Latest News from MG-Rover.org

New stainless steel coolant pipes are now available for manual MGF and TF cars from all XPart AutoService centres and parts wholesalers. The pipes are being manufactured on original MG Rover tooling and have been rigorously tested to meet with XPart's quality requirements. They offer a robust alternative to the cars' standard-fit steel pipes, which are susceptible to corrosion. The new pipes will cost £65 + VAT and can be ordered under part number PEP102470SS.
 
“Our new stainless steel pipes should prevent coolant leaks caused by corroded underbody pipes, helping to remove the risk of engine overheating and keeping owners safe on the roads,” comments Barry Smith, UK Sales Manager, XPart. “Corrosion to the  underbody coolant pipes on MGF and TF cars have traditionally caused headaches for owners as excessive corrosion can result in leaks, which can lead to engine overheating, and ultimately to head gasket failure.”

For further information on XPart's parts wholesaler and AutoService centre network, or to locate your nearest XPart MG Rover specialist, please visit www.xpart.com.

MG Motor has already arranged to have a number of prospective customers, existing customers and friends of the brand join us at Goodwood for the first ‘Moving Motorshow' on Thursday 1st July.

Today we are pleased to announce that a very limited number of additional tickets have become available and we are offering them on a free of charge basis to the general public.

If you can be available a week today, click here, and complete the form stating your interest (with Reference Code 6GW) and we will send out the tickets whilst stocks last. They will be issued on a strictly first come, first served basis and will be sent in pairs to arrive not later than Tuesday June 29th 2010.

 

We take a brief look at the Electronic testing systems at MG Birmingham.

Today I managed to grab 5 minutes to talk to the guys behind the Powertrain side of SAIC's MG operation at Longbridge and learnt rather a lot of information that I didn't know! New engines, small medium (which we already know, the N Series) and large, including a 3 litre V6.

 

Not to mention 6 speed gearboxes!

After the events below, I walked up to Guy Jones. Shook him by the hand and said, "As an enthusiast, can I just say that you are what this company has needed for a long time, thank you".

 

Why did I say this?... read on...

 

Today was the opening of the Design Centre at Longbridge and yours truly went along, not really knowing what to expect. Little did I know that it was quite simply going to be the most open, accessible and fascinating visit to the Longbridge plant (now renamed MG Birmingham, but to local people like me, it'll always be Longbridge) that I've ever had. It started with an overview of the company and pretty much all of it was stuff we all know. We then went off to the ribbon cutting event. After that we then split into 2 groups, one went to the Design Centre and the other to the Technical Centre.

 

What they also had were spots around the visitor centre were you could talk to various teams of Engineers, Powertrain, Chassis, Interior and Crash Testing. This access to the engineers is quite simply unprecedented. I have never been to a press event Longbridge before when you could go and talk to the engineers behind the cars quite so openly.

 

I will post a few more articles in the next few hours as I try to assimilate the information that I've learnt over the last 6 hours or so! One of the journalists described it as information overload - but that certainly makes up for 5 years of information void! Overall though the event was widely praised by the media people who attended and has done no end of good for the brand as far as I can see in the media. Whether it comes out of the media in the same way we'll have to wait and see.

 

But one thing is for sure, Guy had to work hard to get the OK to arrange the day with the Chinese bosses, no doubt if it had all gone wrong, it would have been some serious egg on his face. However, as far as I can tell it was a huge success and bodes well for the future.

 

Chatting to the Engineers was a great experience, to get answers to questions that I've been wanting to ask for some time - some really interesting info from the Powertrain guys, which I'll get onto shortly.
But credit has to go to Guy Jones for setting the day up and Doug Wallace the new PR guy for running the day. It appears to have done MG's relationship with the Media no end of good and if this is a sign of things to come, the future really is looking good for the MG brand & MG Birmingham.

 

(Picture Credit: AROnline)

Following hugely successful events in Cardiff, Dudley, Southampton, Chelmsford, Newcastle and Leicester, Kent and Bristol (see the roadshow image gallery here) the TF will be available for viewing at Churchill Square from Saturday 1st through to Sunday 2nd of May. The MG staff, supplied this time by MG Dealer Sterling Automotive, will be available to answer any questions about the cars, arrange test drives and even show an early image of the new MG6.

With the new 10 Registration now available, come down and see us at Churchill and make sure that you don't miss out on your chance to check out the new TF while you leave your family to get on with the shopping! From only £13,799 OTR and the winter fading into memory, this really is the time to make your TF dream a reality.

The MG ZERO concept car has been unveiled to the world's media today as one of the stars of the Beijing Automotive Show, now one of the world's most important automotive events. The MG ZERO Concept car has been developed by MG Global Design team, led by British MG Design Director Anthony (Tony) Williams-Kenny, based in Birmingham.

At around 4m in length, the MG ZERO concept previews the design direction of the brand and demonstrates how MG can expand into this high- volume sector of the market. MG ZERO reflects the latest trends in the market for vehicle size, styling and technology and is designed to show how MG will offer products that will appeal to a wide audience across the global market.

I managed to grab the best part of 90 mins with Guy Jones today who was kind enough to spare us the time on what was a very busy day, with the launch of the MG Zero concept car in China - more on that shortly!

We have 6 (six!!) pages of questions and answers to go through, so click on 'Read More' to get started!

Is this the all-new TF? No, I doubt it, its just AutoExpress up to their usual Photoshopping antics, however there may be some truth in there somewhere!

 

What is for sure is that SAIC will be thinking about the replacement for the TF. Although its age, it still more than holds its own against the MX-5, which is really its sole remaining competitor in its market segment.