SAIC Motor Corp, China's biggest automaker, plans to sell its U.K.-made MG cars in Europe at the end of the year as it moves to revive the British vintage brand it took over three years ago.
SAIC, which has had initial success selling its own-brand cars domestically, has joined the rush of Chinese automakers, including Geely Automobile Holdings, hoping to make a name globally.
Assembly of MG-series models, including the MG 6, would begin at its Longbridge plant in England late this year, SAIC chairman Hu Maoyuan told Reuters on the sidelines of Shanghai's annual People's Political Consultative Conference.
"We want to get our U.K. plant up and running," Hu said. "MG models will not only be sold in Britain but also in other European countries through its existing dealership networks.
SAIC, a General Motors and Volkswagon partner in China, became the owner of MG Rover's 10,000-unit Longbridge plant in Birmingham, central England in 2007, after a merger with its much smaller peer, Nanjing Automobile Group.
It launched its first self-developed car, the Roewe 750, based on acquired technologies, in March of that year, followed by the Roewe 550 and MG 6 models, popular with young, elite professionals.
One option for SAIC is to make complete knocked down (CKD) kits for the models in China and have them assembled in the U.K.-plant, Hu said.
"The idea is to take advantage of the existing MG sales network in Europe as well as the cost advantage in China," Hu said.
China was a rare bright spot in 2009 amid the sharp global industry downturn thanks to Beijing's stimulus measures, including aggressive tax incentives, for small cars.
That year a trio of obscure Chinese names -- Geely, Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co (BAIC) and Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial -- made moves to buy all or part of storied global brands Volvo, Saab and Hummer.
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