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I am not remotely surprised that sales are massively exceeding expectations.
There is a real shortage of available cars, MGs are apparently very well equipped and between 15-40% cheaper than their obvious mainstream competitors.
Whether the quality is there, or trade in values in 3-4 years time hold up is another matter. But the choice may be a new MG or a 3-4 year old Ford, Toyota, Kia etc.
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I am not remotely surprised that sales are massively exceeding expectations.
There is a real shortage of available cars, MGs are apparently very well equipped and between 15-40% cheaper than their obvious mainstream competitors.
Whether the quality is there, or trade in values in 3-4 years time hold up is another matter. But the choice may be a new MG or a 3-4 year old Ford, Toyota, Kia etc.
The best way to read about the SAIC?MG quality issues is on the various forums.
on the mg-rover.org forum the main problems nowadays all seem to be software related.infotainement.. (put that down to an underpoweredd processor?)...
The early rust problems have mostly disappeared, if you don't have an early one, seems to be ok.
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I won't consider buying until they're made in the UK again. ATM, apart from the badge there's nothing MG about them, IMO.
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"I won't consider buying until they're made in the UK again."
Think you'll be waiting a while.
I wonder how much, if any, of a MG is manufactured outside of China? My guess would be nothing.
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I won't consider buying until they're made in the UK again. ATM, apart from the badge there's nothing MG about them, IMO.
Would you buy them with a different badge on?
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I won't consider buying until they're made in the UK again. ATM, apart from the badge there's nothing MG about them, IMO.
I'm curious as to what you think makes an MG and MG?
But I think maybe Alan's question is re the car and not the badge. As we know, they are a Chinese brand and as such, the cars are available in other markets under a different brand name. So if it was available in the UK under a different badge, would you still not buy one?
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I would also not buy one, no matter the name, the company is owned by the chinese communist party. No thanks!
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I would also not buy one, no matter the name, the company is owned by the chinese communist party. No thanks!
My Uncle Willie,was on a japanese troop ship on the 1st of Oct 1942 that was torpedoed by a US submarine. most of the 1800 odd prisoners of war died as did many of the japanese.
My mother inlaw no1 was the sole survivor of her family in 1940 fleeing the nazi advance, the rest of her family died in the extermination camps.
So should I not buy a japanese, american or german car because of the past or the present?
99% of electronics are now produced in China, as is probably your laptop etc.
Why do people buy them... because they are cheap.
Edited by _ORB_ on 04/03/2022 at 19:29
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All down to the individual. If people want to buy a Chinese car with an MG badge on it, that's fine, they're no more.
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All down to the individual. If people want to buy a Chinese car with an MG badge on it, that's fine, they're no more.
I agree, I am not a badge snob. Your money, your choice, and Enjoy....
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Slightly flawed equivalency there. The Chinese Communist Party views us, and the West generally, as adversaries, not competitors in the friendly sense. That has been the case since 1949.
MG is owned by SAIC, which itself is owned by the state owned "Assets Supervision and Administration Commission" (catchy name..). State owned in red China means owned by the CCP.
Japan, Germany, they're alllies now. Very different.
I realise it is difficult to avoid parts that are made in China, but it's easier to do with cars, although some parts will obviously be from there.
Such a shame, I always liked MG.
As for Rover being the budget brand, maybe not, but a more mainstream brand? Jaguar are making expensive execs these days. Rover in their latter years were, to me at least, more 'aspirational' cars, think Rover 25 and 45s with plush interiors. Rather like a Mondeo Ghia. The 75 deserved to be better..
Maybe Rover would be a better competitor (than Jaguar) to the likes of VW, Honda, Toyota, Vauxhall, Peugeot, Renault etc.
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I would also not buy one, no matter the name, the company is owned by the chinese communist party. No thanks!
Don't think too much about where the device you posted this message was made in and who owns all those companies!
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I would also not buy one, no matter the name, the company is owned by the chinese communist party. No thanks!
Don't think too much about where the device you posted this message was made in and who owns all those companies!
Much easier to buy a car not made in China than a computer.
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<< Much easier to buy a car not made in China than a computer. >>
This computer (desktop) was made (i.e. put together) down the road in the local computer shop, but probably of Chinese bits ....
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I think it's near impossible to buy anything that doesn't contain any Chinese input. My 'Made in Britain' car contains Chinese manufactured components as well as European and Mexican. And they are just the parts I've seen the labels of.
I can fully appreciate why someone would wish to avoid a country with a poor regard for human rights, animal rights, working conditions. This list could go on.
And as for their current stance on Ukraine....
Edited by Chris M on 05/03/2022 at 13:39
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Pretty well unavoidable to buy anything with electrical content not made in China. Luckily very few Chinese car brands for sale in the UK, although that will certainly change. I can't afford to buy new, and with all my vehicles over 15 years old, don't expect to ever buy a Chinese brand. Focus with 73,000 miles should last another 20 - 30 years if looked after properly, if I keep it that long.
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Why don’t more manufacturers provide a budget offering?
In the UK there is only Dacia and arguably Ssangyong, Suzuki and MG (although they all have expansive vehicles as well).
VW talked about a budget offering but it never happened.
GM used to have Chevrolet in Europe but like most things GM there was no long term strategy.
Stellantis have talked about Fiat being both a budget brand and the 500 brand but I can’t see how you can do both.
There is clearly a demand for a budget offering, and there is profit if you can successfully upsell like Dacia but still offer good value.
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One of the problems is that budget brands tend to move upmarket over time - Skoda and Hyundai/Kia all used to be budget brands but are definitely mainstream now.
In GM's case, their rebadging of Daewoo as Chevrolet was intended to move it upmarket but failed
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Why don’t more manufacturers provide a budget offering? In the UK there is only Dacia and arguably Ssangyong, Suzuki and MG (although they all have expansive vehicles as well). VW talked about a budget offering but it never happened. GM used to have Chevrolet in Europe but like most things GM there was no long term strategy. Stellantis have talked about Fiat being both a budget brand and the 500 brand but I can’t see how you can do both. There is clearly a demand for a budget offering, and there is profit if you can successfully upsell like Dacia but still offer good value.
VW has already had a budget offering in Skoda. But for whatever reason, it was decided the best strategy was to push Skoda upmarket to the point of occupying essentially same position as VW.
The Fiat/500 issue is easy enough to resolve, simply separate '500' into a standalone brand with no Fiat badges. Then Fiat badged cars would be the budget offering.
I've said before that Toyota could re-introduce the Daihatsu name into the UK as a lower priced alternative.
In theory, the Lada could also be brought back to the UK as a budget brand. But seeing as Renault own Lada as well as Dacia, that isn't going to happen (unless they sold Lada).
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In theory, the Lada could also be brought back to the UK as a budget brand. But seeing as Renault own Lada as well as Dacia, that isn't going to happen (unless they sold Lada).
Not sure bringing a Russian brand name to the market just now would be a great idea either :-)
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Tata could be Jaguar's sub brand.
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Tata could be Jaguar's sub brand.
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In theory, the Lada could also be brought back to the UK as a budget brand. But seeing as Renault own Lada as well as Dacia, that isn't going to happen (unless they sold Lada).
Not sure bringing a Russian brand name to the market just now would be a great idea either :-)
Very true!
Tata could be Jaguar's sub brand.
Well of course we have had a Tata (in all but name) sold in the UK before, the Rover CityRover. Didn't go too well, but I think that was at least as much to do with the price asked as it not actually being a very good car. If the UK price reflected the price asked in India (where it was known as the Tata Indica), then the car probably would had done rather better despite its flaws!.
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In theory, the Lada could also be brought back to the UK as a budget brand. But seeing as Renault own Lada as well as Dacia, that isn't going to happen (unless they sold Lada).
Not sure bringing a Russian brand name to the market just now would be a great idea either :-)
Very true!
Tata could be Jaguar's sub brand.
Well of course we have had a Tata (in all but name) sold in the UK before, the Rover CityRover. Didn't go too well, but I think that was at least as much to do with the price asked as it not actually being a very good car. If the UK price reflected the price asked in India (where it was known as the Tata Indica), then the car probably would had done rather better despite its flaws!.
If Jaguar need a lower brand, then Rover would be the obvious choice - go back far enough and they were equals but for recent generations Rover was lower mainstream.
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If Jaguar need a lower brand, then Rover would be the obvious choice - go back far enough and they were equals but for recent generations Rover was lower mainstream.
Equals? Pah!
The Rover Company Limited was a British car manufacturing company that operated from its base in Solihull in Warwickshire. Its lasting reputation for quality and performance was such that its first postwar model reviewed by Road & Track in 1952 was pronounced finer than any but a Rolls-Royce. (Wikipaedia)
I have fond teenage memories of driving my father's mechanically excellent but ultimately old, rusty and almost worthless Rover 105S, otherwise known as 'the poor man's Bentley'.
Go back far enough and Rover were making cars when Sir William Lyons was still in nappies. It took some time for Jaguar to shed the image of being 'cad's cars'.
Edited by John F on 06/03/2022 at 09:10
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If Jaguar need a lower brand, then Rover would be the obvious choice - go back far enough and they were equals but for recent generations Rover was lower mainstream.
I don't see that working. While it is true that, latterly, Rover's started at a lower price point than Jaguar's, that was only because they had smaller cars to sell. In cases where a Jaguar and Rover shared the same market space (X Type vs 75 for example), they were priced to compete with each other. With smaller cars they were priced above the likes of Ford or Vauxhall, so it would never work as a budget brand.
But going back further, I would agree with John F, Rover made higher quality cars than Jaguar (though they were aimed at different buyers)
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Tata could be Jaguar's sub brand.
I thought the other way around...
Big smiley !
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I remember when the Cityrover came out (2004?), after sitting in one you knew the game was up for Rover, resorting to putting their sticky badges of that heap. It made the Rover 25 (which was already an old car by that time) seem very modern. I think the engine was from PSA - probably the best bit.
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Should never have happened. Austin Metro name would have been more suitable at about £2,000 less.
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It is questionable whether any car company can consistently produce low cost cars.
Low cost is a function of cheap labour rates, stripped down design/specification, and sourcing components based on price not quality.
There will always be those who value low cost above all else. But winning additional sales is partly about price, but also about delivering a product which out performs the competition.
Lower labour rates tend to disappear over time as successful economies suffer from increasing pay rates and exchange rates.
Maintaining a stripped down spec makes it difficult to win sales from other higher end manufacturers - so the tendency is to add features (which costs)
Cheap components can keep costs down - but also potentially increases warranty claims and negative reviews.
Finally new basic cars are competing with often better equipped and better finished s/h competitors 12-24 months old, with warranties which may run for a further 1-5 years.
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I have never bought a car solely on price, it has to look the part and no way would I own a car that I could not stand the sight of. The MG is a good looking car and appeals to many in the sector it is aiming at
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It is reported by reputable sources that inside China, social media discussions and state media essays supporting Moscow's invasion of Ukraine are widespread, while posts expressing support for the Ukrainian government have been censored or viciously mocked. China also asked Russia to delay the invasion until after the winter Olympics (according to US intelligence sources).
I appreciate that this is 'just a car site', but would people still consider buying a Chinese car in view of the ongoing war in the Ukraine? Personally, it doesn't matter how cheap the cars are, I wouldn't. I understand that many component parts in European, Japanese, US, etc cars are manufactured in China, so there is no escaping buying Chinese and I am therefore being somewhat hypocritical/woke.
Edited by nlpnlp on 08/03/2022 at 10:33
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It is reported by reputable sources that inside China, social media discussions and state media essays supporting Moscow's invasion of Ukraine are widespread, while posts expressing support for the Ukrainian government have been censored or viciously mocked. China also asked Russia to delay the invasion until after the winter Olympics (according to US intelligence sources).
I appreciate that this is 'just a car site', but would people still consider buying a Chinese car in view of the ongoing war in the Ukraine? Personally, it doesn't matter how cheap the cars are, I wouldn't. I understand that many component parts in European, Japanese, US, etc cars are manufactured in China, so there is no escaping buying Chinese and I am therefore being somewhat hypocritical/woke.
This post is perilously close to being political (and I'm sure will become so shortly).
But sticking to the motoring related content. Personally, I feel folk who announce they not to buy a Chinese car are making a very hollow gesture indeed. It is very easy at the moment to 'not buy' a Chinese car because, while the sales are growing, they are still very much small fry in the UK market. Also, and perhaps more importantly for UK buyers, the Chinese cars you can buy here are not considered desirable or aspirational. I'd be willing to bet that if Audi's, BMW's, Merc's, and Porsche's were all Chinese brands, there would be far less comments about boycotting Chinese cars.
Very easy to boycott something (for whatever reason), if doing so will cause you no inconvenience at all. It is a different case if doing so means you have to do without something you want.
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I’m driving a Polestar 2 this week, Polestar being a sister company to Volvo, Lotus & Proton. As well as the London Electric Vehicle Company.
Would the panel declare any or all of them to be Chinese brands, owned, as they are, by Geely?
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I’m driving a Polestar 2 this week, Polestar being a sister company to Volvo, Lotus & Proton. As well as the London Electric Vehicle Company. Would the panel declare any or all of them to be Chinese brands, owned, as they are, by Geely?
Its an interesting question, but surely if you do consider Volvo/Polestar (and the rest) Chinese, you'd also have to consider Jaguar/LandRover as being Indian, Rolls Royce to be German and Lamborghini to be German.
This also would lead me to consider another question specifically re MG, how many average MG owners know that they have bought a Chinese car?.
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I’m driving a Polestar 2 this week, Polestar being a sister company to Volvo, Lotus & Proton. As well as the London Electric Vehicle Company. Would the panel declare any or all of them to be Chinese brands, owned, as they are, by Geely?
Its an interesting question, but surely if you do consider Volvo/Polestar (and the rest) Chinese, you'd also have to consider Jaguar/LandRover as being Indian, Rolls Royce to be German and Lamborghini to be German.
This also would lead me to consider another question specifically re MG, how many average MG owners know that they have bought a Chinese car?.
My guess would be...they don't know...or don't care..maybe both...many won't actually be "owned".
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I’m driving a Polestar 2 this week, Polestar being a sister company to Volvo, Lotus & Proton. As well as the London Electric Vehicle Company. Would the panel declare any or all of them to be Chinese brands, owned, as they are, by Geely?
Its an interesting question, but surely if you do consider Volvo/Polestar (and the rest) Chinese, you'd also have to consider Jaguar/LandRover as being Indian, Rolls Royce to be German and Lamborghini to be German.
This also would lead me to consider another question specifically re MG, how many average MG owners know that they have bought a Chinese car?.
Polestar are made in China, Rolls-Royce/Bentley are built in the UK - where they're made is still important.
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What Covid has demonstrated is that supply chains for complex products (eg: cars) are complex and wholly international.
Even RR and Bentley which may be finally assembled in the UK almost certainly include components from across the globe - servo motors, cables, ECUs, welding wire, fasteners, paint pigments, materials (metals) etc etc.
Most cars include a wide range of components sourced across the globe as cost/price is a major part of commercial success. The equipment used to build them - assembly lines, machine tools, robots etc are almost certainly sourced (in part) from China.
If you wish to constrain your choice to those you feel are "British" or "OK" that's a personal choice - albeit largely irrational.
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I didn't realise until looked it up, that the Dacia brand is number one in France for sales to private customers.
In this context, Dacia occupies for the first time in its history the number 1 position in the market for sales of passenger vehicles to private customers, with 105,913 registrations. The brand accounts for 14.5% of this market, registering an increase of + 3.9 points compared to 2020. Dacia ends its year 2021 with a historically high backlog of orders, which has more than doubled in France compared to 2020.
With almost 29% of its sales made on dual-fuel petrol/LPG, Dacia accounts for 78% of the LPG market in France, a segment that is growing strongly (+180% compared to 2020).
At around £0.74 per litre that's cheap motoring, but it's actually cheaper in the UK at around £0.70 per litre.)
en.media.dacia.com/news/sales-results-france-2021-...l
No wonder, as I said earlier on another thread, that there are so many of them about over here.
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I enquired for a friend at my local dealer could source a new Dacia Sandero access model which are no longer on sale in the UK as the base spec model had little demand,
The potential owner and driver of the vehicle wants a basic as can be car to replicate his Ford Escort which is nearing the end of its life.
Sadly despite the efforts of the Dacia dealer they where not able to source a one off basic access model; Dacia UK tried as well but the issue appears to be they have removed the access trim option from the right hand drive production runs.
The access version is available in left hand drive and is popular in France.
He considered a left hand drive version, the French dealership offered to deliver it for a reasonable cost to Ipswich (£400) but the inconvenience of driving left hand was too much.
Which leaves me to ask why Dacia withdrew the deadline grabbing base model as it uses very few semi conductors and may have picked up more interest due to the inflation pressures, reduced new car options. Higher used prices, etc
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The Access was still quoted on the Dacia price list at the end of last year, but I guess it's the £7995 price point they use as showroom bait.
I think a lot of people would want air conditioning these days which means opting for the Essential model
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Update, they no longer sell the access model in France since September but they do sell it in other countries such as Germany.
I’m not sure why anyone needs that information but maybe the French don’t want bargain basement cars any more?
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