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Shanghai Automobile Industry Corporation (SAIC) is set to revive the famed Morris Garages (MG) name when it reveals a production version of the MG 6 at this month’s Guangzhou motor show.

The five door fastback, previewed in concept car guise at the Shanghai motor show last April, is the first new MG model to appear since the sale of the former British car maker to Nanjing Automobile in 2005 prior to a subsequent takeover by SAIC two years ago.

Up until now, Nanjing Automobile and SAIC have been content to sell re-badged versions of former Rover models as well as a lightly re-fettled version of the TF roadster in a bid to keep MG afloat.

However, the planned appearance of the MG 6 at Guangzhou signals a new beginning for the company founded in Oxford in 1924.
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It may be owned by China’s Shanghai Automotive Industries Corporation, but MG Motor still has British blood running through it. The proof: The company is getting a new design studio at its factory here.

The new studio will serve the 200-strong design and engineering staff of the company for the MG and Roewe brands, both of which are owned by SAIC, China’s largest car producer. Roewe is the relabeled Rover, since Land Rover retained the rights to the Rover nameplate.

The studio will be the lead engineering center for SAIC’s own-brand products worldwide and for all MG and Roewe products. The team has already contributed substantially to the development of the Ford Focus-sized Roewe 550 and is creating an MG version of the same car.

Roewe already sits atop the J.D. Power China Sales Satisfaction Index, which has been in existence for 10 years. The brand scored 851 points out of 1,000, ahead of Audi (848), Dongfeng Peugeot (842), BMW (837), Mercedes (837) and Buick (835). The average score for all brands was 822 points.

The MG Motor engineering center is located on the site of the Longbridge, U.K. factory, which until recently was making the 14-year-old MG TF sports car. That model’s production has halted until next spring. The plant still has three assembly lines, all of them regularly maintained, leading to strong speculation that the company will restart mass production at the site, even if on a modest scale. However, these plans have yet to be confirmed.

For you are looking for an auto insurance quote, you should check as many resources as possible – both on and offline. There are some great sites on the web that offer helpful tips and advice about auto insurance as well as free online auto insurance quotes. In addition to the auto insurance rates though, you should be checking the coverage, the terms, and also looking into what kind of service you are going to get after the sale.

A few of the things you need to consider include:

• Where do you take your car if it is damaged.
• How quickly will the insurance company pay for the claim.
• What kind of experience have existing and past customers have with the claims adjuster?
• Does the automobile insurance provider require full payment up front, or do they have monthly terms?

All of these questions, not just price, go into selecting a good insurance company and therefor a good auto insurance policy. And, if you have a vintage or collectible car, you need to do even more research to make sure the full value of your treasure is protected. Make sure the insurer is not just going to treat that vintage MG or Triumph the same as some old used car.

All I am saying, and this is the voice of experience, is be careful. Don’t just jump at the first insurance provider you come across or the cheapest one you find. Do your research, talk to the agents and their customers, and make sure you are doing business with the company that suits you best.

Former Longbridge worker Tony Dudley has laid solid new foundations for his garage business – by building an MOT bay himself.

The former MG Rover panel beater spent five days helping lay down a total of 27 tons of concrete to mark the latest key milestone in the history of Northfield-based MGR Services.

And Northfield Labour MP Richard Burden drove along his prized MGZT as the first car to undergo an MOT at the popular garage, less than a mile from the former home of MG Rover.
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