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Archive for the 'Nanjing Automobile Corporation' Category

MG V’s the other MG: In other words, SAIC V’s Riley

Published by Ash July 6th, 2008 in Nanjing MG and Nanjing Automobile Corporation. 0 Comments

Riley is a quint essential British fellow who claims to own the rights to the MG brand, he is currently making the legendary MG SV from scratch (complete with a 168,000USD price tag), on the other hand we have the multi billion RMB Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation who also say they own the rights to the MG brand.

A nail in the coffin for the Chinese MG brand? Obviously, the answer to that is a stern no, but another amusing twist and turn in the lifetime soap opera that has become MG.

The Financial Times gives us the lowdown:

Continue reading ‘MG V’s the other MG: In other words, SAIC V’s Riley’

NAC MG planning whole new MG5?

Published by Ash May 7th, 2008 in Nanjing MG and Nanjing Automobile Corporation. 6 Comments

mgzs.jpgPreviously, NAC MG were planning to produce the MGZS as the MG5, the MGZS is essentially a Rover 45 body with a sports engine and interior but the age and design of the ZS has come into question at NAC MG. The Rover 45 was launched in 1999, and is clearly showing its age in 2008, the only solution for NAC MG was to scrap plans to produce the MG5.

The Chinese press have reported for some time that the Roewe 550 will be rebranded as the MG6, leaving the MG5 moniker empty. The Chinese automotive press reported yesterday that NAC MG are working on a 1.5 Turbo motor which will be put into the MG5. The MG5 is reportedly being reworked from the ground up, including a new platform.

NAC MG and SAIC reportedly have quite the portfolio of engines now they have merged together, they have engines ranging from 1.1 to 2.5l and are capable of producing 250,000 engines per year, this year NAC MG are investing in new engine lines to produce small displacement engines and expects to have the capacity to produce 300,000 engines per year. NAC MG are working hard on researching 1.5 and 1.6 Turbo engines which would fit into the future MG5.

An MG spokesman, Mr. Huang Ke Ji, was quoted as saying ‘We believe the MG5 platform from Rover [The MGZS] is too old fashioned to be launched into the modern 2008 market, thus we have begun to design and develop a new platform on which to build the MG5′

MG wont be the only company producing small displacement turbos this year, JAC are reportedly working on a 1.3T, Great Wall have a 1.5T up their sleeves, and Fiat will bring their Linea to China with a 1.4T later this year.

The MG3 SW is reportedly going on the market in May 2008, after being delayed, and the MG7 Automatic will be on the market in the last quarter of the year.

Nanjing put a spin on the SAIC take over

Published by Ash December 27th, 2007 in Nanjing Automobile Corporation. 1 Comment

Nanjing Automobile have given out an interesting press release on the recent takeover of NAC by SAIC.

SAIC seem to be pushing for more development in the NAC owned British Longbridge factory, SAIC seem to be planning on using Longbridge as a manufacturing base. Will we see the MG/Austin/Morris/Roewe 550 made in Britain? I for one, hope so - Jaguar and Landrover have proven that mass producing, and exporting to developing lands is still financially doable in Great Britain, so perhaps SAIC can do the same. Continue reading ‘Nanjing put a spin on the SAIC take over’

Nanjing Fiat is GAME OVER

Published by Ash December 27th, 2007 in Fiat and Nanjing Automobile Corporation. 0 Comments

Nanjing recieved a double blow yesterday, they were taken over by rivals SAIC, and today Fiat formally announced plans to pull out of the ailing Fiat-Nanjing joint venture which has been loosing money for several years.

Rumor has it that Fiat was unhappy with the level of commitment that it was given by Nanjing. Fiat says its restructuring its Chinese operations, and seems to be certainly doing so with Fiat signing contracts with Zotye, Chery, and possibly Changfeng over the past few months.

Fiat says its going to sell its 50% share in Nanjing Fiat back to Nanjing, although Fiats sub brand, IVECO will continue to work with NAC making the IVECO range of vans and small buses, however, the Nanjing Fiat passenger car business is formally over.

And the deal is done - SAIC takes over Nanjing

Published by Ash December 26th, 2007 in Nanjing MG, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation and Nanjing Automobile Corporation. 1 Comment

Today marks a very special day in Chiinese automotive history. Bosses of both SAIC and NAC met at the Beijing Diao Yu Tai state hotel to sign an agreement that will see Nanjing Automotive Corporation become part of Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation.

SAIC will reward NAC with no more than 8% of shares in SAIC, in return NAC will hand over all of its assets. The deal is supposed to worth in the region of 14 billion RMB (1.9 Billion USD)

The deal will be formally wound up before the end of 2008, as the deal needs the Chinese governments regulatory approval. When the deal is completed, SAIC and NAC combined will be the biggest Chinese automotive company in China.

China is slowly opening its automotive market (as is expected of it by the WTO), the 2nd largest in the world, to foreign competitors, China realizes that it needs a large domestic company to take on the likes of GM in the domestic market, and eventually abroad.

Nanjing wont acquire more than 10% of SAIC

Published by Ash December 18th, 2007 in Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation and Nanjing Automobile Corporation. 2 Comments

The ever on going saga of who is buying who, will they wont they, is fit for any Asian soap opera drama, but it seems that the merger, to make a Chinese motoring giant is set to go underway. Nanjing Autos and SAIC are ready to sign on the dotted line, and make a Chinese brand big enough to take on the worlds top brands.

Under the agreement, SAIC will acquire all of Nanjing Autos, (possibly including sub brands such as Nanjing IVECO and Nanjing MG), SAIC will gain access to Nanjings OEM and component manufacturing facilities, in return Nanjing claims that it will be able to claim 10 to 15% of SAICs shares, SAIC says that Nanjing is reaching further than it can and afford to, offering Nanjing between 5 and 8% of SAIC stock.

Nanjing Autos and SAIC tie up to be announced soon

Published by Ash December 17th, 2007 in Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation and Nanjing Automobile Corporation. 6 Comments

nanjing-saic-roewe-mg.jpg

Here is an excellent article from the Birmingham Post, saying what we have been believing will happen for the past few months: The creation of a British Chinese Leyland.

Click continue reading, to see more.

Continue reading ‘Nanjing Autos and SAIC tie up to be announced soon’

Nanjing Autos and Fiat, death of a miserable marriage

Published by Ash November 29th, 2007 in Nanjing Automobile Corporation. 2 Comments

The Chinese motoring press are reporting that the ill fated partnership between Nanjing motors and Fiat has run its course, and will be formerly seperating next month. This goes against the announcement earlier this year where Fiat and Nanjing decieded to step back from the brink and invest 3 billion RMB into their deal.

Since Fiat and Nanjing had a bust up, Fiat has been continually looking for a new joint venture partner and has since teamed up Zotye (Zotye will be producing the Lancia range of cars in China), and Chery to do make Fiat/Alfa Romeo automobiles in China.

Fiat seems determined to up its market presence in China, which currently is limited to a set of developing nation only cars when China Car Times believes Fiat should be offering the Punto, Multipla, Panda, Brava etc in China.  Fiat did plan to import a range of cars, but according to our sources Nanjing was opposed to the plan saying it wasnt profitable (of course it isnt, the cars wouldnt be passing through Nanjing motors factories!)

The Fiat Nanjing Joint Venture was planning to sell 50,000 cars this year, however, in the first six months of ‘07, sales were a dismal 11,000 units.

Fiat and Nanjing originally poured 3 billion RMB into the joint venture in 1999, each party holds a 50% stake.

Nanjing MG to make MG X80?

Published by Ash October 20th, 2007 in Nanjing MG and Nanjing Automobile Corporation. 9 Comments

mgx80_small.jpg

The MG X80 was designed during the days of the Phoenix Four running MG-Rover, and according to Wikipedia was used as a design basis for the much more powerful MG XPower SV model.

The current Nanjing MG website has a small flashing banner that scrolls through the MG models, the MG3, the MG5, and the MG7. The MG5 clearly shows the MG X80, which never went into production but was rumoured to come with a big stonking engine that would allow it to compete in the USA against US offerings.

The ‘MG5′ from Nanjing MG could either be down to a lazy graphic designer who just used some random stock photos to make the graphic, or Nanjing MG have the blueprints and the plan to make this car.

mg880.jpg  mgx80.jpg

Fiat and SAIC to work on buses?

Published by Ash October 10th, 2007 in Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, Nanjing Automobile Corporation and Chinese Car News. 1 Comment

The Fiat CEO was recently in China for discussions with the SAIC group about furthering their potential joint venture in China. Nanjing and Fiat have been at odds with each other for a while now, Fiat blames Nanjing for poor sales and taking away the best engineers to work on the MG project, Fiat doesnt seem to see that its China line up is duller than a romantic weekend with John Major.

The other Nanjing joint venture partner, IVECO, has also hinted that its thinking of working with SAIC on a project to manufacture heavy trucks for either export or for domestic Chinese use. Nanjing and IVECO are in a partnership to make IVECO trucks, and mini buses and mini bus trucks (these are very, very cool!) which are sold to the Peoples Liberation Army, China Telecom, food catering companies etc etc. Basically, if you need a van/bus/truck for any particular role, we bet you that Nanjing IVECO make them.

Are the Nanjing joint venture partners getting ready to jump ship in favor of the SAIC juggernaut? Before it was hinted here on China Car Times that SAIC only tied up with Yuejin (Nanjing parent company) so they could get a controlling stake in the Nanjing-IVECO tie up as thats the only part of Nanjing motors that makes a considerable amount of cash.

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