SAIC says MG TF will return to production at Longbrige in three months
Author: Robin Brown
Published: 22 April 2008
Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation - owners of Nanjing Auto which owns the Longbridge plant and the rights to produce MG-badged cars - has said that it is committed to restarting production of the MG TF sports car at Longbridge within three months.
A report in the Financial Times indicates that Shanghai Auto (SAIC) wants to recommence production of the TF at Longbridge in July, following the start of production of the car in China by the end of April.
“We will try to launch production at the end of July and bring the car to market at the end of August,” said SAIC President Chen Hong in an interview with the Financial Times.
SAIC has inherited a network of MG dealers across the UK eager to sell new models.
Parts manufacturer StadCo recently pulled out of a contract to supply SAIC with body shells for the TF, casting doubt on the future of Longbridge and NAC's commitment to restarting production at the Midlands plant.
NAC bought MG Rover in 2005, following the groups' collapse. It has since moved much of the Longbridge production line to China.
The firm said Britons would be able to buy the new MG TF by late 2007, while sales of the MG ZT saloon would resume in the UK in 2008.
SAIC had previously negotiated the rights to produce the Rover 75 and has sold 75-based models as the Roewe 750, recently indicating that it may export the saloons to Europe in the future.
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