MG Relaunched - First Photos of the Production MG 550

[Robin]

Chile is the first country to recieve the new generation of MG's since Rovers collapse in 2005 although to be honest the cars were based on stuff which was decades old (apart from the 75).

Roewe (SIAC) figured that it would be better to rebrand all the cars as MG's because its simply the better known name... So im guessing anything sold outside China will not carry the Roewe branding.

The TF, 750 and 550 was unveiled at a dinner event in Chile. I was particularly interested in the 550 which I must say looks excellent and has a sirocco quality to it, very fresh and I find it exciting thats its carrying an MG badge.. anything is better than an old Rover 450 with some extra bodywork! Would love to see them racing in touring cars with the Xpower livery some day.

The 550 will most likely come to the UK as an MG (might be called X something)... currently is sells in Chile for £9760 which is great value for a saloon which looks like that! Its powered by a 1.8 Rover K Series engine.

Here are some pics..

Nice Interior!

Robin

 

[Tornado]

Wow. That looks less awful (considerably so) than I thought it would be.

 

[Jim Prower]

hm. It's actually a decent Chinese car. Looks a bit like a VW, though.

 

[I-ROC]

From the inside it is great, but from the outside it is okay.

 

[Jondot]

Oooh, looks like a Passat, a C5 and an IS jumped into a Chinese blender. Me impressed.

 

[J-PaP]

It's not half bad

 

[Philly]

Are those taillights just Tiguan headlights painted red?

Not a bad car. The interior lacks a bit of the fanciness that is becoming pretty standard in the industry, but for a budget car, it looks good.

 

[Jondot]

Are those taillights just Tiguan headlights painted red?

I just assumed they'd stretched a pair of Lexus ones a bit.

 

[HACKr]

Is it just me or do the wheels look too small?

The car looks meh anyways.

 

[YSSMAN]

So what is the shelf life of the horse glue that holds the car together? My only concern is reliability circa Hyundai 1993...

 

[SUPER NUMBBER]

It's not half bad

3/4s?

 

[Robin]

So what is the shelf life of the horse glue that holds the car together? My only concern is reliability circa Hyundai 1993...

Actually thats a very narrow minded view of the quality of this car. Firstly the car is entirely built on the Rover 75 drivetrain and chassis platform which was developed to its last incarnation in 2005 and this technology came from BMW so its not horse glue.

Secondly the engine is the renowned Rover K series engine which has been most reciently used in the Caterham 7, Ariel Atom and Lotus Elise as well as many other cars over the years including most of the Rover line. Its not 1993 technology as the 1800 is quite recient and has obviously been updated.

Oh I forgot to add that the car is designed to meet the 5 start euro Ncap crash rating and has saftey features equal to those on european cars. Most of the systems are co developed with US company TRW automotive.

With the investment and input of new technologies by the Chinese into the car as well as an updated interior and style I think anything is better than MG going into the ground. I was actually plesantly suprised and for under 10 grand its a bargain. You just dont get cars which look like that for that price.. the interior is like a 3 series!

Apparently the UK bound models will also have a sportier version with some body kit parts such as what we saw on the previous MG's.

Oh heres a promo vid..



Robin

 

[Rykon Zero]

They're baaaaaaack...
Well, the car looks rather interesting, and it looks like a conglomerate of parts, but if it's put together well, (oxymoron) and they're not bad to drive, I can't see why this iteration can't work.

 

[harrytuttle]

It certainly looks Chinese-made, complete with 1980's-inspired interior. For once, I'm happy the US doesn't get the same cars as the UK.

 

[Robin]

It certainly looks Chinese-made, complete with 1980's-inspired interior. For once, I'm happy the US doesn't get the same cars as the UK.

You clearly live under a rock of have never seen a car interior...

BMW 3 Series 2009 Interior

MG 550 2008 Interior

They are very similar and if anything its certainly not 1980's there is also a hint of Citroen C5 interior.

Robin

 

[YSSMAN]

Actually thats a very narrow minded view of the quality of this car.

Don't get me wrong, its not my intent to poo-poo the car completely, but surely you would understand me having some level of reserve on a car that we've never seen in the US? I have no doubt that it is drastically improved, and I truly believe that with a strong financial backing, MG/Rowe can become a moderately world-class car maker.

 

[Robin]

Don't get me wrong, its not my intent to poo-poo the car completely, but surely you would understand me having some level of reserve on a car that we've never seen in the US? I have no doubt that it is drastically improved, and I truly believe that with a strong financial backing, MG/Rowe can become a moderately world-class car maker.

Thankyou for your clarification

You see, from a UK perspective MG is historically important and im personally glad to see it survive in one way or another seeing it could have just been another name in history. SAIC is clearly putting in the effort and being very sympathetic will its styling (not too crazy) to ensure the brand lives on, Its a bit like BMW keeping Mini fresh (but obviously with a lot more experience to hand).

Robin

 

[Tornado]

Firstly the car is entirely built on the Rover 75 drivetrain and chassis platform which was developed to its last incarnation in 2005 and this technology came from BMW so its not horse glue.

So, 1983 Hyundai then, right?

Secondly the engine is the renowned Rover K series engine which has been most reciently used in the Caterham 7, Ariel Atom and Lotus Elise as well as many other cars over the years including most of the Rover line. Its not 1993 technology as the 1800 is quite recient and has obviously been updated.

20 years after its introduction, and it doesn't quite explode as much as it did in 1988. Still probably smells like oil though.

They are very similar and if anything its certainly not 1980's there is also a hint of Citroen C5 interior.

Hey, you got your Ford Focus in my Ford Focus!