MG6 Launch revives Morris Garages moniker

The new MG6 gets badged 'Morris Garages'.

Life has not been easy over the last few years for MG. Or should I say what remains of MG after the debacle of the ‘Phoenix Four’ who took over MG Rover from BMW for a token £10 – and £425 million in working capital to boot – and set about selling off the rights to MG to the Chinese in the form of SAIC (Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation).

We’ve had the promise of the MG6 – since its reveal at Shanghai earlier this year – and we’ve also had the promise of a new entry-level MG TF being built in the UK. But the last news we reported was that the MG factory in Longbridge to close, perhaps never to open again.

The new MG badging on the MG6

But even though the future still looks grim for MG Sports Cars – at least for UK built MGs – Chinese owners SAIC are about to debut the production ready MG6 at the Guangzhou Auto Show in China. Not the most exciting new car to hit the roads this year – based as it is on the old Rover 75 platform – it does at least point a way forward for the MG brand, even if not in quite the way MG aficionados will relish.

The MG6 will be a European car – the Roewe moniker is being used in China – and the MG6 will be coming to the UK and Europe in 2010 (as may the Roewe 550 Saloon which could turn up as the MG5). SAIC have even gone as far as having separate stands at the Guangzhou Car Show for Roewe and MG, putting the MG stand right next to BMW, which may be wishful thinking or maybe Chinese bravado – ‘Look what we’ve done with what you sold’.

What is interesting is that SAIC have chosen to introduce a new badge for the MG. It still looks familiar with its octagonal border framing the ‘MG’ but they’ve chosen to add ‘Morris Garages’ underneath the MG logo. Now Morris Garages is the root of MG, but how many outside the real hard-core MG nuts with their beards and real ale would know? So its seems a bit pointless.

But maybe SAIC think it adds credibility to the MG6?

By Cars UK