What is MG and where are their cars made?
What is the origin of the MG car brand? Who makes them? EL PAÍS looks at the story behind a popular company
After disappearing from the international car scene a decade ago, the MG brand has returned to Europe. It is now owned by the Chinese consortium SAIC. To understand its history, we have to go back a century, to England in the 1920s.
What does MG mean?
Like many other automotive pioneers, the Brit William Morris started as a bicycle mechanic in the 19th century. In his hometown of Oxford, he founded Morris Garages, a motor shop, in 1910.
He didn’t take long to delve into making cars, a nascent business that promised great opportunities. But demand quickly outpaced the capacity of his garage, so he hired Cecil Kimber as a commercial director.
The first MG model
A businessman with previous experience in other brands, passionate about sports cars and a specialist in carriage design, Kimber improved the mechanics and appearance of Morris cars.
The brand’s first model was the Morris Oxford. The MG Old Number One, which Cecil Kimber designed for his personal use, was based on the Oxford and released in 1925.
MG, now Chinese
After a long, successful history, MG began to decline in the 1980s.
It passed through the hands of the German BMW group before being acquired by Rove Group. The company declared bankruptcy in 2005. After a new failed attempt to start up production two years later in the Longbridge factory in Birmingham, the MG brand ended up in the hands of the Chinese group SAIC, which still owns the company.
MG models and prices
In 2020, MG returned to the European stage, now renewed as a technologically advanced brand. it is betting on electric cars, as demonstrated by the good results of its recent zero-emission models MG 4 and MG 5.
The result is a fairly varied range of models.
MG ZS: from €13,990/$21,990
The spearhead of the brand, whose gasoline versions, with 106 and 111 HP of power, became the best-selling car in Spain in August and September. It is also available as an electric car with 156 and 177 HP, with up to 440 kilometers (273 miles) of autonomy, from €22,480/$23,990.
MG HS: from €24,440/$29,990
The brand’s family SUV also comes in both gasoline and electric models, although in this case as a plug-in hybrid (PHEV). Being higher up in the range, its thermal block has greater power, reaching 162 HP. The PHEV (from €26,780/$48,990) develops 258 HP, has 52 kilometers (32 miles) of electric range and carries the Zero label from the General Directorate of Traffic.
MG 4: from €19,480/$38,990
The compact model (4.28 meters long) is sold only with 100% electric mechanics. Its accessible version produces 204 HP, has a 51 kWh battery and can travel 350 kilometers (217 miles) per charge. The higher-range model uses the same motor, but has a 64 kWh battery and its range is 450 kilometers (280 miles).
MG 5: from €25,280/$24,990
The other non-SUV model is a family car with a trunk capacity of 458 liters that can reach up to 1,387. It is available in two versions: one with 156 HP, a 61.1 kWh battery and 400 kilometers (248 miles) of autonomy; the other, with 177 HP, a 50.3 kWh battery and 320 kilometers (199 miles) of range.
MG Marvel R: from €32,980/$35,000
This is the brand’s flagship, with a single electric variant equipped with three motors and all-wheel drive. It develops 288 HP, accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds, has a 70 kWh battery and has a range of 402 kilometers (250 miles).
Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition
More information
What to look for when buying a classic car
