor. In Europe these cars are only available in Great Britain, where last year the illustrious brand sold over 3.000 cars, a fraction of the total car sales on the island.

Still called MG development and design

The Chinese are now pulling the production plug from Longbridge, because a central production according to the current owner SAIC serves efficiency much more. However, the famous British factory will still be used for final assembly of cars for the British market. Cars will also continue to be designed and developed in Great Britain.

Final end of an era

Purists will undoubtedly believe that the brand no longer existed. But the fact that soon no more cars will be built under this beautiful name in Great Britain can be seen as the definitive end of an era.

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