First Chinese-built MG rolls off production line

The first Chinese-built MG sports cars have rolled off the production line in the city of Nanjing. The cars were manufactured by the state-owned Nanjing Automobile, which bought the assets of the bankrupt UK firm MG Rover in 2005 for 78 million euros.

The company plans to build 200,000 units every year,which will be sold around the world and in the domestic market where the demand for luxury vehicles is soaring.

According to BBC, the Chinese have built a new factory and installed the robots and assembly lines they bought from the collapsed Rover.

Two new models of the MG were also launched, the MG7 Saloon and the MG-TF sports car, which the General Manager Zhang Xin told Reuters would cost between 180,000 and 400,000 yuan (17,478 - 38,840 euros).

The MG cars manufactured in China are being marketed as "Modern Gentleman" and do not differ much from the original British made cars. They even have the Union flag displayed on their bodywork.

Zhang was quoted by Reuters as saying that while the company is keeping the MG's "British flavor," the major market for MG will be in China, which is growing by 10 million new cars every year.

The MG plant in Nanjing can produce 200,000 cars, 250,000 engines and 100,000 gearboxes annually. The company is also considering building MGs at Britain's Longbridge factory for the European market, and in Ardmore, Oklahoma for the US market.