Shanghai, November 20 (Gasgoo.com) SAIC Motor is set to unveil a production version of the MG 6 at the upcoming 2009 Guangzhou auto show next week to revive the famed Morris Garages (MG) brand name from Britain, said Autocar.co.uk recently.
The five-door MG6 was previewed as a concept car model at the 2009 Shanghai auto show in April. It is the first new MG model to appear since the former British carmaker was sold in 2005 to Nanjing Auto which now is a subsidiary of top Chinese automaker SAIC.
Nanjing Auto and SAIC Motor have been selling rebadged versions of former Rover models and a lightly revamped version of the TF roadster in a bid to keep MG afloat. The MG6's appearance at the Guangzhou show will signal a new chapter in the company's history since it was founded in Oxford in 1924.
The MG6 is the first of a range of contemporary new MG models, including a new entry-level model based on SAIC's Roewe 350, which will also make its debut in Guangzhou. They will restore the once highly regarded British marque to its former glory, said SAIC president Chen Hong.
Hong said the MG6 would be sold only in the Chinese market at first, but SAIC officials confirmed to Autocar that it has been engineered to comply with European and U.S. safety regulations. Its price and marketing plan may be announced when it's unveiled on November 23.
The MG6 measures 4653mm x 1827mm x 1478mm, marginally longer and wider but slightly lower than the Skoda Octavia. Buyers will get the choice of two 1.8-liter four-cylinder engines, as used in the company's hot selling Roewe 550.
Styled at SAIC's UK headquarters in Warwickshire, the MG6 represents a clear departure from earlier MG models, with a fresh looking exterior and modern interior, all aimed at appealing to much younger buyers.
