MG ZS to make its return at the Shanghai Auto Show

Ah, thanks Windy. Oh, and feel free to swing over to XPF and back me up in the MG 6 thread!

skyblueads wrote:Ah, thanks Windy. Oh, and feel free to swing over to XPF and back me up in the MG 6 thread!

"Why be so negative with just a few hours left before we see the first new MG in years? Can't we just be pleased to finally see some new metal?"


Well I hope we do see it in "just a few hours", but tomorrow is press day, they will take pictures to print in the following days papers, they will want to sell that printed press before posting the same pictures on the internet, we may need to wait until the public are let in - Tuesday afternoon

However that countdown clock will reach zero...

skyblueads wrote:Is this referring to the same story?

http://www.moretoo.com/vv.php?t=5&k=MG6&url=http%3A%2F%2Finfo.xcar.com.cn%2F200812%2F25%2F1016%2Fnews_44115_1.html

well, it's certainly got the famous "Red Arrows" blue car in it (note wheelarch treatment):



Mind you, search for MG5 and you find Japanese skinnu care-u products in apparent TF driver adverts (along with portable dishwashers in vibrant orange and tracked crawler tractors!) (I couldn't have made that up!)

skyblueads wrote:Ah, thanks Windy. Oh, and feel free to swing over to XPF and back me up in the MG 6 thread!

in the meantime, users of mg-rover.org are talking about "the dark side" meaning a MINI forum, I think...

Tomorrow is the most significant MG launch since the Zeds!!! And here are the MG fans acting like the Popular Front of Judea Owners' Club...or should that be Car Club...

Windy wrote:

skyblueads wrote:Ah, thanks Windy. Oh, and feel free
to swing over to XPF and back me up in the MG 6 thread!

"Why be so negative with just a few hours left before we see the first new
MG in years? Can't we just be pleased to finally see some new metal?"


Well I hope we do see it in "just a few hours", but tomorrow is press day,
they will take pictures to print in the following days papers, they
will want to sell that printed press before posting the same pictures
on the internet, we may need to wait until the public are let in -
Tuesday afternoon

However that countdown clock will reach zero...

When do the Chinese papes hit the street ...or the net? 2pm Shanghai time = 7am UK time?

Well the countdown clock is around the 14 hour mark, so hopefully it'll be out nice and early. I've been fighting a losing battle on the other forums, with all the negativity floating about.

Back to the ZS I too noticed it wasn't the red arrows car. Is there any chance the N1 is a ZS underneath?

skyblueads wrote:...Back to the ZS I too noticed it wasn't the red arrows car. Is there any chance the N1 is a ZS underneath?

well the MG5 in those photos is the same one...though there's no car show glamour model and no red arrows...

patpending wrote:When do the Chinese papes hit the street ...or the net? 2pm Shanghai time = 7am UK time?

For some of these shows it takes ages for the pictures to arrive on the internet but I guess for the Shanghai Show someone will jump the gun...

I thought of backing you up Ads, but sometimes there is no way of winning an argument!

True, I'm not even trying to win an argument though, I'm just trying to talk about the new car and the future of MG, some are just obsessed with the events of 2005! Still, sod all that, here's to the new cars!

Ah yes, I see the wheelarch trim is missing now! D'oh!

Going back to this: it never happened, did it?

Depends on what you consider the N1 to be...

streetrover wrote:Depends on what you consider the N1 to be...

good point, Batman.

I never asked how long the N1 is, either!

patpending wrote:I never asked how long the N1 is, either!

The one in Ireland or the one in France?
Is there a shorter A1 than the one in the IOM?

streetrover wrote:

patpending wrote:I never asked how long the N1 is, either!

The one in Ireland or the one in France?
Is there a shorter A1 than the one in the IOM?

Are you suggesting that a D901 version will be launched for the French market so the drivers can go via Beauvais rather than Amiens?

I expect there must have been a T16 in the Republic of Ireland in the seventies...or do I mean a 620? (There is an A620 in the Saarland...)

patpending wrote:Going back to this: it never happened, did it?

Well there is a nice article about it on CCT today:

roewe-350-launches-next-year

This particular car has been codenamed the AP11 project, and is being worked on by both MG and SAIC. Plans for the 350/AP11 are plentiful with both four door sedans, the AP12 will be a 5 door hatch, and the AP13 will be a small SUV, and the final car on this platform will be the AP14, an estate/wagon. auto.sohu.com are reporting that the 350 is riding on a heavily modified Rover 45 platform, which in turn was a much older Honda Civic platform.

The production lines are now complete and during testing on August 25 reached a production rate of 25 cars per hour. Preperations are now underway for the launch, probably at the Guangzhou Auto Show in November.


For more information on the N1 concept car see: N1 Progress Update

I'm not really that clued up on Production, but is that good? Dead excited for the future of MG in China and in the UK. Any ideas on what the new car will be called when it arrives in Britain? Great news that the launch is (hopefully) in November

docjunior2008 wrote:I'm not really that clued up on Production, but is that good? Dead excited for the future of MG in China and in the UK. Any ideas on what the new car will be called when it arrives in Britain? Great news that the launch is (hopefully) in November

25 * 24 * 31 = 18,600 cars per month, or 220,000 per year ... If they can sell that many then their "benchmark project" will have been a success!

It will be the Roewe 350 to start with, but in the past has always been refered to as MG5. It will be confusing if the hatch is called the MG5 and the saloon the MG 350! - Have to wait and see, the marketing department have not been working on it for long...

First "spy" shots from SAIC:

Can't to see this car in the flesh! What will this car be revealed? What will it be called? Roewe N1 or was that just a concept name?
The future loooks bright for MG and Roewe in China (and hopefully in Europe, if Longbridge Production is announced!)
Long live MG!

docjunior2008 wrote:Can't to see this car in the flesh! What will this car be revealed? What will it be called? Roewe N1 or was that just a concept name?
The future loooks bright for MG and Roewe in China (and hopefully in Europe, if Longbridge Production is announced!)
Long live MG!

The first production version will be the Roewe 350 but there are saloon, hatch, SUV and tourer versions in the pipeline and of course we will expect an MG of some sort before long.

I'm still expecting the Roewe 350 to be reveiled on 23rd November and made available, initially in small numbers, from the end of January.

As for Longbridge production, we are still waiting for the announcement, or even the announcement of the announcement for anything other than the TF - patience is required...

Windy wrote:

docjunior2008 wrote:Can't to see this car in the flesh! What will this car be revealed? What will it be called? Roewe N1 or was that just a concept name?
The future loooks bright for MG and Roewe in China (and hopefully in Europe, if Longbridge Production is announced!)
Long live MG!

The first production version will be the Roewe 350 but there are saloon, hatch, SUV and tourer versions in the pipeline and of course we will expect an MG of some sort before long.

I'm still expecting the Roewe 350 to be reveiled on 23rd November and made available, initially in small numbers, from the end of January.

As for Longbridge production, we are still waiting for the announcement, or even the announcement of the announcement for anything other than the TF - patience is required...

I've heard lots of rumours across the web, that MG are either going to close Longbridge or concentrate on R&D and EU Storage at the site. I do hope that they either build the MG6/Roewe 550 (EU Version) there or announce that there is going to be a (finally) a replacement for the ageing MG TF. Was there actually any MG TF 85th Anniversary Editions made? Also, the TF135, wasn't it supposed to be made to specifications ordered by Customers? If you could clear this up for me, or try to, then that would be great

docjunior2008 wrote:I've heard lots of rumours across the web, that MG are either going to close Longbridge or concentrate on R&D and EU Storage at the site. I do hope that they either build the MG6/Roewe 550 (EU Version) there or announce that there is going to be a (finally) a replacement for the ageing MG TF. Was there actually any MG TF 85th Anniversary Editions made? Also, the TF135, wasn't it supposed to be made to specifications ordered by Customers? If you could clear this up for me, or try to, then that would be great

Maybe what you have heard are not rumours but speculation?

No announcement can be made until a decission is made, until then everything is speculation!

I though the TF135 was to be a standard car, although I think I do remember that the first few customers would get an impoved specification?
Anyway, what matters is that people buying it seem very happy with it

Image from: http://forums.xpowerforums.com/showpost.php?p=602611&postcount=12

I think the new TF looks amazing in that Polar White colour (or whatever MG UK call it)
So, was there an options list with the 135, because I seem to think that I saw an options list in the brochure that I received with a letter from the MG Chairman.
Best Wishes.
Doc

Without checking, I guess all the options are dealer supplied/fitted rather than factory fitted?
They can't be fitted on the production line any more since production has ceased for the rest of the year. Presumably the workers are busy doing something else!

Maybe it is Glacier White given what is in the background

Oh right, I didn't realise that was the case with MG. I thought they would add the options on within the factory. Its good to be proved wrong, once in a while.
It was good to see the MG Longbridge Factory on the news with regards to the P4. Shame they didn't get some free advertising for the TF and stand some models outside of the Q Gate.
Regards
Doc

Options have always been dealer fit where possible, eg hardtop.
Some options do have to be factory fit, like special paint colours and aircon. However they will normally make a guess at how many of each combination are required.
On the Z cars, it was only the "Monogram" options that where produced to order as they often made the cars unique.

docjunior2008 wrote:Oh right, I didn't realise that was the case with MG. I thought they would add the options on within the factory. Its good to be proved wrong, once in a while.
It was good to see the MG Longbridge Factory on the news with regards to the P4. Shame they didn't get some free advertising for the TF and stand some models outside of the Q Gate.
Regards
Doc

Thanks for clearing that up.
When the MG6 is launched in the UK, do you reckon that MG will name the car after the ZS, ZT, etc or go for the 6?
Can't wait till we hear an announcement on production, etc and they will final have a focus for the Longbridge Plant? They do have a 33 Year Lease for the factory, but don't they have interim periods where they can pull out?