MG Cars
MG was a British car brand, dis was until 2005 owned by the MG Rover Group. The Chinese Nanjing Automobile Group acquired the trademark, but was itself taken over by Shanghai Automotive Industry 2007. Since 2006, the MG Motor UK Limited, based in Birmingham, which manufactures and distributes automobiles since 2008 under the brand name MG.
- 2.1 1924-1939
- 2.2 1945-2005
History
Creation and promotion (1923-1939)
The company MG was founded in 1923 in Oxford (England) as " Morris Garages ", was the first Managing Director Cecil Kimber. End of the 1920s the company moved to Abingdon in Oxfordshire.
The first model was derived from a Morris Oxford Sports Tourer, which was sold from 1924 under the name MG 14/28. He was followed by sports sedans, of which in 1927 presented MG 14/40 as the first vehicle was the octagonal MG emblem. In 1928, a simple, two-seat sports car was built with the M-Type Midget first time, which should be for offering the typical brand. The based on the Morris Minor sports cars with OHC engines was the first truly successful model of the brand, because it was reasonably priced and very good performance offered.
With the C -Type Midget 1931, the first sports successes of the brand have been run in Montlhery. Further developments were the J3/J4 models with turbocharged engines that were designed specifically for racing applications, and their successors Q -Type and R-Type.
Until the mid- 1930s, the model range included beside the little Midget the larger models Magna and Magnette, which were equipped with OHC six-cylinder engines of less than 1.5 liters of displacement. Although the simple but reliable and powerful roadsters were the primary activity of the company, there was always also sporty coupes and sedans, all of which were derived from Morris designs. From about 1935, the T -Type replaced by a simple designed ohv engines the Midget and the larger four - and six-cylinder models SA, VA and WA the Magnette.
The Golden Years (1945-1980)
After the Second World War with the TC from 1945, the small sports roadster offered again. From 1950, joined with the Y Series also a sporting sedan to - like the roadster equipped with a 1.25 - liter four- cylinder engine. Mid -1950s, the old T -Type Roadster were ( last: MG TF ) is replaced by a completely new, modern construction, as indicated MGA a new beginning. This car was also exported for the first time amplified and MG opened up above all the important American market. The name Magnette reappeared and called until the mid- 1960s, the big sedans that - equipped with four-cylinder engines - only more luxurious versions of the sister brands Morris and Austin were that belonged like MG since the mid- 1950s to the Nuffield Group. From 1961 there were as the smallest model in the brand again a Midget, which was derived from the Austin -Healey Sprite. Also from the mid-range model of the company, the Austin / Morris 1100/1300 there was one better equipped MG variant.
In May 1962, the MGB solved with self-supporting body from the successful MGA. The now grown to 1.8 -liter four- cylinder engine was placed the end of the 1960s, a MGC with 2.9 - liter six- cylinder engine to the side, mid -1970s, even an MGB V8 with the acquisition of Rover 3.5 -liter V8 engine. In addition to the Roadster, there was the MGB as a GT model with a fixed roof.
Until the end of 1980 remained MGB and MGC in the offer, then for a long time last independent MG- construction disappeared.
Decline and bankruptcy (1981-2005)
As of 1981, the MG were only top versions of models of sister company in Austin, such as the Metro, Maestro and Montego said. These three models are also referred to as MG -M series and were manufactured until 1990. The Nuffield Group first traded as British Motor Corporation ( BMC), after the takeover of Leyland as British Leyland Motor Corporation ( BLMC ). 1984, the last Morris was built and from the BLMC conglomerate that included almost all British car manufacturer, was established after several economic turmoil first the Austin Rover Group and then the Rover Group.
After it had been three years no MG- vehicle anymore, you put the MG RV8 in 1993 closely vanished at the 1980 MGB ajar vehicle again. The Roadster in a total of 2000 copies for two years offered only in the home country had a 4.0 -liter V8 engine from Rover.
In 1994, the German car manufacturer BMW, the Rover Group and brought - encouraged by the sales success of the " trial balloons " MG RV8 - 1995 with the MG F again an independent new MG- out design. As the first of the MG F had a built mid-engine behind the front seats, a four -cylinder 1.8- liter displacement.
Already in 2000, BMW sold because of sustained low profitability of its British subsidiary, the Rover Group (including the MG brand, but without the brands Mini and Land Rover ) to the British Phoenix Venture Group, the marketing reasons their new car division now MG Rover Group called it.
Of the rover models 25, 45 and 75 respectively, the sporting MG versions ZR, ZS and ZT were built in long-known way from mid- 2001. These models are summarized as MG- Z series. The MG F was given a reworked successor model (among classical suspension instead of the Hydra gas suspension and a verwindungssteiferes chassis) with the traditional name MG TF its predecessor from the 1950s. 2001 was built with Lola together even a race car for the 24- hour race at Le Mans, the MG- Lola EX257. 2003 bought the MG Rover Group, the Italian small-volume manufacturers Qvale Automotive Srl and presented in the following 50 units of the mid-engine sports car MG XPower SV ago.
Ultimately, the MG Rover Group could not compete in the international automotive market, as market shares and capital resources were too low. In April 2005, she was forced to declare bankruptcy.
Restart in Asia (2005 ) and Europe ( 2010)
In July 2005, the Chinese Nanjing Automobile Group received from the liquidator PricewaterhouseCoopers awarded the contract to purchase the company. The branch in Modena was taken over by a newly formed company called MG XPower and provides in small series production model XPower WR ago. Nanjing Automobile was taken over shortly afterwards by Shanghai Automotive Industry, which had the rover part, but not its name, previously assumed.
Since 2008, the British MG Motor UK Limited Manufacturers of MG cars.