MX-5 OC Forum

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIZmC90NpHQ

That would certainly be very handy.

My MG Maestro only came with rust and jeers as standard!

I was hoping the Chinese would embrace the MG design and history of old with some quirky retro hints.

All they seem to have produced is a Nissan Primera in brown.

With or without the grappling hook its a bit of a let down

 Apparently, it was designed in Warwick by Ricard & former Mg-rover engineers.

I'd give them time before deciding if they are going to go all retro (which is so passe now). They've carried over former MG styling cues; the grill derived from the 'B. Happily, and intriguingly, they have revived "Morris Garages", which hasn't been used in 70 years+. Which is an improvement when NAC brought up the brand; at that time they figured "Morris" meant nothing, and tried to rebrand it "Modern Gentleman". SAIC swallowed up NAC, shipped over MG Rovers classic car collection, and stared at it, before deciding MG was Morris Garages, Beefeaters and old phone boxes.

MG6 poster in China (Morris Garages...)

Supposedly they have plans to relaunch "Austin" in China, where the brand amazingly still carries some cachet. Although they can't make a "Mini" anymore, they do own "Morris Minor". Personally, I welcome a break from the past, like Skoda did.

MG6 is a reclothed Rover 75 (aka older BMW 5-series), which wasn't such a bad car. New model, all new, is the MG Zero;  Fiesta rival.

AT:

I'd give them time before deciding if they are going to go all retro (which is so passe now).

Personally, I welcome a break from the past, like Skoda did.

Real MGs (like all Austin Healey Sprites and Austin Healey 3000s) were made at Abingdon. Abingdon MGs were simple, rugged and reliable - rather like the Mk 1 MX-5 - not like anything with the K series motor (sorry old Lotus fans).  I have owned Abingdon MGs which I still adore. I also owned a 2004 MG TF and enjoyed it but I bought a Mk 1 MX-5 to enjoy long term.

Skoda used to be rugged, relable and oversteer terminally at road speeds - they needed to be reinvented!

I must say most modern cars are so pug ugly that a little retro might be a very good idea.

Martin

 Sorry AT, but there is very little of the BMW 5 series in the MG ZT or Rover 75. The Diesel 4 pot engine is about the only thing i think? I wish my MG ZT was based on a 5 series, as it would be a lovely rear drive jobby and not the front driver that it is. The only RWD drive MG ZT or Rover 75 is the V8 model with Ford Mustang engine, but this is just a re-worked MG/Rover chassis converted to RWD, no BMW influence at all. All the MG petrol engines are also Rover source/Land Rover sourced (K series and KV6 engine).

The rover 75 was mainly based on an experimental front wheel drive 3 series that the BMW boys tried before deciding that there were good reasons for their product to stay RWD. Well that is the story I was given.

From Wiki

 At the time of the launch there had been speculation within the media that the Rover 75 used the BMW 5-Series platform, perhaps due to the overall size of the model, the apparent presence of a transmission tunnel and the use of the parent company's rear suspension system. This was in fact not the case; Rover engineers had used the concept of incorporating a central tunnel which had been explored by BMW as part of their own research into front wheel drive chassis design. As the 75 took shape, this core engineering was passed over to Rover and evolved into the Rover 75 structure. The tunnel concept, along with the rear suspension system, was also used by the Rover engineers for the design of the MINI.