- Curse of MG strikes
- Factory shuts down for weekend
- Leaked prototype picture is a mere PR stunt
Today a deep NAC MG insider spilled the beans to China Car Times. The inside source claims that the picture of the future MG prototype is nothing but a PR stunt from NAC MG, and ZERO R&D work has been done since the fall of the once great British auto manufacturer, MG-Rover! Lotus finished their design contract to touch up the MG7 months ago, the only true R&D work going on in the NAC center is on the range of IVECO mini buses.
Our insider also went onto reveal that Nanjing MG have only received orders for 600 cars to date (and only sold 300), despite the media claims of over 3000 vehicle orders and deposits since the launch of the MG7 several months ago. Demand is clearly not what NAC MG are hoping for, NAC MG are allegedly laying the blame on a lack of dealerships around China, and the current fuel crisis (which seems to have all but abated now) the lack of sales has allowed (un)lucky NAC MG staff have their first weekend off in two years as the factory has STOPPED producing cars last weekend. NAC MG allegedly said the factory will stop producing due to the electricity company doing work on the powerlines in the area, however, the company next door, Dyson, experienced no power loss due to the claimed electricity maintanence. Furthermore, our source says production at the NAC MG factory will be stopped temporarily next Monday and Tuesday, due to a lack of work.
Is this the MG curse striking again? Can MG play catchup, or do they need the help of SAIC now?
They probably have a point on the dealership issue but that is “typical” Chinese planning….ie none. They may have to bite the bullet and spend some cash to fund the dealerships themselves in the 1st tier cities first and then move into the 2nd tier cities.
The BMW dealership in Guangzhou is a site to behold. All those brand spanking new Beemers sitting out in the sun covered in dust…. I could imagine the MG dealership would be similar (if there is one here).
Confirms what many of us on macdroitwich.com have known for a while.
Even a cursory examination of both the new Chinese factory and Longbridge shows that NAC’s plans for MG are, at best on hiatus, at worst SUNK.
Lots of egg on the faces of the JEROVERS WITNESSES of MG-ROVER.CULT, but more measured minds knew that relaunching with no new metal was a disaster waiting to happen. An SAIC bail-out is the only hope (AGAIN).
www.macdroitwich.com
I can only see SAIC wanting the branding for export markets, otherwise they are clearly going their own way design wise.
That’s the perceived wisdom, but frankly I think the value of the MG brand has been much overstated of late. I can’t see SAIC wanting to ditch the well received Roewe marque for the poorly received (poorly RE-received) MG one. Not withstanding the ADDLED RANTINGS of the MG-ROVER.CULTists, even in the UK, where there should be some REAL enthusiasm and affection for the octagon, the staged “reopening” of Longbridge and unveiling of the parts-bin special TF500 was met with a collective national “so what”.
www.macdroitwich.com
Is it any wonder that Paul Stowe jumped ship. He could see the handwriting on the wall. And NAC’s willingness to eat crow by collaborating with SAIC (a rival municipality), shows that key players of its own also saw the handwriting. Fortunately all is not lost because SAIC cannot afford to let this project fail. But the clock is ticking, so I hope we see some real initiatives taking place soon.
SAIC got everything they wanted from MG Rover. NAC got what was left, and that’s nothing that SAIC needs or wants. I think we all have to accept the fact that the MG project is dead, and SAIC are unlikely to want to resuscitate it.
www.macdroitwich.com
I’m afraid i can’t agree with you, saic needs MG brand to spand its oversea market,after all, the octagon is much more acceptable than ssangyong and roewe.rover is dead but not MG.I suggest u to surf on this following website where you could know what chinese consumers think of the mg cars .http://www.xcar.com.cn/bbs/forumdisplay.php?fid=443
With no new news on MG’s being built in the US. With this report on NAC MG production shut-down. With the flood of Chinese made goods being re-called in the US (though not directly related to this,) I am loosing all hope and faith in the new MG brand. Ever since 1991 when Rover came out with the MG RV8, to the BMW debacle, to the independence and demise of MGRover, to the Chinese take-over, I have wished for the opportunity to buy a new MG. But now, I could not care less.
I have been an MG fan since I could recognize a car. I have owned my 1972 MGB for 26 years. But if these new MG’s were to be sold here tomorrow, I just don’t think I could bring myself to buy one.
Maybe I am just happier living in the past with my B.
I find it very hard to believe this report.
Why would a Nac insider want to damage the brand and
hard work of his fellow peers. The problem here is there are many people who don´t want the project to succeed and are constantly on the look out for ways to criticize NAC MG. I vote to give them the benefit of the doubt and hope they are able to truly revive this great brand
Perhaps the NAC Insider is frustrated with the on goings so far?
Well to be honest, i am not a fan of NAC MG really but I just have a few points here to say :
1) I guess someone here is right when he/she said that NAC needs SAIC since SAIC got everything.
2) SAIC and NAC are considering merger and comming to conclusion, so we may be looking at some rescue plan in the near future.
3) As someone here said he/she is expecting the MG in America, I guess that ain’t gonna happen any time soon, I think NAC MG’s two main market is China and Europe, and what is the point of them trying to expand to America if they cannot even get the sales right in those 2 markets ?
4) As John said, he is questioning the credibility of the insde source (Not Ash), as an employee of MG, why would he/she stir up a crisis and bring all the troubles to his company, wouldn’t that bring him/her closer to unemployment ?
Well these are just my views, not 100% correct.
I can confirm from my inside sources within the Chinese auto industry that the ‘insider’ is correct. Sad but true, and I can also reveal that this a typical case within the local industry, its all backed by hype, bullshit and jellybeans. I know that I have always appeared negative to wards the local industry, and the reason (well part of it) is that I see the inside of it daily and have done so for many years. There is no consolodation, forward planning, statistical planning, logistical planning etc etc at all.The whole industry is based on greed and take waht I can today, with a huge F… tomorrow attitude, this is a typical Chinese attitude in business and life in genaral which will take generations to change. At this point I would estimate that probably 86.7% of the industry as we see it today will not survive.
Don’t criticize the Chinese about their attitude, because the “take waht I can today, with a huge F… tomorrow” attitude I see in all countries and all cultures. Do you see this attitude in Taiwan and Singapore? They are Chinese, too , after all. Americans have the above mentioned attitude (largest economy). If the Chinese have that attitude, how did they get the soon-to-be 3rd largest economy? I think these criticisms spell of racism, being that all countries and peoples have the same attitude, but the Chinese are being singled out. Dog tucker, are you just here to be racist? Are do you really like Chinese cars? If you don’t , what are you doing in this forum?
Dog Tucker is correct (lol, didn’t know I could say that)and it’s not just for the automotive industry but for many businesses here. Everything is about making the most profit with as little effort as possible. Anything new will be tarted up a lot to make it look attractive for investors but when you look behind the initial BS you will see that it is really a load of sh#t and just being done to make money. As long as the right people get rich then they don’t seem to care what happens afterwards.
The economy is booming but you can’t compare it to the other Chinese colonies which have also gotten rich by getting in quick and helping China get to where it is.
There is no tomorrow attitude here. like Dog Tucker said, it will take generations for that to change. Most of us will not be alive to see it either because the next generation will be worse than the current one.
Bravo, well written Mister Tucker. I can’t say I’m an insider or that I live in China but from what I’ve read and other people that have done business in China, your points are valid. I guess the best way to simplify it is going to a fancy restaurant(which for some reason is unbelievably cheap) and you order a meal that looks appetizing…upon recieving it…the food tastes like cardboard. I just see that it’s all about making impressions and what goes behind the scenes is awry. I fear the rebirth of MG was nothing more than smoke and mirrors. I didn’t expect anything to happen but I hoped MG wouldn’t go the way of the dodo bird.
Well Phillip I think you have a warped view of racism and criticism. You cannot compare the modern China with any other nation that I know of, for starters most of the other big powers ( and I dont include Taiwan or the nanny state of Singapore as one of those)took time to grow slowly and consolodate on their expertise and international markets etc. Im guessing you dont live here (in PRC) so therefore dont see what a lot of us see everyday. I have had a Harvard professor point out these same things and others about the Chinese psyche and why they do certain things in certain ways - he is not racist because he is Chinese! Even my (now) good friend woxihuanpijiu points out the same things, is he being racist as well?? Im employing some of the first of the next generation as he mentions and boy oh boy has China got BIG problems when they are all in the workforce and in power!!
As for the “Are do you really like Chinese cars?” Yes a few, but most are CRAP and Im in the car industry in China so probably know more about them than you and most others on this site. Its my job and profession so therefore I see things without any romantic bull shit or ideas that things are better than they look or really are, just as you probably do with your job, if you have one, or are you still at school waiting for one?
Philip is just another of the blind nationalists that when he sees any criticism (either internally or externally) he can only yell “RACIST!”. You’d even be better if you come back in your next life as a Korean Mr. Woon.
Please keep the comments on topic.
No personal attacks.
Objective minds, people.
Totally nosense!The source is unreliable, i believe what i saw in Pukou.
They spent all their money on that place and . . . sold 300 cars.
NAC, and MG, are finished, unless SAIC chooses to rescue them.
www.macdroitwich.com
Ashley’s right, objective views are fine but what smacks of racism should go elsewhere.
Every great world power needs a strong ethical and moral system as a foundation. When it looses that, decadence sets in (Listen up first world!). In China’s case, most of the ancient and time-honoured system was seen as feudalistic, and so it was thrown out totally without any thought given to the consequences. Now some in high places are having second thoughts, and we hope they will get the upper hand.
Excellent article, which I think confirms what many suspected they already knew - aside from some Prozac Munching NAC-MG egoists who probably cannot even read this article, due to the amount of egg on their face.
The sooner that SAIC’s acquisition of NAC-MG is complete and this whole sorry and increasingly cringeworthy episode is put to bed - the better for all concerned. Marx said that history repeats itself - first of all as a tragedy and secondly as a farce. April 2005 was a tragedy. This is a farce.
Dragin, you have almost summed up single biggest problem here- there are NO consequences for actions taken-in anything!
What are you complaining about?
Mei Ban Fa!
Mei Guan Xi!
Meiyou ban fa !!!
TO SELL A FAILED BRAND NAME SPORTS CAR IS NOT AN EASY TASK!
GOSSIP OR SMALL TALKS DO NOT HELP.
IF SOMEONE CAN OFFER SOME CONSTRUCTIVE THOUGHTS, MG MAY
LAST FOREVER.
UNDESIRABLE I MEAN THE PREVIOUS MG OWNER mAY BE HAVE
SOME ONE LLIKE mr.DONALD TRUMP,A BILLIONARE,IN THEIR MIND.
ACTUALY CHINESE ENGINEERS SHOULD MAKE THE MG BURN VEG. OIL AND USE SOME FEATURES OF THE TRICYCLE AND SELL IT TO THE VAST MAJORITY PEOPLE,INCLUDING SOME OF THE HINDU INDIAN,FILIPINO,BANGALDASH,THAI,HIGH MOUNTAIN SHAARBA ETC. SINCE tHEIR CITIES NEED SMALL, ECONOMIC,AND VERSATILE CARS. THEY HAVE BEEN USING BOTH MANUAL
AND MOTORIZED TRICYCLES for 60 years. THE OLD mG IS A VERY SIMPLE AND EFFICIENT CAR THAT SHOULD BE THE MODEL TO FOLLOW!
BRITISH HAS ANOTHER GOOD CAR,COOPER, BUT RATHER EXPENSIVE.
David has your valium supply run out?
clearly.
CHINA AND CHINESE NEED HONEST CRITICISM. BUT TOO MANY INVESTORS AND POWERFUL FIGURES AVOID TO MENTION THE BIG ISSUES SUCH AS WATER,SOIL,AIR POLUTIONS,NO SYSTEM TO CONTROL HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS,IGNORE THE FARMERS’HEALTH BY EXPORTING HERBS, ALLOWING THE PROMOTION OF FAKE MEDICINES OR MEDICAL GADGETS (MADE LOCALLY OR FROM JAPAN OR OTHER PLACES),ALLOWING THE JUNK FOODS TO PREVAIL(PARTICULARLY THE JAPANESE INVENTED INSTANT RAMIEN NOODLES,AND FOOD ADDITIVES ETC.) ACTUALLY MANY INVESTORS EXPORTED THEIR OWN PROBLEMS TO CHINA, THRU MANY OF THE GREEDY,IGNORANT AND EXTREME SELFISH CHINESE. ***SORRY I NEVER TAKE ANY MEDCINE MADE FROM CHEMICALS EXCEPT ANACIN AND AIRBORN ( A COLD MEDICINE). SINCE CHINA HAS VERY FEW PETRO FUEL AND 30 MILLION AUTOMOBILE IN CHINA IS NOT IMPOSSIBLE TO BURN VEG.OIL. ACTUALLY MANY PLACES DID USE VEG OIL FOR THE AUTO ENGINE(FROM A RAPE PLANT SEEDS) DURING THE WWII, ABOUT 60 YRS AGO. MG’S STRENGTH IS THE CAR HAS A VERY EFFICIENT ENGINE AND CAN BE BUILT WITH LESS MONEY. AND THE VAST MAJORITY NEED SUCH KIND OF CAR.
Cars /trucks are the big polluters, and eat away a large amount of precious resources directly or indirectly.
So a 4- cylinder MGb with some modifications could be an ideal vehicle and very economical to maintain.
With veg oil(less pollution,easy to handle,and good for engine life,easy for farmers),and borrow some things from WV beetle or MB 300 diesel turbo,The MG 4-cylinder could be the best car.
The new Nac MG just looks like any other car no uniqueness, does not stand out.
Particularly China does not have a new, presentable image in the car industry yet. Selling a British brand name with Chinese as the cater is not that easy!
looks like a rationalization of chinese manufacturers of automotive is needed like what happened innthe west years ago perhaps only 1 or 2 can survive