Guangzhou Auto Show - International launch of the MG6?

Guangzhou Auto Show 2009 - A BIG event for MG

The Guangzhou Auto Show starts on the 23rd of this month. Along with Shanghai and Beijing it is one of the China top three auto shows and the last major show of the year. It's been announced that it will mark the global launch of the MG6, two months ahead of the expected schedule. It will be possible to pre-order a car at the show. Uphold the MG brand, the British origin, led by the British design team. Their creativity developed the most magical stunning design, the MG6 "Fastback". The MG brand since its inception it seems to have the Superman logo pinned to its chest and for nearly a century has been known across the world for producing high-performance sports cars, meanwhile, the movement, the passion, the spirit of the MG brand is the driving force of its continued evolution. Reporters that have been shown production cars at SAIC's Anting base are enthusiastically suggesting that this event will mark the resurgence of the MG brand with its 85 year history and that the MG6 will be the "most important car at the Guangzhou Auto Show" based on its being a new concept, crossover between saloon and hatchback and also on it being the first Chinese car targeted for international mass production, entering the European market in the coming year. SAIC Motor UK Technical Centre's General Manager David Lindley, will be at the show to explain the international design and targeting of the car. Expect some excitement in the next few weeks! We were also expecting to see the Roewe 350 but that seems to have been forgotten about in the excitement of the production version of the MG6, it will now appear at next years Beijing Show.

Note, the SAIC international (Not including China) MG sales target for 2010 appears to be set at 36,000 units.

After sharing a show stand for the previous shows of this year, the show stand manufacturers are reporting that, from the parts being ordered, it appears that the SAIC exhibition area will be divided into the two seperate sub-brands giving each brand their own identity, with the MG stand focusing on the international market.

Windy wrote:Note, the SAIC international (Not including China) MG sales target for 2010 appears to be set at 36,000 units.

After sharing a show stand for the previous shows of this year, the show stand manufacturers are reporting that, from the parts being ordered, it appears that the SAIC exhibition area will be divided into the two seperate sub-brands giving each brand their own identity, with the MG stand focusing on the international market.

wow! that seems a lot of cars, wouldn't even 1,000 seem a lot for the UK - the most mature market? about 20 per dealer per year? too timid? Where else? Ireland, Chile, Belarus, Poland...?

so no Roewes outside China?

patpending wrote:wow! that seems a lot of cars, wouldn't even 1,000 seem a lot for the UK - the most mature market? about 20 per dealer per year? too timid? Where else? Ireland, Chile, Belarus, Poland...?

so no Roewes outside China?

If they can sell 7200 a month in China, in the rest of the world combined...

Of course they need to start selling them first, and it's going to need a big advertising campain to get things started but it is not really a lot of cars as long as they are competetive with the other mainstream brands, and it seems that they may be more than competetive...

You can add Israel and Spain to your list, and Brazil looks likely.

I think they will sell out, there is already a shortage of 550s in China, they will need another factory!

Windy wrote:You can add Israel and Spain to your list, and Brazil looks likely

I remembered reading about Israel (and Brazil !) but I had forgotten about Spain TBH...

it's still lots of cars!

In fact, thinking about this by dealer (which may not be accurate) then, outside China, IIRC there are just under 50 in the UK, one in Ireland, one in Minsk and about three in Chile. Add one for Israel and maybe two(?) each for Spain, Poland and Brazil and you are expecting some 5/6ths of the 36,000 to be in the UK. 30,000 or 600 per dealer? Sounds like too much - that's 50 a month for a marque which even one fan thinks is dead.

There must be further expansion plans, e.g. more dealers. And work back from that many cars on sale next year and go through transport, testing, marketing, full production, test production...when does something have to start at Longbridge to meet that? A few months ago?

The launch of the MG6 sounds like the launch of Hyundai or Mitsubishi in the UK...

NB Dealers in Spain and Poland = new MG 550/750 saloons in EU(?). I wonder if any 750 parts fit a 75 or ZT? will there be a new KV6 engine available?

patpending wrote:In fact, thinking about this by dealer (which may not be accurate) then, outside China, IIRC there are just under 50 in the UK, one in Ireland, one in Minsk and about three in Chile. Add one for Israel and maybe two(?) each for Spain, Poland and Brazil and you are expecting some 5/6ths of the 36,000 to be in the UK. 30,000 or 600 per dealer? Sounds like too much - that's 50 a month for a marque which even one fan thinks is dead.

There must be further expansion plans, e.g. more dealers. And work back from that many cars on sale next year and go through transport, testing, marketing, full production, test production...when does something have to start at Longbridge to meet that? A few months ago?

The launch of the MG6 sounds like the launch of Hyundai or Mitsubishi in the UK...

NB Dealers in Spain and Poland = new MG 550/750 saloons in EU(?). I wonder if any 750 parts fit a 75 or ZT? will there be a new KV6 engine available?

When I was buying my MG I had a choice of four local dealers, less than 15 miles away, and I actually visited about ten while looking for the right car. Less dealers does mean more sales per dealer, although total sales would drop a bit.

Also, it's not actually necessary to have any dealers these days; if you want to buy a Roewe in China then you can order it online and have it delivered. It is necessary to be able to service it but there is already a decent network of XPart approved service stations for that.

Some of the sales will be of TF rather than MG6, with the cars sharing a significantly larger marketing campaign it may sell enough to have a small impact on the total sales. I assume there is going to be more than just MG6, they could do with an MG5 but I don't see how they could get that on sale in the UK soon enough to have an impact on 2010 figures, although David Lindley has mentioned it as being part of the family.

I would think that something has already started at Longbridge, we have heard of the R75 production line being painted in preperation! There have been Roewe 550s driving around the UK and Chile, not to mention China, for well over a year now so testing of the cars themselves is already nearly finished. The Longbridge production lines will basically just be a copy of the Shanghai ones with the majority of the problems already sorted, although the machinery is presumably somewhat older. Current sales of the TF, although small have put all the processes in place and tested the system, they just need scaling up.

According to SAIC's product planning, the production version of the MG6 will launch at this month's Guangzhou Auto show and be on sale in the mid-to late December, while the European market launch is scheduled for 2010. "Britain, as the first stop and then sold to the whole of Europe", "We will be adopting the original reseller channel to achieve this plan, there are intentions to recruit new dealers to join the network."

Just seent the 2010 sales target for China:

The development of own-brand vehicles bears fruit.

With the introduction of Roewe 550, Shanghai Automotive made great progress in the development of their independent brands, the first three-quarter sales of own-brand sedans in 2009 is 64,200, we expect 2009 sales of SAIC own-brand vehicles to reach 90,000, an increase of 246.06%.

In 2010, SAIC will have 3 new cars, 1 new SUV on the market, we expect that with the new cars on the market, the company own-brand sales are expected to reach 160,000 units, an increase of over 70%.

http://sh.sohu.com/20091105/n267995076.shtml

I think it's worth repeating this bit:

...while the European market launch is scheduled for 2010. "Britain, as the first stop...

Yeah! Fantastic news.

dentricrio wrote:Yeah! Fantastic news.

I agree....can't wait to have it in Britain and to see what it will be called. I'm still hoping that they will re-invent in ZS brand rather than MG6.
The future still looks very bright for the MG Brand

docjunior2008 wrote:

dentricrio wrote:Yeah! Fantastic news.

I agree....can't wait to have it in Britain and to see what it will be called. I'm still hoping that they will re-invent in ZS brand rather than MG6.
The future still looks very bright for the MG Brand

The new MG6 will not be called the ZS, the new ZS will be called the MG5, the MG5 will be launched in China next year with variable valve timing and turbo versions of it's new economical 1.5L engine available... I'm sure more on this will follow in the next few weeks...

The future for MG does indeed look

It looks rather good in XPower Grey!

The Roewe stand looks tiny compared to the "Morris Garages" stand!

And they are, as suggested above, most definitely seperate once again.






Ohh - and look who is opposite MG

Edit: and I've just spotted Rover is next to Roewe

Im liking the new silver MG logo looks very neat, its good to see just how seriously SAIC is taking the MG brand giving it its own major stand.

I'm really liking the new logo too.  I just hope that its not just for show on the plans for the show and that they do end up using it on the cars that they are producing.  The MG6 looks really good.  Is there going to be Hatchback and saloon versions?

dentricrio wrote:...its good to see just how seriously SAIC is taking the MG brand giving it its own major stand.

Some people are suggesting that in SAICs new brand strategy, MG is taking over... the truth will be revealed at the show...





Factory Photography: Netease

It is reported that Shanghai Automotive Industry Research Institute MG6 design center in Shanghai and the British Design Center engineers together have create a masterpiece.

This is products for young people market-oriented, Fastback for the design of the new hatchback form, the birth of a new car in the MG brand sets a new benchmark.

Recently it is noted that at the forthcoming opening of the Guangzhou Auto Show, the formal release of the production version MG MG6 will reveal the mystery of the new MG brand identity.

Can I buy this car in Sudan

Ahmed wrote:Can I buy this car in Sudan

Not yet, NAC have exported to Sudan in the past though so you may be on the list. Does Sudan have a history of buying British cars?

They have done an orange one for us

Well, I've heard of techniques used by lads' mags to make the ladies more obviously attractive, but that woman in the orange must be cold!

(I like the fake, but nonetheless British, reg though - don't ask me how I know the man's name! )



Now is there a problem with SAIC's electrics or do they just need to get a decent hairdresser? I remember the lady at the launch of the 750...

Windy wrote:They have done an orange one for us

Where did those images come from Windy? Any decent size ones?

skyblueads wrote:Where did those images come from Windy? Any decent size ones?

Those are the biggest I've seen yet, but it's not long till the show now Ads, I'm sure there will be desktop background sized ones on the MG web site then.

True. So are they from the Chinese MG site then?

skyblueads wrote:True. So are they from the Chinese MG site then?

found this looking for MG6 orange

patpending wrote:

skyblueads wrote:True. So are they from the Chinese MG site then?

found this looking for MG6 orange

You found a better orange than me, this photographer should have found some sunlight:

MG Car has changed the standard colour - black, silver, red, gold to a more traditional modern more strong colour. Markedly enhanced the metal texture, bringing a stronger sense of vitality, the modern, fashion sense, but also more in line with the psychological expectations of the consumers of MG6. Evident is the success of SAIC for with the MG6 has poured in a "meticulous" effort.

Source, and more pics: http://auto.21cn.com/newcar/guonei/2009/11/20/7092367.shtml

Windy wrote:
You found a better orange than me, this photographer should have found some sunlight:

MG Car has changed the standard colour - black, silver, red, gold to a more traditional modern more strong colour. Markedly enhanced the metal texture, bringing a stronger sense of vitality, the modern, fashion sense, but also more in line with the psychological expectations of the consumers of MG6. Evident is the success of SAIC for with the MG6 has poured in a "meticulous" effort.

Source, and more pics: http://auto.21cn.com/newcar/guonei/2009/11/20/7092367.shtml

Interesting "fake UK" Z-reg numberplate. Is it a reference to the Zeds, I wonder? Who will recognise it as UK-ish?

As for the colours, I can't help thinking that the Trophy colours weren't right for 2001 in retrospect. As we head into 2010 we are seeing cars in whites, reds, blues, greens and even oranges...

I think in many ways the MGs colours led the way in terms of fashion. Look at the Focus ST-it's almost biomorphic green and the vents on the sides are very 2005 ZS.

So glad to see more of the 6, can't wait for a proper unveiling and some real UK news.

patpending wrote:Interesting "fake UK" Z-reg numberplate. Is it a reference to the Zeds, I wonder? Who will recognise it as UK-ish?

As for the colours, I can't help thinking that the Trophy colours weren't right for 2001 in retrospect. As we head into 2010 we are seeing cars in whites, reds, blues, greens and even oranges...

Story is that it came straight from testing in Europe, but clearly it is a photography car!

I think the Trophy colours where right, but MG was then aiming at people who wanted to be different, if you wanted boring colours you had the Rover. Now they need to appeal to a wider audience.

It looks very nice in Orange without the watermark, quite like the wheels too