Monday 20 April 2009 was press day at the 2009 Shanghai Motor Show. At 9.45am the worlds press assembled at the in hall E1 for the first and obviously most important press conference of the day. Hall E1 was occupied entirely by the various SAIC brands and joint ventures and the most anticipated event of the show was the first unveiling of the MG6 Fastback Coupe.
The MG6 is a 4.6m long five door hatchback styled as a "Fastback" expected to reach production within 18 months.
It uses the same platform and wheelbase, but offers a much sportier profile than its cousin the Roewe 550. They will share the production line at Lingang Shanghai and most components including the 1.8 litre engines.
It will fit into the MG range underneath the MG7 and in foreign markets alongside the MG550 saloon.
Designed mainly in Britain at the SAIC Technical Centre, now located at Longbridge, the car was introduced by SAICs design director, Tony Williams:
We’re showing off a new sporty face for MG.
A key idea of the new face is MG's octagon-shaped badge. It's unique so we placed it within the thin upper grille and gave the model a large lower intake suggestive of a sportscar, which is pretty aggressive for the Chinese market.
Much of the early sketch and CAD design work for the MG6 was carried out in the UK with later modeling work done in Asia, citing the creative talents of Daniel Bowen and Rob Battams on the exterior and Matt Dillon on the interior in particular.
A feeling of safety is created by a reassuringly high beltline teamed with a smooth shoulder line that runs the length of the car from behind the front lamps in a very gentle arc that gets close to the beltline.
Other than a shallow rocker line rising up slightly to the rear wheelarch, there is little other side detail, just refined surfacing.
MG6 following unveiling at the Shanghai Auto Show 2009
MG6 following unveiling at the Shanghai Auto Show 2009
MG6 following unveiling at the Shanghai Auto Show 2009
Supposed early "Prototype" version of the MG6 alongside it's cousin the Roewe 550.
Last edited by Windy on Sat Apr 25, 2009 11:48 am; edited 3 times in total (Reason for editing : Updated following launch)
