MG UK changes name, MGTF LE500 sales not great
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MG Name Change" href="http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/233737/mg_plays_name_game.html">Auto Express gives the low down:
ITS name might be changing, but will that make MG’s sales figures any sweeter?
Chinese owner Nanjing has announced it’s to become MG Motors UK, in a bid to boost the revamped British brand.
And it looks as if it needs it. At the moment, the firm has only one model: a limited-edition TF LE500 convertible. And only 133 of these have found homes since the launch last autumn – little more than one-quarter of the total run. In December, it sold just 10 cars.
A spokeswoman insisted the maker was “unaffected” by the recent financial crisis, however, confirming a volume version of the roadster, the 135, was still due for launch in the summer. Brand new hatchbacks and saloons are expected next year.
MG currently has a total of 44 showrooms in the UK, plus two authorised repairers
Poor sales of the MGTF LE500 are expected, mainly for two reasons. The MGTF was previously on the market for many years, we’re not saying its too old for the market, but the problem may be with the large number of second hand MGTF’s available that are half the price, or less, than the new one. The second major issue is the launch date, perhaps if they would have launched the MGTF LE500 a year earlier, prior to any economic troubles they would have garnered more sales, as its stands, the LE500 was sold towards winter, and in times of economic uncertainty – hardly the best climate to get people to buy a 2 seater sports car!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Y2NL-VEO_Lg
A better review of the MGTF LE500, includes Gary Hagden.
Sure it’s a bad time for cars now, but offering up little more than a warmed up, 10+ year old car is criminal. Only the MG tragics (or overly keen auto speculators) would be in the market. Both are idiots.
Well launching a convertible in autumn is not going to do wonders for sale. “In December it sold just 10 cars” – well who in their right mind is going to buy a convertible in the midst of the British winter?
You can pick up a british MG mint for under £4000, they are selling on ebay from about £800!
As for MG (tragics??) I don’t believe that they would buy this car as its nothing new…………therefore there is no market for it atall.
Unless they can design and manufacture a new sports in the UK they will sink.
It probably wouldnt have hurt to restyle some of the panels slightly. and I would have thought this would have been fairly easy for the Chinese to do. I probably would have sharpene up the lines only slightly, and completed reshaped the side vents, I am pretty over those vents they have had their day. Perhaps some small fluted vents like the MGSV on the side of the MGTF would help…I dont know.
export it to Aust pleas
Yes the MG shape is 10 years old, the MX5 is 20 years old the Elise is 10 years old and the theme of the 911 is 40+ years old. I agree there should have been a bit of sharpening up. I would like to see the side vents fixed to. Larger more aggressive vents would have been the go. But the car still drives and points and has a high smile factor! Pity about the release date in the middle of winter in the UK. In Australia that is when we can actually drive with the top down for extended periods without getting fried!
As a big MG fan and running two very late MGR cars, a 05 MG TF 160, being one. The new MG LE500 is only 135 bhp car, the car needs more punch. I would say the MG still looks good but also go along with giving the car larger side vents, and also having the hood lay more flat when it is down. As for in the UK driving with top down well mine is for pure fun but when it comes out the top is down. Great little sports car just make it go as well as the MGR car. Pete England