Ford F150 Flow Through Floor Console Vault on 2040-parts.com

New Longbridge production line

By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 31 May 2007 10:10 Reborn MG opens its doors at Longbridge Yesterday marked the latest chapter in one of the genuine rollercoaster stories of our times: the rise and fall – and now yet another recovery – of car production at Longbridge, the spiritual home of some of the most famous nameplates in British car manufacturing. This time it’s the rebirth of MG, now in Chinese hands and back from a near-death experience since MG Rover collapsed in April 2005. Nanjing Automobile Corporation (NAC) is the oldest car maker in China and paid £50 million to snap up the MG brand and manufacturing rights, but can it really stand a chance with its new English project?  The Chinese manufacturer is reviving the MG brand and, in Europe, the first model on sale will be the revised TF roadster on sale around September 2007.

Ford resurrects Vignale name in an attempt to add premiumness to mainstream models

Ford is resurrecting the name of renowned Italian design house Vignale in an attempt to bring its mainstream models up market in Europe. Of course this isn't Ford's first experience of using a defunct carrozzeria for its range-topping models – remember Ghia? The first of these new models will be the Mondeo, which will appear with Vignale badging, lashings of chrome and quilted leather in Frankfurt next week.

Fords at SEMA – A Preview

Ford has the biggest display space of any manufacturer at SEMA – 27,000 square feet – and plans to pack it with every kind of truck, tuner and Transit Connect. Yes, this year at SEMA Ford will have ten customized Transit Connect small business haulers in a celebration it's calling “Vandemonium.” So far we have a picture of just of one of them, the “TC – Pentech,” a Transit Connect with two driving simulators in the back. Info on the other nine hasn't been released yet but suffice to say Vandemonium could make the Transit Connect the PC Cruiser of the new millennium.