Give then chance FFS! you carn't make a new model in a few weeks you know!

 

Well, to all those people who say NAC need new metal - WAIT!

Come on, they've done extremely well to get the TF virtually back into production at Longbridge and that must be applauded. Whilst the cars are old to us, in China - which lets not forget, is their primary market, they are brand new. Therefore, it makes sense to get them into production with no major changes.

At least if they have cars in production, they are making money & generating profits to pay for the new metal.

What would you rather, they pause for a further 2 years whilst they develop new metal?

Also don't forget the TF and ZT/ZTT are currently the only models they can sell in the EU. Any new models would require to be fully certified before they could enter production, ensuring more delays.

NAC have new models in the pipeline, they are working on hybrids etc.. All this takes time and in the fullness of time, we will see new metal.

YOU JUST NEED TO BE PATIENT!!

 

Agree 100%. The 'We need new metal now' mentality is the same kind of nonsense which screwed up the launch of the Maestro and Montego, which by launching them before they were ready for the market (amongst other things) resulted in cars and build systems which were under-productionised.

I'm as keen to see new British made metal rolling out of Longbridge as anyone else. But not until the product and the quality is right.

Regards

John

 

Well, if all they do is tweak fronts and rears, we might as well pack up now.

Which is just as well they aren't. New metal is in the pipeline, just be patient!

 

Problem is we were told to be patient 5 years ago by a different management team. Your right that these are new models in China, but does that just mean that Nanjing could run them for another 5 years without having to replace them?

Why weren't Nanjing developing new models the day after they got MG? SAIC have been. I throw down a challenge to NAC. Show us a vision. Give us some evidence that you are developing new cars (and no not just another car with a different bumper). If you can't then sorry but it may be time to consider that merger with SAIC. Maybe NAC aren't big enough?

MG is rapidly going to become a joke in the motoring press unless it starts to show it can develop a new car and that would be unbearable. We've seen a lot of negativity from the press today. But you can't say it's not totally unfounded.

I'm a huge MG fan and hopefully some one somewhere will read this post and get the message. Don't think of this post as negative. Think of it as constructive criticism. NAC show us some progress in developing new cars please!

 

Yu Jian Wei said that nanjing will be producing the MG ZTT, MG TF2 and MG TF2 Hardtop at Longbridge.

Is that enough new metal for you?

 

Sadly he didn't say that. He said if the current TF is a success then the production of other models at Longbridge is possible.

Like almost everything Nanjing said today it was an enigmatic statement that studiously avoided giving away too much. Or indeed anything.

 

This is getting a tad boring now, how many similar threads have we had, discussing the same old thing.

Countdown until the next one appears ........

 

Since the year 2000? Probably quite a few, but over the last 2 years I'd say not that many. I suppose in the back of my mind I've become very concerned at today's largely negative press reports. Many of which now use the ageing model thing to beat MG round the head with. How long before they start making comparisons between theTF and the Lada Riva and the amount of time red Russia had that in production? Do you really want the press to start destroying the MG brand? Look at what they did to Rover.

I have refrained from asking this question so loudly for a few years. A few years back I remember some prominant members criticising me for asking the question, but maybe I wasn't loud enough. Maybe that's why MGR went bust. Maybe it's my fault for not being more vocal, for not offering some positive criticism....I think I've kept my mouth shut long enough.

NAC need to realise that the media is very powerfull over here. A new concept car would be no bad thing.

 

Oh for goodness sake of course there is new metal on the way!

Could anyone seriously imagine NAC would maintain a car plant capable of 50000+ cars per annum just so that they can make old models with revised bumpers? Forever? These people are not stupid - they will want to get new models out as soon as possible :shake:

All that has happened is that the old models are now being made in China (just like the Montego etc.) and UK production will switch over to new models, as before. The difference is that 1) the company died and had to (like Dr. Who) regenerate, and 2) more parts production will now take place in China. Apart from that, product development is going to continue as before, but with the benefit of a much lower product cost.


Don't forget R&D is based at Longbridge; it's not just an assembly site.

 

Don't forget R&D is based at Longbridge; it's not just an assembly site.

According to the press there are now 150 people working at Longbridge. Assuming most are learning how to make the TF then the R&D team is small, if it exists at all. Maybe ARUP/ Lotus are doing work, but have you seen much evidence of this?

The point is NAC need to learn how to handle the media. A concept car unveiling today would have meant much better headlines. People want some evidence that something is happening. Not just some meaningless words...I hate to say this but the P4 were more convincing at telling us new metal was on the way.

 

Why should NAC-MG give you evidence - do you think they are lying then? Up until now, NAC-MG have kept to their word, and acted professionally.

I would rather they took their time and not make any false promises. They are clearly trying to get the quality right on the TF, before they put the car on sale.

How many people were whinging when the TF was launched in China with no changes? Today, we have evidence that NAC-MG are working on refining the TF and making the product better than ever.

How many people two years ago were saying that it was all over for Longbridge? Yes the operation is much smaller, but it definitely isn't all over!

NAC-MG are actually building a business that is sustainable and realistic. It is alot better than the P4 years, where it was spend, spend, spend on hospitality and whims, and then put your head in the sand.

 

Well, all the P4 did was unveil concept cars, remember the TCV, lot of good that did them.

I'd rather NAC concentrated on getting the cars they have into production than farting around with concepts that may never see production.

Don't underestimate what NAC have done in 2 years, they've gone from no employees, no brand, no cars to production lines running in China in a brand new factory, built from the ground up in a little over 12 months. They've restarted production at Longbridge (no easy task in itself) and you're asking what they have done for the last two years!?!??

 

Where's the vision - ALL OTHER CAR MAKERS HAVE ONE, EVEN MORGAN!

All I'm asking for at the end of the day is a vision of when they will introduce new models and what those new models may be. I know more about BMW's plan's than MG's and I don't even like BMW!

You know I frequently pop onto the blue oval website to read what's happening at Ford. As someone who only visits it because of my liking for Land Rover and Jaguar I come at things from a different perspective to the Ford enthusiast's. Right now all the Ford enthusiasts live in denial of Volvo possibly being sold off or Ford going into Chapter 11. But as a neutral I am willing to see both sides of the coin.

Over on this website where I'm an MG-R nut I have always tended to believe the best. Encouraged by people like Steve Childs, John the dude from Northern Ireland and various others. But having been through the MG-Rover saga then I'm wondering if I'm totally blind to seeing certain things, that I don't want to see. Having read some very negative press reports today, I have to revisit my normally optimisitic views and take stock. If only NAC would tell us what their vision is. Do they have the money for a vision? Is that the real problem?

 

All I'm asking for at the end of the day is a vision of when they will introduce new models and what those new models may be. I know more about BMW's plan's than MG's and I don't even like BMW!

But you only know that because of rumours. BMW doesn't actually stand up and say, x will be launched in May, y will be launched in September etc., You have read about it on the t'internet and in magazines.

What you are asking NAC-MG to do is to reveal its future model plans. It would be commercial suicide for any manufacturer to do that.

NAC-MG have revealed their immediate plans, and that is what we need to be concerned with - TF will enter production in the Autumn. Anything else is a bonus.

 

I think the achievements of NAC are remarkable and I wouldn't have been surprised if they had relaunched the cars unchanged. It might only be a new bumper and bits of trim, but they are things that needed to be put right. NAC are also customer clinicing these too- shows they are taking this seriously.

NAC are here for the long haul- how can anyone seriously think they are putting all this on for show? Its no easy task to restart the supply chain to LB; they wouldn't even try if they weren't serious.

Their statements today may ave been enigmatic but thats what they were at the first ceremony in China and it all became clear in due course. And as for arse-licking the British press, well I doubt it'll get them anywhere anyway. China is the main market; the British plant is as much a marketing tool as an R&D/production site. The UK is a very small market and probably not exactly significant in their eyes in itself (MG branded cars had about 1.5% of the market)- the link to the UK is important for the company heritage and prestige to help them sell overseas. I'm sure they'll want the best publicity they can get, but if the British press sneer I doubt NAC top brass will be crying themselves to sleep. Its the Chinese press that counts more at the moment.

 

China is the main market; the British plant is as much a marketing tool as an R&D/production site. The UK is a very small market and probably not exactly significant in their eyes in itself (MG branded cars had about 1.5% of the market)- the link to the UK is important for the company heritage and prestige to help them sell overseas.

I think it's more than that. Longbridge will produce cars for the whole of Europe - at least to start with - and is capable of making at least 50,000 cars a year.


Plus Longbridge will do a significant amount of R&D.

 

And no Government officials were there because they are all off on their respective ego-boosting farewell tours, paid for by you, dear taxpayer....

 

Well you haven't given them long enough......it's taken two years to get the factory open...there will be new metal next year...just be patient like we have for the last two years.

What a fantastic effort from NAC to get two factories open..one of them starting as a field!

 

Well you haven't given them long enough......it's taken two years to get the factory open...there will be new metal next year...just be patient like we have for the last two years.

What a fantastic effort from NAC to get two factories open..one of them starting as a field!

has any one hear of sites were you will be able to BUY an mg

 

Originally Posted by MGROVERnut
According to the press there are now 150 people working at Longbridge. Assuming most are learning how to make the TF then the R&D team is small, if it exists at all. Maybe ARUP/ Lotus are doing work, but have you seen much evidence of this?

Speaking to a supplier to the motor components industry recently, there most definitely is R&D work going on at NAC-MG.

Regards

John

 

Not really sure this warrants a separate thread either

 

Well it does say somewhere that they'll have 5 dealer signed up by the end of this week (I think I read that) and I would expect the next official announcement to be about this growing dealer network. That will obviously contain info about which cars are going to be available. I would expect some design renderings for new models in the future but really not yet. They'll need something to show prospective TF buyers what company/image they are buying into.

But good things come to those who wait. I know we waited for MGR to do something, but they had no backers and no money. NAC may not be rolling in it just yet, but they will when they start selling MG7s in big numbers in the far east. MG has a destination now and the means of getting there.

 

Well it does say somewhere that they'll have 5 dealer signed up by the end of this week (I think I read that)

Yes, Paul Stowe said that in a BBC interview. I think it was W. Midlands local news.

Hope he's right.

 

Lets give NAC-MG a chance. So far they have kept to promises that they have made, and to be honest, I think they have done quite well.

If in a year, we haven't heard about anything new, then I think it is the time to worry

 

Nanjing are doing something hardly attempted in 40 years: Longbridge modernisation. And they're doing it while setting up a mass production operation in China and working on plants in the US and Russia to be integrated into a global plan. Seeing as China is and must be the priority (the best market for NAC to bring in the money), they certainly have enough on their plate to be going on with.

New metal will take time. Exactly what R&D did they inherit from MGR? Limited reskin of the 75, somewhat advanced work on the RDX60, and less advanced work on the 25-replacement? That's not exactly much to go on, especially if the RDX60 needs to be partially scrapped or redone from the ground up.

They must take time getting quality right and will also have to gradually build up the dealership network. If the comment made a couple of times that they want to recapture the former market share is anything to go by, and the fact they intend to produce all the European market share from longbridge (excluding perhaps Russia), then it's good times indeed.

It's also been confirmed recently that Longbridge will be the lead R&D centre globally. now that's fantastic if NAC becomes a proper mass producer as they seem to want to become.

Today is good news. Until they actually deliver we might be a bit sceptical, but everything points to more good news in the future. Without being rude, I like to think I can separate optimism from distortion of facts. That way, I don't see myself being set up for a fall even if I'm hopeful. i was hopeful with MGR, but not exactly surprised it all went wrong (even if there was some help along the way from unexpected quarters). Maybe I had hoped MGR could get new metal out, but I always wondered how they were going to afford it, and why they didn't bother with using the 25 platform. I don't have either concern with NAC.

 

Besides, we will have 'new' metal of sorts soon. The MG3 and MG5 are due to arrive later this year and early next year respectively.

However, don't expect much from the MG3 as it apparently won't be much more than a tweaked Streetwise / ZR cross. However, it should be noted, the MG3 is intended for Chinese consumption only. The MG5 is supposed to be a substantially re-worked ZS, but again more than likely for the Chinese market only.

We will get new models eventually over here, but it could be 12-18 months before we do.

Just remember, China is their main focus at the moment, as success there paves the way for international expansion.

Longbridge has the overall capacity for around 80,000 cars a year currently, with the paintshop having a higher capacity still.

One little nugget of info I did learn yesterday was that Longbridge has the ability to source parts locally to fit to the cars it produces. They have their own small purchasing team, engineering & QA teams to validate the parts.

So the TFs here can be different to the TFs built in China, they can have different materials, seats, trim even body panels I suppose - but it does naturally increase the cost of the car if parts are sourced locally to Longbridge.

The cars shown had 'LE 500' badges on the sides of them, these were apparently all done by Longbridge themselves. The main components come from China, but Longbridge does have the ability to effectively build a different spec car.

Which when you think about it, is a huge benefit for Longbridge - they still have contacts with all the previous suppliers to MGR and can source parts quite quickly.

So even if the MG7 is assembled at Longbridge, chances are it will be more than just a kit that is assembled, the car could be quite different from the MG 7. Although, as I said, this is more likely to be limited to trim & interior fabrics than anything else.

All in all, that little bit of news was very interesting to hear. In effect Longbridge get a base car & can do whatever they like to it to suit UK and EU markets.

 

Yup, that strategy makes a lot of sense and I suspect that as time goes on there will be increasing divergence between what is produced at Longbridge and what is produced in China - probably and ultimately becoming as distinctive as say most Holdens and Vauxhalls are today, to take account of market traits and characteristics. Certainly as Ford found out with the previous generation Mondeo, world cars work best when the world element is limited to the floorpan.

The other exiciting thing is that when it comes to new metal, NAC-MG now have the scale and size to form alliances which are sure to be of interest to other automotive suppliers - as well as the engineering facilities and distribution network. That I suspect will be how we will ultimately see 100% new and fresh metal.

Regards

John

 

How did you get on yesterday Steve? Any pics or not?

 

There's a sticky at the top of this forum

 

I'm guessing 'LE500' will be a special edition to mark the return to the UK..

 

Not sure if this has been answered before but, what has happened to the various cars, shells and components that were photographed by the '28 Days Later' website users? Are these still at Longbridge? Could they not be used to produced a number of limited run models at a discounted price?

I hope they haven't all been crushed!

 

A newly built ZR or ZS wouldn't be allowed to be sold in Britain. I expect they'll flog anything any good for spares or send it to China for evaluation/training.

 

According to the Press Release, Longbridge doesn't just have a small team responsible for purchasing at Longbridge, they are responsible for China as well as Longbridge

The role of Longbridge will be as follows:

* R&D centre for MG
* Engineering & testing of MG models
* HR recruiting for China and Longbridge
* A purchasing and logistics centre for China and Longbridge
* Manufacturing base for the UK and European markets
* Sales & marketing base for the UK and Europe

 

I think they are doing a good job and we all need patience. I would very much love to see new models and for that we need to give them time. At the moment all is looking good for Longbridge imo and i hope they succeed in China and with the money they make there, they can invest in r&d so that we can see new models in UK and Europe.

Finally one year ago from today would you believe that Longbridge would reopen?

 

NAC bought the assets of MG Rover.... now I know for 100% certainty that new models weren't far away. Why can't they just get these out. The ZS still pays a large proportion to Honda or did

 

Not sure where you got this information but MG Rover, as far as i knew, had nothing almost ready to be launched in April 2005. All the company were concentrating on were EU4 spec cars. At the time the company had 8 months to do a full validation programme for EU4 or no cars could have been sold after January 1st 2006 due to Emission laws changing.

As far as i am aware MG Rover would have had nothing new to launch for at least another 2-3 years as nothing new was being built, worked on or tested.

Bearing in mind that the company lay dormant for two years this now puts anything new that was "on paper" at the very least two years away.