MG Rover-News

[Angus]

MGs could be built at Longbridge next year

Production of MG cars at Longbridge could resume by late next year, months earlier than originally expected.

Automotive News Europe, an authoritive automotive industry newspaper, reported an unidentified source as saying: "We've been making very good progress."

Plant owner Nanjing Automobile of China has said it plans to revive production at the former MG Rover factory by 2007 and create 1,200 jobs at the site.

To beat the 2007 deadline, Nanjing must complete a joint-venture agreement with a new British partner and establish a new supply chain from China, the paper reported.

It added that a jointventure deal with the GB Sports Car Company could be signed before Christmas. GB Sports Car is a consortium led by Fraser Welford-Winton, ex- managing director of Powertrain.

"We expect to start production at the end of next year," the paper quoted the official as saying.

The first cars the Chinese carmaker plans to build in Longbridge are the MG TF sports car and ZT saloon models

Automotive News Europe also said that Nanjing Automobile and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp (SAIC) were discussing a way to cooperate in building MG Rover models in China.

icBirmingham.co.uk, Oct 31 2005


Aus dem Inhalt:
Die Produktion von MGs könnte bereits im späten nächsten Jahr beginnen, Monate früher als erwartet. Es heißt, die Verantwortlichen machen gute Fortschritte. Die Verträge für eine nötige Partnerschaft mit einem biritischen Unternehmen (GB Sports Car Company) könnten noch vor Weihnachten unterzeichnet werden. Zunächst sollen dann die Modelle MG TF und MG ZT produziert werden. Eine Möglichkeit, wie Nanjing und SAIC künftig MG Rover-Modelle in China produzieren könnten ist zwischen beiden Unternehmen im Gespräch.

[Angus]

Last Ever Rover Found

The very last Rover to come out of the Longbridge factory has been identified.
The Rover 75 CDTI has been taken to the British Heritage Motor Centre near Gaydon in Warwickshire. This could well be the very last car ever to wear a Rover badge, as any future models are likely to be badged as MG's.

The only consolation is that the final car was at least a decent product - the 75 was the Rover's best saloon car since the Rover 2000 of the 1960s. Imagine the embarrassment if the last car had turned out to be a Rover 25 Streetwise.



Reuters UK, Fri 4 Nov, 2005


Aus dem Inhalt:
Der letzte Rover, der in Longbridge produziert wurde konnte ermittelt werden. Der Rover 75 CDTI wurde zum British Heritage Motor Centre bei Gaydon gebracht. Er könnte endgültig das letzte produzierte Fahrzeug sein, welches das Rover-Emblem trägt, da künftig nur noch die Marke MG Verwendung finden soll. Der einzige Trost ist, dass das letzte Auto ein ordentliches war -der Rover 75 war seit 1960 die beste Limousine in der Fahrzeugflotte. Man bedenke die Peinlichkeit, dass das letzte neue Modell eine Version des Rover 25 Streetwise war.

[AC-3EX]

Sag zum Abschied leise Servus - MG Rover verschwindet vom deutschen Markt

07.11.2005 - 15:00 Uhr

   München (ots)  - Über Jahrzehnte waren der Mini und der
Land Rover Synonyme für die Erfolge des britischen Autobauers MG
Rover. Doch beide Marken gehören längst nicht mehr zu dem Konzern,
dessen Geschichte als Importeur in Deutschland im Dezember nach 56
Jahren zu Ende geht. Und wenn auch ein wenig Hoffnung auf einen
Neuanfang unter chinesischer Regie bleibt - die Glanzzeiten von Rover
dürften vorerst vorbei sein.

   Seit Herbst 2005 sind die Produktionsanlagen im südenglischen
Longbridge im Besitz der chinesischen Nanjing-Gruppe. Ob dort aber
die Fahrzeugproduktion für den europäischen Markt wieder aufgenommen
wird, lässt sich derzeit noch nicht sagen. Zumal mit der Shanghai
Automotive Industry Corp. (SAIC) ein weiteres Unternehmen aus dem
Reich der Mitte ein Wörtchen über die Zukunft von Rover mitredet.
SAIC hält die Rechte an allen Rover 75-Modellen.

   Auch wenn es Anzeichen dafür gibt, dass die Investoren an einer
neuen deutschen Handelsorganisation Gefallen finden könnten, wird
Rover ein Comeback wohl zunächst nur auf dem asiatischen Markt
erleben. In China möchte die Nanjing-Gruppe möglichst bald mit der
Produktion des Rover 25 und Rover 45 beginnen. Für die verbliebenen
Mitarbeiter der MG Rover Deutschland GmbH ändert dies nichts daran,
dass ab Januar 2006 die Abwicklung der deutschen Dependance auf der
Tagesordnung steht.

Quelle: http://www.faz.net/d/invest/meldung.aspx?id=55048877&news=adh

[Angus]

MG to re-launch end 2006?

The Chinese company that purchased the burning wreckage that is MG Rover is planning to revive the MG brand by the end of next year with the MG ZT and MG TF.

Recent reports say that the automotive plants in Longbridge near Birmingham are in the process of being prepared for further MG production. Nanjing Automobile - the British automotive group's new owner - are planning to build the MG TF roadster and the MG ZT. The latter is the 'motorsport' version of the Rover 75 executive cruiser.

Much of the production of the new models is to move to China - Engines and a great number of the body panel components are to be built there. The vehicles are to be subjected to quality control and final assembly at Longbridge.

MotorTorque, 07/11/2005

Aus dem Inhalt:
Aktuelle Meldungen besagen, dass das Longbridge-Werk bereits in einer Aufbauphase sei, um die MG-Produktion wieder anlaufen zu lassen. Viele Komponenten werden aus China geliefert, die Fahrzeuge sollen in Longbridge die Qualitätskontrolle durchlaufen und auch dort endmontiert werden.

[Angus]

FAW in talks for jointly developing Rover autos

CHINA First Automobile Works Group Corporation, the largest automaker in China, and Nanjing Automobile Group Corp have discussed jointly developing Rover-branded autos.

Over the weekend, a group of high-ranking officials from FAW Corp visited Nanjing Auto for the discussions, according to sources with the two automakers yesterday.

Calls to Liu Ningshen, spokesman of Nanjing Auto, went unanswered yesterday.

Nanjing Auto spent 50 million pounds (US$87 million) to take over the manufacturing assets, engine technology and auto models from MG Rover Group, the failed British automaker.

Nanjing Auto will set up the Nanjing Auto MG Automobile Co Ltd, the carmaker's seventh subsidiary, as part of its plan to revive Rover, which it took over in July this year.

Rover's revival plan, also called "566 Program" within Nanjing Auto, includes building a manufacturing plant in Nanjing Jiangning area with an annual output of 300,000 sedans of various models.

The first batch of Rover cars is expected to hit the market within one-and- a-half years.

"We would like to cooperate with domestic and foreign counterparts to revive Rover together," said Wang Yaoping, vice president of Nanjing Auto, when his company won the bid.

Song Bingshen, an analyst from Huaxia Securities Co, said cooperation talks have been under the spotlight since the largest overseas acquisition by a domestic auto firm.

"China FAW was the best possible partner for Nanjing Auto to work together as it enjoys the most competitiveness. If they could cooperate on Rover's program, I think it may not rule out the possibility of a restructuring of the two groups," said Song.

shanghaidaily.com, 2005-11-08

[AC-3EX]

China's First Automobile und Nanjing Automobile sprechen über Rover
Tuesday, 08. Nov 2005, 08:53

Shanghai 08.11.05 (www.emfis.com)

China's First Automobile Works Group Corp (FAW) und Nanjing Automobile Group Corp sprechen über eine gemeinsame Weiterentwicklung des britischen Rovers, dass berichtet die Shanghai Daily. Dazu hatte am Wochenende die Führungsetage der FAW Corp die Nanjing Auto zu Gesprächen besucht.

Zur Produktion des Rovers wird die Nanjing Auto MG Automobile Co Ltd ins Leben gerufen.

Die Nanjing Automobile hatte die britische Pleitefirma MG Rover im Juli übernommen. Bereits damals hatte die China Business News berichtet, dass Nanjing den Bau des Rovers gemeinsam mit der Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp (SAIC) fortführen will.

Quelle: http://www.emfis.com/Index.1+M59f12705494.0.html

[Angus]

Hier nochmal mit ein, zwei Infos mehr:

Nanjing in talks with FAW on joint development of Rover-based models

Having apparently failed to come to an arrangement with SAIC which claims to own intellectual property in certain ex-MG Rover assets, Nanjing Automomobile has embarked on talks with China First Automobile Works Group Corporation (FAW), China's largest car manufacturer, reports today's Shanghai Daily.

A group of officials from FAW Corp is reported to have visited Nanjing Auto at the weekend, though the companies themselves have not confirmed the news.

Nanjing Automobile plans to establish a seventh subsidiary, the Nanjing Auto MG Automobile Co Ltd, as part of its plan to produce 300,000 Rover-based cars a year following its acquisition of MG Rover in July this year .

Rover's revival plan, also called "566 Program" within Nanjing Auto, includes building a manufacturing plant in Nanjing Jiangning area with an annual output of 300,000 sedans of various models.

Song Bingshen, an analyst from Huaxia Securities Co, said cooperation talks have been under the spotlight since the largest overseas acquisition by a domestic auto firm.

"China FAW was the best possible partner for Nanjing Auto to work together as it enjoys the most competitiveness. If they could cooperate on Rover's program, I think it may not rule out the possibility of a restructuring of the two groups," Song Bingshen, an analyst from Huaxia Securities Co, told the Shanghai Daily.

(ShanghaiDaily.com, 8 November)


Aus dem Inhalt:
Nanjing in Gesprächen mit der FAW bez. Entwicklungskooperation für Rover-basierte Modelle.
Nach dem Scheitern des Arrangements mit SAIC, startet Nanjing nun Gespräche mit der China First Automobile Works Group Corporation (FAW), Chinas größtem Autobauer. Eine Gruppe authoritärer Vertreter der FAW hätten demnach Nanjing Auto am Wochenende aufgesucht. Rovers Rückkehr -auch "566 Program" genannt- soll im Zuge eines neuen Werks in Nanjing Jiangning mit einem Produktionsvermögen von 300.000 Limousinen geschehen. Ein Tochterunternehmen, die Nanjing Auto MG Automobile Co Ltd ist weiterhin geplant. China FAW sei laut Experten die beste Möglichkeit für Nanjing für eine Kooperation, da man die größte Konkurrenz für andere Firmen darstelle.

[AC-3EX]

Fahrzeugzulassungen im Oktober 2005

"Mit 289.653 fabrikneuen Pkw im Oktober startete die Automobilbranche mit einem Plus ins 4. Quartal. Die Zulassungen von Oktober 2004 (+3,0%) und September 2005 (+1,5%) wurden damit übertroffen. Auf die Auswirkungen der Umstellung wird jedoch besonders hingewiesen. Von der positiven Gesamtentwicklung partizipiert der überwiegende Teil der Pkw-Hersteller. Auffallend hohe Zuwächse wurden im vergangenen Monat bei MG Rover (+96,9%) und Daihatsu (+92,2%) beobachtet. Nissan (-51,6%) und Lancia (-45,2%) mussten dagegen herbe Rückschläge gegenüber dem Vorjahresmonat hinnehmen[...]"

Anm. meinerseits: Super, was es doch so bringt die Autos zu verramschen. 
Schande.

Quelle: http://www.autosieger.de/article7889.html

[Angus]

Zwar etwas 'verspätet' aber der Artikel liest sich so gut  ;):

MG Rovers Auferstehung. Totgesagte leben wirklich länger. Im April dieses Jahres meldete der letzte selbständige Automobilhersteller Englands Insolvenz an. Zuletzt wurden mit 6.000 Mitarbeitern per anno 112.000 Fahrzeuge produziert. Im August erhielt das chinesische Staatsunternehmen Nanjing aus der Insolvenzmasse den Zuschlag zum Erwerb der britischen Anlagen (78 Mio. Euro).

Jetzt sollen bis Ende nächsten Jahres in Longbridge der Rover 75 und der Roadster MG TF wieder gebaut werden. Die Urheberrechte an diesen Modellen hatte aber schon zuvor der größte chinesische Autobauer SAIC (Shanghai Automotive Industry) erworben. Ob das hinter den Kulissen auf chinesische Art und Weise maoistisch geregelt wird? Ein mutiges Unterfangen. Sie müssen verdammt viel "Reis" haben!

Autohaus, 14. Oktober - Freitag

[Angus]

Rover's Chinese owner casts doubt over revival of Longbridge plant

By Christine Buckley, Industrial Editor

FRESH doubt was cast on the chances of reviving carmaking at Longbridge yesterday when MG Rover's new owner, Nanjing Automobile Corporation of China, delayed its plans and said that it had not yet secured key partnership deals.

Wang Qiujing, the Chinese carmaker's chief representative in Britain, said that the group would "try our best to resume production at the beginning of 2007", but that it was still talking with several parties as it tried to find a partner with international experience.

Only weeks ago Nanjing said that it was aiming to restart production by the end of next year with GB Sports Car Company, a business headed by Fraser Welford-Winton, a former boss of MG Rover's engine operation.

GB Sports was formed to bid for the MG sportscar operation of MG Rover and was believed to have funding of about £30 million from venture capital backers. But Nanjing wants to start production of the entire range of Rover's MG saloons, which would be more of a volume operation than a niche venture.

Mr Wang said: "We are having several discussions with parties as we look for partners for the new business. We don't know when they will conclude."

He would not say whether Nanjing was looking for engineering and carmaking businesses, or only financial support. But the company emphasised that it needed international experience to help with its global ambitions.

Mr Wang also said that Nanjing wanted British government support to restart production at Longbridge but would still go ahead if none was forthcoming. "We have set out our preliminary plan and will have more to say if our talks are successful," he said.

The plan with GB Sports envisaged production resuming towards the end of next year and gradually increasing until Longbridge employed 1,200 people and made 100,000 vehicles a year.

Richard Burden, Labour MP for Birmingham Northfield, which includes Longbridge, said that Nanjing faced "formidable issues" in finding a partner and producing a clear business plan.

He said: "I don't think they have the answers. People who lost their jobs . . . shouldn't be getting their hopes up. Nobody should be hanging fire on the grounds that production may start again."

Times Online, November 11, 2005


Aus dem Inhalt:
Neue Zweifel über die Reanimierung von Longbridge. Gestern wurden neue Zweifel laut, nachdem Nanjing bekannt gab, dass eine Partnerschaft mit einem anderen Unternehmen nicht gesichert werden konnte. Man würde das möglichste tun, um die Produktion Anfang 2007 wieder aufnehmen zu können und suche deshalb einen Partner mit internationaler Erfahrung. Zuvor hieß es noch, dass man die Produktion bereits wieder 2006 mit Hilfe der GB Sports Car wieder aufnehmen könnte. Man spreche weiterhin mit diversen Parteien, jedoch wisse man nicht, wann ein Entschluss zu erwarten sei. Richard Burden, Labour MP für den Bereich Birmingham Northfield sagte, dass die ehemaligen Angestellten von MG Rover keine Hoffnung hegen sollten. Niemand solle fest damit rechnen, dass die Produktion wieder anlaufen könnte.

[Angus]

Rover's boulevard of broken dreams

What a difference 12 months makes. This time last year, the Longbridge car plant in Birmingham was producing over 300 MG and Rover cars a day, as its owners talked excitedly about a long mooted joint venture with China's Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation.

Now the Longbridge factory is a shadow of its former self. The deal with Shanghai never came off, MG Rover went bust and the vast halls now lie empty after 100 years of car making.

Some images, posted on a website last week, bear testament to the drama in May when car making suddenly halted as the money ran out. The shells of half-built Rover 75s sit on a production line, while a crate of Rover tools is discarded on the factory floor.

Elsewhere, Chinese writing on MG Rover notepaper has been pinned to a car door, a reminder MG Rover's future is in the hands of Shanghai's rival Nanjing Automotive, which bought the site (but not the land) for £53m in late-July.

The run-down state of the car plant illustrates the level of investment required if Nanjing is going to succeed with its plans to hire 1,200 staff and start making 100,000 cars a year again.

Nanjing said this week it will try its best "to resume production at the beginning of 2007".

Forty security guards patrol the 300-acre site. Sources said Nanjing's executives were likely to be "concerned" about the apparent security lapse.

No one from Nanjing was available for comment.

Business Telegraph, 12/11/2005

Anm.: Weitere aktuelle Bilder von Longbridge siehe http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2005/11/12/cnrov12.xml&menuId=242&

[AC-3EX]

Xpart holt MG-Rover-Händler ins Boot

Service und Ersatzteilversorgung sollen gewährleistet werden

Xpart, Lieferant von Originalteilen für MG und Rover, will mit dem Konzept der "Xpart Autoservice Centres" den Servicebetrieb für Fahrzeuge der beiden Marken gewährleisten. Wie das Unternehmen mitteilte, baue man dazu mit Hilfe der MG-Rover-Händler jetzt ein europaweites Netz auf.

Nach dem Ende der MG-Rover-Group war Xpart eingesprungen und übernahm Ersatzteilversorgung sowie die Technik- und Service-Ressourcen. Zudem erneuerte Xpart nach eigenen Angaben Liefervereinbarungen für fabrikneue Ersatzteile und stellte die Teileverfügbarkeit sicher. In den Autoservice Centres sollen MG- und Roverbesitzer auch künftig Wartungs- und Reparaturarbeiten sowie Beratung durch Fachpersonal erhalten. Diese Angebote sollen dann auch für andere Fabrikate gelten.

Das Konzept der Autoservice Centres bietet Xpart zunächst ehemaligen MG-Rover-Händlern an. Diese hätten bis Ende des Jahres Zeit, einen Vetrag abzuschließen, sagte eine Sprecherin der Caterpillar-Tochter auf Anfrage von »kfz-betrieb« ONLINE. Anschließend sollen bestehende Lücken im Servicenetz mit weiteren interessierten Betrieben geschlossen werden.

Quelle: http://www.kfzbetrieb.de/news/kb_beitrag_2224204.html

[Angus]

MG's SA plans 

MG-Rover owners will get a big Christmas present following the news that MG is coming back to South Africa.

Cape Town - MG-Rover owners will get a big Christmas present following the news that MG is coming back to South Africa.

Owners who decided to stick with the brand following the closure of the MG-Rover company in the UK will be pleased to hear that the MG brand - both sedan and two-seater sports car versions - will be coming back to South Africa next year.

China's Nanjing Automobiles Group (NAC) is to re-start production of MG ZT saloons and MG TF sports cars at the Longbridge plant in the UK, and these cars will be rolled out into the South African market.

This means a ready supply of parts, plus the continued service promised, and adhered to, by previous MG-Rover importers Pearl Automotive, a member of the Imperial Motors Group.

Many MG-Rover owners expected to lose money on resale values following the failure of the previous MG-Rover operation in the UK, but this is not expected to happen now as MGs - Rovers are not planned for some time - will come back into the country.

New production line

A statement from Pearl Automotive points to the actions taking place at Longbridge, where 400 former workers have been re-employed to set up a new production line for the MGs, with a further 800 workers to be employed once the line is producing cars.

My sources tell me the moves will impact heavily on the South African operation, which was, until the closure, the biggest importer of MG and Rover cars outside Europe.

Former MG-Rover dealerships in SA which switched over to service only are expected to be re-activated, or new ones set up where, for instance in Cape Town, the dealerships were closed or switched over to other brands within the Imperial stable.

The MG ZT sedans are mechanically almost identical to the Rover 75 models, even to the level of most body panels, which will ensure ready availability of parts.

The statement says: "Pearl Automotive's commitment to protect the brand in South Africa through honouring all warranties and motor plans and also to keep all MG Rover dealers operational from an after sales point of view has put them in a strong position to be re-appointed by NAC as the franchise holders for MG Rover in South Africa.

Warranties

"Pearl Automotive will continue to keep all MG Rover dealers operational and continue to honour warranties and motor plans. This will ensure that the product can be re-launched in South Africa with minimal disruption."

As far as Rover is concerned, Rover 25 and Rover 75 models will be made in China, for local consumption under the Austin brand name, and for export as MGs.

It is likely Pearl will ensure there will a differentiation between the UK-built and Chinese products should the latter hit our shores.

The news comes at a good time for former MG-Rover owners, who will see resale values of their cars climb once the newcomers hit SA markets, as well as for Pearl Automotive and Imperial, which is thought to have lost as much as R20-million in the value of cars in its showrooms, and on the water, when the collapse of the UK firm was announced

The Rover name was bought by Shanghai Automotive, the Chinese company which precipitated the Mg-Rover collapse, and which owns the intellectual property rights.

This company will continue to produce a stretched Rover 75 in the immediate future, but it is expected the impasse over the Rover name will be settled by the Chinese Government, which owns both Chinese motor companies.

MG production at Longbridge is expected to start early next year, with as many as four new models in production by 2007.

wheels24.co.za, 15/11/2005

[Angus]

Inquiry into MG Rover failure is costing £23,000 a day

THE costs of the government-commissioned inquiry into the collapse of MG Rover have nearly doubled to more than £23,000 a day, it has emerged.

In reply to a question in Parliament from Norman Lamb, Liberal Democrat spokesman on trade and industry, Gerry Sutcliffe, minister at the Department of Trade and Industry, said that the total spent was £1.6 million at the end of September. This compares with £1.09 million at the end of August for the previous three months. That means the bills from BDO Stoy Hayward, the forensic accountants, jumped substantially in September for an inquiry which is expected to take at least two years. Mr Lamb said: "These sort of inquiries have an enormous capacity to ratchet up costs. The danger is that they go on for so long that the issue being investigated is lost sight of. It is important that a conclusion is drawn but not that the costs are disproportionately high for the subject."

The Times, November 18, 2005    -gekürzt-

Aus dem Inhalt:
Die Kosten der von der Regierung eingesetzten Untersuchungskommission zur Klärung des MG Rover-Zusammenbruchs haben sich fast verdoppelt. Demnach stiegen die Ausgaben für die Kommission auf 23.000 Pfund pro Tag. Es sei notwendig, die Ermittlungen zum Ende zu bringen jedoch ohne überproportional hohe Kosten.

[Angus]

Rosy future for MG Rover  

MG ROVER's Longbridge plant in the UK is operational with 400 employees currently producing MG TF models again, with a plan to re-employ 1200 people by early next year. This is according to company sources that say the assets and tooling for Longbridge has been bought by Nanjing Automobiles (Group) Corporation (NAC).

MG Rover went out of business earlier this year after a potential sales agreement with Shanghai Automotive Industry (SAI) went sour. Various bids have been made for the group assets in a complicated business scenario that has seen little result other than speculation.

Now, sources tell us NAC have declared their intention to create a viable automotive business both at Longbridge and in China. The GB Sports Car Company has been invited to become their business partners and Nic Stevenson, one of the previous Phoenix Venture Holdings (PVH) owners, has been retained as a consultant to NAC.

Pearl Automotive, the South African importers and distributors of MG Rover, declined to comment on the situation.

Pearl has kept its MG Rover dealerships operational, selling out the remaining stock of cars and honouring all warranties and motor plans, as well as offering service back-up for existing owners. The parts division of the business was to remain open for some time.

If NAC's plans to restart production come to fruition, Pearl will be in a strong position to be reappointed by NAC and re-launch the brands in SA.

Two out of the three final assembly lines at Longbridge will remain and production of all-new models could start as early as 2007. Production of the MG TF and MG ZT will continue in the reconfigured plant while some of the tooling will be transferred to China.

The Rover 75 and 25 will be built at NAC in China and four or five new models are also planned for production there in the future. Both Rover 75 and 25 built by NAC for the Chinese market will be badged as Austins and badged as MG for export markets. In doing this NAC has overcome the problems with the intellectual property rights owned by SAI, who will manufacture the Rover 75 stretch for the Chinese market only.

In an interesting twist to the new scenario, both NAC and SAI are owned by the Chinese government who will allegedly ensure that the conflict between these two companies is resolved.

They have also imposed a condition that 30% of NAC's production must be destined for export. This condition indicates that SA, MG Rover's biggest export market outside of Europe, should become a lucrative market for NAC.

It is likely that just the MG brand will return to SA under the branding issues with SAI. Considering that, the MG TF should remain, as should the ZT and ZR models. The Rover 75 could also become a more luxurious MG ZT model to circumvent the problem.

businessday.co.za, 17 November 2005

Aus dem Inhalt -das Wichtigste:
Rosige Zukunft für MG Rover.
MG Rovers Werk Longbridge ist betriebsbereit und produziert momentan (!) mit 400 Beschäftigten das Modell MG TF. Der Plan sieht weiterhin vor, 1.200 Arbeitskräfte Anfang nächsten Jahres wieder-einzustellen. Die Produtkion aller neuen Modelle solle nicht vor 2007 anlaufen. Dazu sollen zwei der drei Montagelinien in Longbridge verbleiben. Um das Rechtsproblem von Nanjing und SAIC bez. der Produktion des Rover 75 zu lösen, könnte der MG ZT einfach etwas luxuriöser "aufgestylt" werden, um als 'Ersatz' für den 75 zu bestehen.