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A new MG saloon has been launched, the first all-new product to wear the famous octagonal badge since MG Rover collapsed into administration in 2005. But for now, the MG 550 has only been introduced in the Chilean market.

Behind the MG badge this is a Roewe 550, a car developed by Shanghai Automotive and based on a heavily modified Rover 75 platform. It has an all-new interior and is powered by an updated version of the familiar Rover K-series engine in 1.8-litre turbo form.

The MG branding has come about as a result of last year’s merger between SAIC and fellow Chinese manufacturer Nanjing, which acquired rights to the MG brand. One of the reasons Chinese authorities encouraged the two car makers to join up was because SAIC lacked a globally recognised brand for exports – something confirmed by the less-than-subtle application of MG logos to the 550.

It’s likely that both the MG 550 and the 75-based MG 750 will be introduced to the European market, and may even be produced at Longbridge. The MG550 costs from 10.5 million Chilean Pesos – £9760 at current exchange rates.

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London Taxis are as British as bowler hats and Big Ben. But the latest models coming off a new assembly line in China are unlikely to ever touch an English road. At a sprawling factory in the lush green suburbs of Shanghai, young Chinese workers are gearing up for full-scale production of one of Britain’s most iconic vehicles. It’s part of an alliance that awants to give the distinctive black cab a greater presence outside its namesake city.

London Taxi International, which will continue to build nine out of 10 cabs used in Britain at a factory in Coventry, England, couldn’t increase production at its small-scale, high-cost plant. So it turned to a partner — and to China — as a way to drive overseas expansion.

“To say the writing was on the wall would be pushing it a bit too far. But you do need to make progress within the automotive industry,” said Paul Stowe, a British auto executive who is overseeing the joint venture between Britain’s Manganese Bronze Holdings PLC, owner of London Taxi International, and Geely Group Holdings, one of China’s largest independent automakers.
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Plans to create a new town with up to 2,000 homes on the former MG Rover site at Longbridge could be delayed for years because of the slump in land and property prices, a developer warned.

The derelict car factory, which ground to a halt after the collapse of the famous marque in 2005, is set for a £750 million transformation which will create 10,000 jobs and mix modern houses with parkland. Initial plans projected it would take at least 15 years to complete the biggest regeneration scheme ever seen in the West Midlands, meaning it could be complete as soon as 2023. But at a public inquiry into the plans yesterday, Jason Tait of landowners St Modwen said progress could be slower.

“There might be some growth in the market in the next 18 months or two years but it’s not clear how it might have an effect on land prices,” he said.“That is a key factor driving this project and we would have to hold on to the land until land prices went up. That would obviously have a dramatic effect on our ability to deliver units until later in the process.”

Blueprints mapping out architects’ visions for a futuristic village centre on the banks of two rivers, landscaped parks and an £84 million college were unveiled earlier in May, three years after MG Rover went bust with the loss of 6,000 manufacturing jobs.

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The Telegraph is reporting that more than 100 people have applied to buy the One-77, the most expensive road car in the world, even though only 77 will be made. The 200mph car was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show this week, and Aston Martin said that the growing financial gloom had not hit sales.

“The interest is incredible,” chief designer Marek Reichmann told The Sun newspaper.
Aston Martin has been reluctant to release details about the One-77, but it is known to have a 7.0 litre V12 engine, carbon fibre chassis, and aluminium body.

“One-77 fuses advanced technology with stunning Aston Martin design to create possibly the world’s most desirable automotive art form,” the Warwickshire-based carmaker said.
It will “deliver exhilarating performance for a strictly limited number of discerning customers”, the according to the firm.
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