MG Rover was the last domestically owned mass-production car manufacturer in the
British motor industryThe automotive industry in the United Kingdom is now best known for premium and sports car marques including Aston Martin, Bentley, Daimler, Jaguar, Lagonda, Land Rover, Lotus, McLaren, MG, Mini, Morgan and Rolls-Royce. Volume car manufacturers with a major presence in the UK include Ford, Honda,...
. The company was formed when
BMWBayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
sold the car-making and engine manufacturing assets of the original
Rover GroupThe Rover Group plc was the name given in 1986 to the British state-owned vehicle manufacturer previously known as British Leyland or BL. Owned by British Aerospace from 1988 to 1994, when it was sold to BMW, the Group was broken up in 2000 with the Rover and MG marques being acquired by the MG...
to the Phoenix Consortium in 2000.
MG Rover went into administration in 2005 and its key assets were purchased by
Nanjing Automobile GroupNanjing Automobile is a state-owned enterprise with a history that dates from 1947, making it the oldest of the Chinese automobile manufacturers, although the comparatively younger First Automobile Works was the first to actually make cars.The group's products have included cars, trucks, and...
, with Nanjing restarting
MGThe MG Car Company is a former British sports car manufacturer founded in the 1920s by Cecil Kimber. Best known for its two-seat open sports cars, MG also produced saloons and coupés....
sports car and sports saloon production in 2007. The Rover brand, which had been retained by BMW and licensed to MG Rover, was sold to
FordFord Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
, which had bought
Land RoverLand Rover is a British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom which specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, forming part of their Jaguar Land Rover group...
from BMW in 2000. The rights to the dormant Rover brand were sold by Ford, along with the
Jaguar Land RoverJaguar Land Rover is a British automotive company owned by Tata Motors of India. It develops, manufactures and sells vehicles under the Jaguar and Land Rover marques.-History:...
business, to
Tata MotorsTata Motors Limited is an Indian multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Mumbai, India. Part of the Tata Group, it was formerly known as TELCO...
in 2008.
History of MG Rover
MG Rover was formed from the parts of the former
Rover GroupThe Rover Group plc was the name given in 1986 to the British state-owned vehicle manufacturer previously known as British Leyland or BL. Owned by British Aerospace from 1988 to 1994, when it was sold to BMW, the Group was broken up in 2000 with the Rover and MG marques being acquired by the MG...
volume car production business which BMW sold off in 2000 due to constant losses and a declining market share. BMW had acquired the Rover Group from
British AerospaceBritish Aerospace plc was a UK aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was in the Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire...
in 1994 and had since sold the
Land RoverLand Rover is a British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom which specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, forming part of their Jaguar Land Rover group...
business to Ford, and split-off the
MINIThe Mini is a small car that was made by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered a British icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout influenced a generation of car-makers...
business as a new BMW subsidiary based in
CowleyCowley in Oxford, England, is a residential and industrial area that forms a small conurbation within greater Oxford. Cowley's neighbours are central Oxford to the northwest, Rose Hill and Blackbird Leys to the south, New Headington to the north and the villages of Horspath and Garsington across...
. MG Rover took control of the remainder of the former Rover Group volume car business, which was consolidated at the
Longbridge plantThe Longbridge plant is an industrial complex situated in the Longbridge area of Birmingham, United Kingdom. It is currently owned by SAIC Group and is a manufacturing and research and development facility for its MG Motor subsidiary....
.
Phoenix Consortium ownership
When BMW sold off its interests, MG Rover was bought for a nominal £10 in May 2000 by a specially-assembled group of businessmen known as the Phoenix Consortium. The consortium was headed by ex-Rover Chief Executive John Towers.
When Phoenix Consortium took over, their first loss for the last eight months of 2000 were reported to be around £400m. By 2004, the company had reduced the losses to around £80m but never made a profit.
MG Rover's best year for car sales was their first full year of business, in 2001 — when they sold over 170,000 cars. In the year of 2004, their sales had declined to around 120,000.
The company eventually ceased trading on 8 April 2005, with debts of over £1.4 billion, after a proposed alliance with
SAIC collapsed.
Aborted deal with SAIC of China
In June, 2004, it was learned that
Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation had signed a joint venture partnership to develop new models and technologies with MG Rover. This led to much speculation among the British media suggesting the Chinese company was poised to launch a takeover. Later that year, in November, news broke of an agreement between the two companies to create a joint venture company to produce up to a million cars a year, with the production shared between MG Rover's Longbridge site and locations in China. SAIC were to have a 70% stake in this company in return for a £1 billion investment, with MG Rover owning the remaining 30%. However, this agreement had to be ratified by the Chinese government, specifically its
National Development and Reform CommissionThe National Development and Reform Commission , formerly State Planning Commission and State Development Planning Commission, is a macroeconomic management agency under the Chinese State Council, which has broad administrative and planning control over the Chinese economy...
(NDRC).
The Commission held the opinion that if BMW could not make a success of Rover, then it would be hard for SAIC to do so.
On 8 December 2004,
TataTata Motors Limited is an Indian multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Mumbai, India. Part of the Tata Group, it was formerly known as TELCO...
of
IndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, which had cooperated over the export of the
Tata IndicaThe Tata Indica is a hatchback automobile range manufactured by Tata Motors of India. It is the first passenger car from Tata Motors and is also considered India's first indigenously developed passenger car. , more than 910,000 Indicas were produced. The annual sales of Indica has been as high as ...
as the CityRover, threatened to cease its agreement with MG Rover if the SAIC tie-up went ahead, according to the Indian press. Tata claimed the report was inaccurate two days later.
SAIC did purchase the technical rights to manufacture Rover's 25 and 75 models, and for the
Powertrain LtdPowertrain Ltd was a British company based in Birmingham which designed, manufactured and marketed car engines and transmissions. It was a subsidiary of Phoenix Venture Holdings and a sister company to MG Rover...
business, for £67M. It did not acquire the Rover name, which was still owned by BMW at the time (See 'Brands' below).
In January 2005, it was revealed that British Prime Minister
Tony BlairAnthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
had intervened to support the alliance between MG Rover and SAIC. MG Rover could not give a date on which the agreement would be finalized.
Figures released by the company showed that the sale of Rover-branded cars fell in 2004 compared to 2003.
In April 2005 it was reported that the partnership deal with SAIC was in trouble because the British Government had decided to withdraw its offer of a £120 million loan to keep the deal going. On 7 April 2005 the company announced that it was suspending production because of component shortages. Later in the day, it was announced by
Patricia HewittPatricia Hope Hewitt is an Australian-born British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Leicester West from 1997 until 2010. She served in the Cabinet until 2007, most recently as Health Secretary....
, the
Secretary of State for Trade and IndustryThe Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills is a cabinet position in the United Kingdom government. Its secondary title is the President of the Board of Trade...
, that the company was being placed in receivership. Her statement was based on a conversation with MG Rover chairman, John Towers. It was later denied by MG Rover Group, although the company admitted that it had engaged
PricewaterhouseCoopersPricewaterhouseCoopers is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest professional services firm measured by revenues and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms....
, the
accountancyAccountancy is the process of communicating financial information about a business entity to users such as shareholders and managers. The communication is generally in the form of financial statements that show in money terms the economic resources under the control of management; the art lies in...
firm, to advise on its current financial situation. In the event, MG Rover placed itself in administration on 8 April 2005, a different status from
receivershipIn law, receivership is the situation in which an institution or enterprise is being held by a receiver, a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights." The receivership remedy is an equitable remedy that emerged in...
under British law.
On the afternoon of 8 April 2005, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and
Gordon BrownJames Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
, the
Chancellor of the ExchequerThe Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
, and Richard Burden, Labour M.P. for Birmingham Northfield visited Tony Woodley at the offices of the
Transport and General Workers' UnionThe Transport and General Workers' Union, also known as the TGWU and the T&G, was one of the largest general trade unions in the United Kingdom and Ireland - where it was known as the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union - with 900,000 members...
in
BirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and stated that there might be some hope for the future of the company, although not the original deal agreed with SAIC. In the media, any news about MG Rover was overshadowed by the
Pope's funeralThe funeral of Pope John Paul II was held on 8 April 2005, six days after his death on 2 April. The funeral was followed by the novemdiales devotional in which the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches observe nine days of mourning....
and the problems of the register office
marriage of the Prince of Wales and his brideThe wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Camilla Parker Bowles took place in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall, on 9 April 2005. The ceremony, conducted in the presence of the couples' families, was followed by a Church of England service of blessing at St George's Chapel...
.
On 10 April 2005, MG Rover announced that they had received a £6.5M loan from the British Government. This would cover workers' wages for one week while buy-out proposals were made to SAIC. The same week, SAIC denied it had ever made an offer to buy MG Rover and threatened to sue anyone who attempted to make the 25 and 75 models.
Financial ruin
On 15 April 2005, it was announced that SAIC had once again rejected pleas to buy out the company. With no other rescue deal in the pipeline, the administrators were not in a position to seek further funding from the government and announced that redundancy notices to Longbridge staff would be issued.
By the end of April 2005, Sir
Richard BransonSir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson is an English business magnate, best known for his Virgin Group of more than 400 companies....
had reportedly expressed an interest in buying the remaining assets of the company for the purpose of reviving the marque in order to enter the hybrid automobile market, and several other parties were also rumoured as wishing to buy the remnants. These included two Russian businessmen, although one of them denied any interest in buying the company's assets. The Iranian state-owned car manufacturer,
SAIPASaipa is the second largest Iranian auto manufacturer.Saipa was established in 1966, with 75% Iranian ownership, to assemble Citroëns under license for the Iranian market...
who had worked with MG Rover installing the K series engine in a car for the Iranian market that was based on the old
Mazda 121The Mazda 121 name has been used on a variety of Mazda automobiles for various export markets from 1975 until 2002:* 1975–1981 — Piston engined variants of the second generation Mazda Cosmo sports car...
and Kia Pride, were also rumoured to be potential buyers.
SAIC had claimed that it had already acquired
Intellectual PropertyIntellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
Rights in some Rover product for £67million in the autumn of 2004, including the Rover 25, the
Rover 75The Rover 75 is an executive car produced initially by the Rover Group at Cowley, Oxfordshire, UK, and later by MG Rover at their Longbridge site in Birmingham, UK...
and the Rover Powertrain K-series engine, but the Administrators advised that there was still interest in saving some other parts of the company, including MG, and 13 May 2005 was set as the deadline for bids from potential investors.
On 20 May 2005, the Administrators announced that, after considering numerous proposals, they had entered talks with two unnamed "overseas companies" with a view to restarting one or more of the Longbridge production lines. Nevertheless, the following week they informed
creditorA creditor is a party that has a claim to the services of a second party. It is a person or institution to whom money is owed. The first party, in general, has provided some property or service to the second party under the assumption that the second party will return an equivalent property or...
s that they by then expected the company to proceed instead to a creditors' voluntary
liquidationIn law, liquidation is the process by which a company is brought to an end, and the assets and property of the company redistributed. Liquidation is also sometimes referred to as winding-up or dissolution, although dissolution technically refers to the last stage of liquidation...
, setting the date for a preliminary Creditors' Meeting to be held in
BirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
on 10 June 2005. At that meeting, creditors learned that so little of value was left in the company that there would probably be negligible or even no repayment of its outstanding debt and that, although three bidders were then still negotiating to acquire the company intact as a going concern, the Administrators had instructed their
agentsThe law of agency is an area of commercial law dealing with a contractual or quasi-contractual, or non-contractual set of relationships when a person, called the agent, is authorized to act on behalf of another to create a legal relationship with a third party...
to prepare for the piecemeal sale of the very few remaining
assetIn financial accounting, assets are economic resources. Anything tangible or intangible that is capable of being owned or controlled to produce value and that is held to have positive economic value is considered an asset...
s in the event that satisfactory negotiations for the sale of the entire business were not concluded.
On 14 July 2005, it was reported that Magma Holdings, a financial group including former
Ford Motor CompanyFord Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
and General Motors executives, working in conjunction with SAIC, would be making an offer for the assets of both MG Rover and engine maker Rover Powertrain which, if successful, would see at least some production being restarted at Longbridge, and that talks with the other two interested parties – China's
Nanjing Automobile GroupNanjing Automobile is a state-owned enterprise with a history that dates from 1947, making it the oldest of the Chinese automobile manufacturers, although the comparatively younger First Automobile Works was the first to actually make cars.The group's products have included cars, trucks, and...
and Project Kimber (a
consortiumA consortium is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations or governments with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for achieving a common goal....
of Birmingham businessmen led by David James) – were still in progress.
More than 6,000 workers at MG Rover lost their jobs when the company went into liquidation. As many as 25,000 jobs were reported to have been lost in related supply industries, meaning that the total number of job losses brought on by MG Rover's collapse was somewhere in the region of 30,000.
Nanjing
On 18 July, Magma Holdings and SAIC formalized their bid with a reported offer of £60M, with a number of additional conditions. However, that offer was not well-received and on 22 July, the Administrators announced that the principle remaining assets of the group had been sold to the Nanjing Automobile Group for around £53M, with a deposit of around $5M. Nanjing Automobile Group indicating that their preliminary plans involved relocating the Powertrain engine plant to China and splitting car production into Rover lines in China and MG lines in the
West MidlandsThe West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
(though not necessarily at Longbridge), where a UK
R&DThe phrase research and development , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers to "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of...
and technical facility would also be developed. But on 27 August,
The Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
reported that the balance of around £47M, due on 22 August had not been paid. Citing confidentiality, the Administrators declined to comment.
Nanjing Automobile started shipping equipment from Longbridge to China on 15 September and, according to a report in
The TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
on Saturday, 17 September, were close to a deal with SAIC under which they would manufacture the Rover 25 and Powertrain engines while SAIC would produce a stretched Rover 75. Nanjing Automobile Group was reported to be in exclusive negotiations with GB Sports Cars, a venture by former Rover managers, to re-establish MG production at Longbridge.
In late October, key ex-workers received letters from Nanjing Automobile Corp offering 10 months' work dismantling plant at Longbridge for reassembly in China while talks with GB Sports Cars continued. However, after announcing that the UK government had not offered any substantial assistance in either grants or loans, Nanjing Automobile was also reported to have begun negotiations with at least two other potential partners, including "a wealthy San Francisco family", and, in early November, Nanjing committed to making every effort "to resume production [at Longbridge] at the beginning of 2007".
In August 2008, more than three years after the facility had closed due to MG Rover's bankruptcy, assembly at Longbridge of a lightly revised MG TF
roadsterA roadster is a two-seat open car with emphasis on sporty handling and without a fixed roof or side weather protection. Strictly speaking a roadster with wind-up windows is a convertible but as true roadsters are no longer made the distinction is now irrelevant...
for the European market, from Chinese-built complete knock down (CKD) kits, restarted.
Official reports
The UK Government commissioned reports into the collapse of the company. The
National Audit OfficeThe National Audit Office is an independent Parliamentary body in the United Kingdom which is responsible for auditing central government departments, government agencies and non-departmental public bodies...
reported in March 2006 on the financial support provided to the company. It commended the DTI's contingency planning in 2004, but questioned whether the loan made in April 2005 achieved value for money.
The DTI commissioned accountants BDO Stoy Hayward to report on the collapse of the company; this took four years to complete at a cost of £14.8 million. The firm issued its report to business minister
Peter MandelsonPeter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004, served in a number of Cabinet positions under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and was a European Commissioner...
in July 2009, and it was published on 11 September 2009. The report revealed that five executives took £42m in pay and pensions from the troubled firm as it collapsed. The report focused its criticism on the
Phoenix FourPhoenix Venture Holdings , also known as the Phoenix Consortium, is a British company formed by four businessmen...
and chief executive Kevin Howe who oversaw its collapse.
Other findings included evidence of a personal relationship between Nick Stephenson and a consultant who he paid more than £1.6m in the 15-month period up to April 2005. Meanwhile, "Evidence Eliminator" software installed by Mr Beale deleted documents which were likely to have been relevant to the investigation. The investigators further accused Mr Beale of giving "untruthful" evidence during interviews.
Conservative business spokesman Kenneth Clarke said it was right the report criticised the Phoenix Four, whose behaviour was "disgraceful". Lord Mandelson said the Phoenix group had not shown an "ounce of humility" about the firm's demise and they owed an apology to the firm's employees and creditors. The
Serious Fraud OfficeThe Serious Fraud Office may refer to:*Serious Fraud Office *Serious Fraud Office...
declined to mount an investigation, but Mandelson instructed lawyers to prepare a case to disqualify the key figures at
PhoenixPhoenix Venture Holdings , also known as the Phoenix Consortium, is a British company formed by four businessmen...
from future company directorships.
Popularity
The MG Rover range initially consisted of five cars: the
MiniThe Mini is a small car that was made by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered a British icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout influenced a generation of car-makers...
, Rover 25, Rover 45,
Rover 75The Rover 75 is an executive car produced initially by the Rover Group at Cowley, Oxfordshire, UK, and later by MG Rover at their Longbridge site in Birmingham, UK...
and
MG FThe MG F and later the MG TF are mid-engined, rear wheel drive roadster cars produced from 1995 onwards. The MG F was the first all-new car to bear the MG marque since the MG MGB, produced from 1962 to 1980...
along with car-derived van derivatives of the 25. The Mini was only built under temporary licence during the first five months of MG Rover's existence, and since the 1980s had only been built in limited numbers. After production finished, previous owner BMW regained the rights to use the brand, and did so on an all-new car that was launched in 2001:
MINIThe Mini is a small car that was made by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered a British icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout influenced a generation of car-makers...
.
The Rover 25 and Rover 45 were recently facelifted versions of visibly ageing mid-1990s designs, but production figures had been slightly decreased due to a fall in demand, even though the Rover 25 had been Britain's best-selling car of the month in April 2000. The acclaimed Rover 75 was little over a year old, and after a slow start sales were rising. An estate version was launched following the shift of production from Cowley to
LongbridgeThe Longbridge plant is an industrial complex situated in the Longbridge area of Birmingham, United Kingdom. It is currently owned by SAIC Group and is a manufacturing and research and development facility for its MG Motor subsidiary....
. The replacement for the MG F, the MG TF sports car was, inevitably, a relatively low-volume product, but it had consistently been the most popular car in its sector since its 1995 launch.
The Rover 25 and Rover 45 endured disappointing sales throughout MG Rover's existence, though their
MG ZRThe MG ZR is a high-performance MG-branded "hot hatch" version of the Rover 25 supermini-class car, produced by MG Rover at their Longbridge plant in Birmingham from 2001 to 2005...
and
MG ZSThe MG ZS is a sports family car. The ZS is essentially a badge engineered Rover 45 . The 45 in turn is a facelifted version of the Rover 400 which was launched in hatchback form in 1995 and saloon form in 1996. The Rover 400 had much in common with the Honda Civic of 1995-1999...
sports variants proved popular from their launch in 2001. The Rover 75 and its
MG ZTThe MG ZT is a high-performance MG-branded version of the Rover 75 executive car, produced by MG Rover at their Longbridge plant in Birmingham from 2001 to 2005. An estate version, the MG ZT-T, was also available. Styling is similar to the 75, although uprated springs and chassis modifications make...
sports variant enjoyed more popularity.
The range further expanded in 2003 with the launch of the smallest model, the Indian-built CityRover, built as part of a venture with
TataTata Motors Limited is an Indian multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Mumbai, India. Part of the Tata Group, it was formerly known as TELCO...
, and a flagship model, the
MG XPower SVThe MG XPower SV is a sports car which was produced by MG Rover. Manufactured in Modena, Italy and finished at Longbridge, UK, it was based on the platform of the Qvale Mangusta, formerly the De Tomaso Biguà.-History:...
, based on the
Qvale MangustaThe Qvale Mangusta is a sports car produced in limited numbers in Italy by the automaker Qvale between 2000 and 2002. During development and early production, it was badged as the De Tomaso Biguá in Europe, in North America it was badged De Tomaso Mangusta after the De Tomaso car built between 1967...
. Both cars, however, failed to achieve the sales figures that MG Rover had hoped for.
Ultimately, MG Rover were building more cars than they could sell, and this was a key factor in the firm's bankruptcy in April 2005. Stocks lasted for some two years afterwards, with the last MG Rover cars not leaving showrooms until around the time of Longbridge's re-opening by new owners Nanjing Automobile.
Vehicles
MG Rover made the following vehicles throughout their lifetime.
| Model | Picture | Years | Class |
| MG F The MG F and later the MG TF are mid-engined, rear wheel drive roadster cars produced from 1995 onwards. The MG F was the first all-new car to bear the MG marque since the MG MGB, produced from 1962 to 1980...
|
|
1999-2002 |
RoadsterA roadster is a two-seat open car with emphasis on sporty handling and without a fixed roof or side weather protection. Strictly speaking a roadster with wind-up windows is a convertible but as true roadsters are no longer made the distinction is now irrelevant...
|
| MG TF The TF model name has been used on two automobiles produced by MG Cars:* MG TF Midget * MG TF...
|
|
2002-2005 |
Roadster |
MG ZRThe MG ZR is a high-performance MG-branded "hot hatch" version of the Rover 25 supermini-class car, produced by MG Rover at their Longbridge plant in Birmingham from 2001 to 2005...
|
|
2001-2005 |
Hot hatchHot hatch was originally an informal automotive industry term, shortened from hot hatchback, initially coined by the British motoring press in 1984, for a high-performance derivative of a car body style consisting of a three- or five-door hatchback automobile.Vehicles of this class are based on...
|
MG ZSThe MG ZS is a sports family car. The ZS is essentially a badge engineered Rover 45 . The 45 in turn is a facelifted version of the Rover 400 which was launched in hatchback form in 1995 and saloon form in 1996. The Rover 400 had much in common with the Honda Civic of 1995-1999...
|
|
2001-2005 |
FFIn automotive design, an FF, or Front-engine, Front-wheel drive layout places both the internal combustion engine and driven roadwheels at the front of the vehicle.-Usage implications:...
midsize car |
MG ZTThe MG ZT is a high-performance MG-branded version of the Rover 75 executive car, produced by MG Rover at their Longbridge plant in Birmingham from 2001 to 2005. An estate version, the MG ZT-T, was also available. Styling is similar to the 75, although uprated springs and chassis modifications make...
|
 |
2001-2005 |
Executive carExecutive car is a British term that refers to a car's size and is used to describe an automobile larger than a large family car. In official use, the term is adopted by EuroNCAP, a European organisation founded to test car safety.- History :...
|
MG XPower SVThe MG XPower SV is a sports car which was produced by MG Rover. Manufactured in Modena, Italy and finished at Longbridge, UK, it was based on the platform of the Qvale Mangusta, formerly the De Tomaso Biguà.-History:...
|
 |
2003-2005 |
Sports carA sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....
|
| Rover 25 |
|
1999-2005 |
Supermini |
| Rover 45 |
|
1999-2005 |
Small family car |
Rover 75The Rover 75 is an executive car produced initially by the Rover Group at Cowley, Oxfordshire, UK, and later by MG Rover at their Longbridge site in Birmingham, UK...
|
 |
1999-2005 |
Executive car |
| Rover CityRover |
|
2003-2005 |
Supermini |
Rover StreetwiseThe Rover Streetwise was a small car made by MG Rover. It was based on the Rover 25, but had an increased ride height and chunkier bumpers. The car was marketed by Rover as an 'urban on-roader'.Production ended in April 2005 due to the bankruptcy of MG Rover....
|
|
2003-2005 |
Supermini |
Timeline
- Spring 2000: MG Rover was formed as the part of the former Rover Group's mass-market car business which BMW sold to the Phoenix Consortium for a nominal £10.
- 2001: MG Rover buy the factory and the rights to the platform of the Mangusta
The Qvale Mangusta is a sports car produced in limited numbers in Italy by the automaker Qvale between 2000 and 2002. During development and early production, it was badged as the De Tomaso Biguá in Europe, in North America it was badged De Tomaso Mangusta after the De Tomaso car built between 1967...
car from QvaleQvale was an independent Italian car manufacturer founded in 2000 by the American Kjell Qvale's son, Bruce Qvale. Qvale's sole product was the Mangusta, originally the De Tomaso Biguà. Kjell Qvale founded British Motors in 1947 in San Francisco, California and is very well known in the automotive...
of Italy for an estimated £10 million.
- 2001: The MG ZR
The MG ZR is a high-performance MG-branded "hot hatch" version of the Rover 25 supermini-class car, produced by MG Rover at their Longbridge plant in Birmingham from 2001 to 2005...
, MG ZSThe MG ZS is a sports family car. The ZS is essentially a badge engineered Rover 45 . The 45 in turn is a facelifted version of the Rover 400 which was launched in hatchback form in 1995 and saloon form in 1996. The Rover 400 had much in common with the Honda Civic of 1995-1999...
and MG ZTThe MG ZT is a high-performance MG-branded version of the Rover 75 executive car, produced by MG Rover at their Longbridge plant in Birmingham from 2001 to 2005. An estate version, the MG ZT-T, was also available. Styling is similar to the 75, although uprated springs and chassis modifications make...
(based on the Rover 25, Rover 45, Rover 75The Rover 75 is an executive car produced initially by the Rover Group at Cowley, Oxfordshire, UK, and later by MG Rover at their Longbridge site in Birmingham, UK...
respectively) are launched as sporting alternatives to the standard Rover models.
- 2002: A revised version of the MG F is launched as the MG TF
The TF model name has been used on two automobiles produced by MG Cars:* MG TF Midget * MG TF...
.
- 2002: MG Rover agrees to collaborate with Tata
Tata Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Tata Group is one of the largest companies in India by market capitalization and revenue. It has interests in communications and information technology, engineering, materials, services, energy,...
of India.
- 2002: MG Rover also goes into talks with Brilliance China Auto
Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Limited is a publicly owned, Chinese investment holding company making automobiles, automotive components, and minibuses....
with plans to build MG Rovers in a plant in China
- 2003: MG Rover launches the new MG XPower SV
The MG XPower SV is a sports car which was produced by MG Rover. Manufactured in Modena, Italy and finished at Longbridge, UK, it was based on the platform of the Qvale Mangusta, formerly the De Tomaso Biguà.-History:...
and SV-R sportscars, prices start at around £65,000. The car is based on the Qvale Mangusta and uses the Ford 4.6 litre V8 engine with two different power outputs.
- 2003: MG Rover launches the new CityRover
The Rover CityRover is a hatchback car model offered by MG Rover Group in the UK market. Launched in the Autumn of 2003, the car was a rebadged version of the Indian Tata Indica. With a length of , it was considered either a large city car or a small supermini...
- a small 5-door hatchback city car, based on the 1998 Tata IndicaThe Tata Indica is a hatchback automobile range manufactured by Tata Motors of India. It is the first passenger car from Tata Motors and is also considered India's first indigenously developed passenger car. , more than 910,000 Indicas were produced. The annual sales of Indica has been as high as ...
, which was the product of 2002's collaboration with Tata MotorsTata Motors Limited is an Indian multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Mumbai, India. Part of the Tata Group, it was formerly known as TELCO...
.
- 2003: MG and Rover launches V8 variants of the Rover 75 and the MG ZT.
- 2003: MG Rover launch a restyled version of the Rover 25, the Rover Streetwise
The Rover Streetwise was a small car made by MG Rover. It was based on the Rover 25, but had an increased ride height and chunkier bumpers. The car was marketed by Rover as an 'urban on-roader'.Production ended in April 2005 due to the bankruptcy of MG Rover....
. Referred to as an "urban on-roader", it has SUV-like styling.
- 2003/04: MG Rover sell the Longbridge factory to St. Modwen Properties
St. Modwen Properties plc is a British-based property investment and development business specialising in the regeneration and remediation of brownfield land and urban environments...
on a lease-back basis to raise funds.
- 2004: MG Rover launches facelifted versions of the Rover 25/45/75 and MG ZR/ZS/ZT/ZT, with revised front and rear ends. Rover 25/45/Streetwise and MG ZR/ZS also get revised fascias.
- 2004: MG Rover enters in talks with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) about a possible collaboration.
- 2004: MG Rover sell the design rights to the Rover 25 and 75 to SAIC to raise money to keep the business afloat.
- 2005: Negotiations on possible joint venture with SAIC stall, and MG Rover collapses. Price Waterhouse Coopers called in as administrators
As a legal concept, administration is a procedure under the insolvency laws of a number of common law jurisdictions. It functions as a rescue mechanism for insolvent entities and allows them to carry on running their business. The process – an alternative to liquidation – is often known as going...
.
- 2005: Nanjing Automobile Group
Nanjing Automobile is a state-owned enterprise with a history that dates from 1947, making it the oldest of the Chinese automobile manufacturers, although the comparatively younger First Automobile Works was the first to actually make cars.The group's products have included cars, trucks, and...
acquires the entire assets of MG Rover.
- 2005/06: Nanjing Automobile Group announces plans to build cars at Longbridge after signing a deal to lease the site for 33 years.
- 2006: SAIC sets up a new brand called Roewe after losing the right to buy the Rover brand name, and later launches a model based on an extended Rover 75
The Rover 75 is an executive car produced initially by the Rover Group at Cowley, Oxfordshire, UK, and later by MG Rover at their Longbridge site in Birmingham, UK...
platform, called the Roewe 750The Roewe 750 is a car produced by Roewe in the People's Republic of China, based on the Rover 75.Launched in October 2006 and codenamed SAC528 during development, the wheelbase of the Roewe 750 is stretched by compared to the Rover 75. The drivetrain is a 2.5L V6 petrol engine, based on the Rover...
.
- 2006: Ford buys the rights to the Rover marque, meaning that only the MG badge can be used on the new range of Nanjing-built cars.
- 2007: Nanjing Automobile Group restarts MG TF production in China.
- 2007: SAIC and Nanjing Automobile Group announce a tie-up and a possible merger which is completed on 26 December.
- 2008: Nanjing production of the limited edition MG TF LE500 commences at the Longbridge plant.
- 2009: Production of the standard MG TF 135 commences at Longbridge.
Sponsorship
MG Rover sponsored
Aston Villa Football ClubAston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
from 2002 to 2004, with Villa's home kit advertising Rovers and the away kit advertising MGs. Also, the company had sponsored the popular
ITVITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
murder drama series
Midsomer MurdersMidsomer Murders is a British television detective drama that has aired on ITV since 1997. The show is based on the books by Caroline Graham, as originally adapted by Anthony Horowitz. The lead character is DCI Tom Barnaby who works for Causton CID. When Nettles left the show in 2011 he was...
; where a range of MG Rover cars were presented in the programs.
Brands
All of the following brands were controlled by MG Rover, and were formerly the property of British Leyland.
- 1895 Wolseley
The Wolseley Motor Company was a British automobile manufacturer founded in 1901. After 1935 it was incorporated into larger companies but the Wolseley name remained as an upmarket marque until 1975.-History:...
- 1905 Austin
The Austin Motor Company was a British manufacturer of automobiles. The company was founded in 1905 and merged in 1952 into the British Motor Corporation Ltd. The marque Austin was used until 1987...
- 1912 Morris
The Morris Motor Company was a British car manufacturing company. After the incorporation of the company into larger corporations, the Morris name remained in use as a marque until 1984 when British Leyland's Austin Rover Group decided to concentrate on the more popular Austin marque...
- 1913 Vanden Plas
Vanden Plas is the name of a company of coachbuilders who produced bodies for specialist and up-market automobile manufacturers. Latterly the name became a top-end luxury model designation for cars from various subsidiaries of British Leyland and the Rover Group.-Belgium:It originated in Belgium in...
as a coachbuilder and as a car brand (outside the US & Canada)
- 1923 MG
The MG Car Company is a former British sports car manufacturer founded in the 1920s by Cecil Kimber. Best known for its two-seat open sports cars, MG also produced saloons and coupés....
was created by Cecil KimberCecil Kimber was an automobile engineer, most famous for his role in being the driving force behind the MG car company.-Biography:He was born in London on 12 April 1888 to Henry Kimber, a printing engineer and his wife Fanny...
based on MorrisThe Morris Motor Company was a British car manufacturing company. After the incorporation of the company into larger corporations, the Morris name remained in use as a marque until 1984 when British Leyland's Austin Rover Group decided to concentrate on the more popular Austin marque...
components
- 1930 American Austin a brand name created by Austin
The Austin Motor Company was a British manufacturer of automobiles. The company was founded in 1905 and merged in 1952 into the British Motor Corporation Ltd. The marque Austin was used until 1987...
for US market
- 1947 Princess was created by Vanden Plas
Vanden Plas is the name of a company of coachbuilders who produced bodies for specialist and up-market automobile manufacturers. Latterly the name became a top-end luxury model designation for cars from various subsidiaries of British Leyland and the Rover Group.-Belgium:It originated in Belgium in...
as a luxury car name
- 1987 Sterling
Sterling was a brand name of automobile marketed in the USA by ARCONA, Austin Rover Cars Of North America under the name Sterling Motor Cars, a division of the Rover car company of the UK...
created as a separate brand in the US by the Rover Group
The Rover brand was used under license from BMW, and was sold to Ford following the collapse of MG Rover; it was subsequently bought in 2008 by TATA.
The
MG XPower brand was created by MG Rover for their
motorsportMotorsport or motorsports is the group of sports which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles, whether for racing or non-racing competition...
subsidiary, MG Sport and Racing Ltd. in 2001. It was subsequently used for the
MG XPower SVThe MG XPower SV is a sports car which was produced by MG Rover. Manufactured in Modena, Italy and finished at Longbridge, UK, it was based on the platform of the Qvale Mangusta, formerly the De Tomaso Biguà.-History:...
sportscar, a higher powered version of the Qvale Mangusta, in 2002. After the demise of MG Rover, assets of MG Sport and Racing relating to the XPower SV were acquired from
PWCPricewaterhouseCoopers is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest professional services firm measured by revenues and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms....
, the Administrators, by the newly-formed
MG Sports and Racing EuropeMG Sports and Racing Europe Limited was a British automotive company based in Eardiston, Tenbury Wells in Worcestershire. The company was founded by William Riley, who acquired assets of the MG Sport and Racing subsidiary of MG Rover Group after its demise, with the intention of restarting...
Ltd. However this company's use of the "MG" trademark resulted in a legal dispute with Nanjing Automobile (Group) Corporation, which had also acquired assets of the defunct MG Rover Group. This case was won by Nanjing in February 2010.
External links