The Birmingham Mail reports that the new MGTF is selling quickly. MG enthusiasts keen to get their hands on one of the limited edition MGTF models will have to move fast – as the last few are now coming off the Longbridge production line.
The first 500 MGTF models made at Longbridge have been the special LE500 versions and Chinese owned MG UK is now getting ready to make the more regular, cheaper version of the car in the New Year.
To date 400 of the 500 have been sold and there are some still some available through dealers, although a lot of those are demonstrators.
Eleanor De La Haye, MG UK’s corporate communications manager, said the reduction in VAT had given a last minute boost to the sale of the last few LE500s. “Sales have gone well and the VAT reduction has given a welcome boost to inspire people to buy,” she said.
“But anyone who wants one of the limited edition models really will have to move quickly.” She said sales of the two-seater sports car had not been affected by they credit crunch as dramatically as more mainstream vehicles.
“People don’t buy this car because they need one. They buy it because they want one and these people usually have money in the bank to spend despite the current financial climate.”
The 1.8-litre, 135 bhp LE500 is priced at £16,399 while the more basic model which goes into production next year is likely to be priced below £14,000. That’s £1,000 less than the original predicted price for the car.
For that buyers will get the same handling, power and performance as the LE500 but will get less of the frills like the hard top, wind deflector and air conditioning.
Ms De La Haye would not confirm the 2009 price but said it would be lower than expected when announced in the New Year. “MG has always been the affordable sports car and we bear that in mind when setting the price,” she said.
