JustBritish

The sales of MG-branded cars has been badly hurt by the personnel changes at Nanjing Automobile (Group) Corp.

Statistics show that MG’s monthly sales volume during the first five months of this year was not more than 400, compared with a monthly sales of about 800 units from September to December 2007. It is the frequent personnel changes Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. (Group) (SAIC) launched in senior management of Nanjing Automobile that leads to the poor sales of MG, pointed out industry experts.

SAIC, parent of Shanghai-traded SAIC Motor Corp. Ltd. (SHSE: 600104), inked a contract to acquire Nanjing Automobile from Yuejin Motor (Group) Corp. at the end of December 2007. After the deal, SAIC launched a series of personnel changes on the senior management team of Nanjing Automobile.

It appointed Huang Keji, a top executive with Shanghai GM Dong Yue Motors Co., Ltd., as the general manager of MG in February this year. He was asked to take charge of the production and product quality at MG and Zhang Xin, a top executive with Nanjing Automobile, was asked to be responsible for the sales at MG.

SAIC did not make many adjustments on the marketing team of MG so as to stabilize the latter’s sales network in the country.

However, Zhang Xin resigned and then joined in Beijing Automobile. Sun Weijian, also a senior executive with Nanjing Automobile, resigned and then jointed in Chery Automobile Co., Ltd., one of the biggest homegrown automakers in China. Those resignations directly led to the poor sales of MG 7 series cars. In order to change the dropped sales, SAIC nominated Xue Zhenghua, a top executive responsible for marketing at Shanghai Volkswagen Co., Ltd., as the executive assistant to the general manager of MG. However, the management change disappointed everyone as not much improvement was seen in MG’s sales volume.

Actually, the fusion of the management team of Nanjing Automobile and SAIC did not go smoothly, revealed people close to the deal. Many positions at MG are seated by two persons. Notably, the quality system of Nanjing Automobile is different from that of SAIC, which therefore delays the rollout of MG new car models. SAIC will make adjustments on the marketing team of MG provided that there is no breakthrough in MG’s sales.

Italian manufacturer Marangoni has ramped up its efforts in increasing its profile in recent weeks. After the highly successful Summer show and event programme – which endeavoured to bring the brand to the forefront of the performance and tuning market – the British International Motorshow provided an opportunity to take the firm’s self-styled ‘Marangoni Brand Experience’ to the record crowds that gathered at Excel in London. The company believes that its name carries the promise of European heritage, all-round performance and value, hoping that this triumvirate of riches resonates strongly with drivers of both performance and everyday cars.

Headlining the Marangoni presence at the British International Motorshow, and very much the draw on the Santa Pod Raceway stand, was the mighty Progetto Marangoni Toyota Yaris; an attraction that has been popular with British crowds all year. With the car on public display for a full week and contrasting with other show exhibits, the company was delighted with the response of motorists. Marangoni report a “huge number of requests for information on the Marangoni product, with visitors clamoring for information and the right Marangoni tyre choice for their cars.” The palpable hit scored by the Yaris helped to further establish Marangoni as a widely-recognised tyre brand amongst the show’s knowledgeable and discerning audience

The stunning new Morgan Aeromax has been unveiled as the latest in a long line of British sports cars to use Avon tyres as official tyre supplier. The Avon Tyres brand offers a complete range of high performance tyres that are manufactured and marketed by Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Europe.

Classic British manufacturer, Morgan, chose Avon’s trusted ZZ3 as the perfect choice for their brand new 362bhp, 170mph machine, which has a 0-62mph speed of just 4.5 seconds. The Aeromax will be Morgan’s flagship model as the marque heads into its 100th anniversary year in 2009.

The Avon ZZ3 was selected because of its excellent road holding in both wet and dry conditions and its predictable high-performance handling characteristics suit the powerful car perfectly.

The Aeromax will use Avon’s 225/35 R19 XL 88Y XL ZZ3 at the front and 245/35R19 XL 93Y ZZ3 on the rear.

Morgan also chose the Avon ZZ3 as an OE fitment for the revamped Aero 8 sports car in 2006, along with Connaught for its Type-D GT Syracuse.

Earlier this summer, the Lightning Car Company announced that it would choose the ultra-high performance Cooper Zeon 2XS for its ground-breaking electric sports car, while Caterham has a long-standing relationship with Avon, going back 17 years.

For more information on Avon Tyres, visit avon-tyres.co.uk or for more information about the Morgan Aeromax or other Morgans, visit morgan-motor.co.uk

Fans of the MG were flocking to a Black Country Rover dealer this past weekend as it became the first garage in the western world to take delivery of the new model. Summit Garage has the car for sale following the return of its production to the Longbridge plant in Birmingham.

A total of 75 cars have rolled off the production line destined for a number of garages around the UK and further afield. Enthusiasts can choose from bright orange, red and black models today, priced at £16,399.

Boss of Summit Garage in Himley Road, Lower Gornal, has been inundated with calls from drivers keen to take a test drive in one of three MGs which left the factory. John Newey was hopeful of clinching a sale on the first day.

“We have got a lot of people coming out for test drives,” he said. “There’s a lot of enthusiasts who want to see how this car compares with other MGs. I’ve been here for 28 years and seen various important new car launches over that time but I’ve never seen as much interest in a new model like this.”

The return of car production to Longbridge has been hailed as a huge boost to business in the region after well publicised troubles resulted in its closure in April last year. SAIC/Nanjing, the Chinese owner, began production in Birmingham last month.

The Chicago Sun-Times Auto section recently published an interesting article on the beloved Triumph Spitfire. The Spitfire is a great care that seems to be fading farther and farther from view. The Sun-Times article begins, “The plucky Triumph Spitfire sports car was cheap, fun and wore a body from Italian master stylist Giovanni Michelotti. It met growing demand for smaller, lower-priced sports cars from those who couldn’t afford larger, costlier ones, such as the Austin-Healey or even the Triumph TR4. It arrived in 1962 and lasted with updates through 1980 — an especially long run.”

“The Spitfire got its name from a famous World War II British fighter plane. It initially cost less than $2,200 mostly because it was derived from the small Triumph Herald family car. It was developed shortly before England’s financially troubled Standard-Triumph was bought by England’s Leyland Motors, which took control in April 1961.”

For the complete article be Dan Jedlicka, check out the Chicago Sun-Times auto section.

Jaguar has joined a growing list of car makers to cut production as the credit squeeze and economic downturn continue to hit sales. The now Indian-owned company said it was responding to market conditions by “taking a little bit of volume” out of production of the flagship XJ sports saloon – the current model of which is likely to be replaced next year – and the XK sports car.

Jaguar would not spell out the extent of the cuts at its Castle Bromwich factory in Birmingham, but The Birmingham Post understands that between 200 and 300 fewer cars will be built between now and the end of the year.

That would equate to about a week’s worth of production for both the XJ and XK. Production of the XF saloon car, which has been a huge success since it was launched in March, and for which Jaguar has a big advance order book, is not thought to be affected. The company did confirm, however, that 280 workers transferred from sister company Land Rover’s Solihull factory to help meet the high initial demand for the XF have now returned to Lode Lane.

Jaguar sales have risen by about 13 per cent so far this year thanks to the global popularity of the new car but Land Rover has lost ground as high fuel costs hit sales of 4x4s. Land Rover has already announced cuts in production, including the suspension of the Range Rover night shift and four-day working on some other lines, as its sales ebb away from the record levels seen in the past three years.
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