MG London Showroom. I just don't get it :(

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colintf
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MG London Showroom. I just don't get it :(

Post by colintf » Fri Dec 08, 2017 1:54 pm

Was in London yesterday for the MG MMM Racers end of season / Christmas gathering.

After dinner we were in Piccadilly at saw the MG Showroom. This could even be where the famous University Motors Dealership was?

We want in. Greeted by 3 what look to be kids working there. The Golden Anniversary TF but nothing to say what it is or how special it is, a 1959 Austin Mini ( still can't see the MG connection there) and a couple of Chinese MG badged boxes on wheels
It's almost as if MG has no heritage before 2012.

Why have they not capitalised on the heritage? MGB? The TC that took the states by storm? The prewar MMM record breakers

Talk about opportunity missed........ :(

Colin Murrell
MGF Register International Liaison Rep
MGF Register Regional Rep for Devon & Cornwall and Cotswold Regions
MGCC Z and V8 Registers Reps for V8 ZT'/ZTTs




http://www.two-sixties.com/main.htm http://www.triple-mracing.com/

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Bazzajay
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Re: MG London Showroom. I just don't get it :(

Post by Bazzajay » Fri Dec 08, 2017 11:42 pm

Although I hate to say it, what else should you expect in Today's commercial climate. They are not looking back to the British past, but forward to the Chinese future. British automotive companies are a thing of the past and, although we still produce enormous quantities of cars here, the factories are mainly foreign owned.
Barrie

2000 MGF Wedgwood SE 1800i
2002 Peugeot Partner Quiksilver

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colintf
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Re: MG London Showroom. I just don't get it :(

Post by colintf » Sat Dec 09, 2017 5:21 am

Bazzajay wrote:Although I hate to say it, what else should you expect in Today's commercial climate. They are not looking back to the British past, but forward to the Chinese future. British automotive companies are a thing of the past and, although we still produce enormous quantities of cars here, the factories are mainly foreign owned.

So why buy the MG heritage in the first place? MGs marketing is quite blizzare they never capitalised on the BTCC victories with the MG6. Ford certainly used to.

It really does make you wonder!

Colin Murrell
MGF Register International Liaison Rep
MGF Register Regional Rep for Devon & Cornwall and Cotswold Regions
MGCC Z and V8 Registers Reps for V8 ZT'/ZTTs




http://www.two-sixties.com/main.htm http://www.triple-mracing.com/

Geoff.F
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Re: MG London Showroom. I just don't get it :(

Post by Geoff.F » Sat Dec 09, 2017 11:20 am

I do not believe that the Chinese bought the Heritage. That finished with the last car out of Longbridge.
They did buy the name and the Technology
Rootes sold out to Chrysler who then sold to Peugeot who had the Coventry Engineers build a new production line at Mulhouse France and promptly closed the UK factory.
Rolls=Royce bought Bristol Siddeley and promtly put their Logo on the Concorde with the Bristol Olympus 593 and the Harrier Jump Jet with the Bristol Pegasus. The two leading technology engines of their time.
The Olympus was the first engine to have electronic controls and fault codes. The codes were displayed with led bulbs in a small window on the casings. Now you know who to blame for modern car systems.
Geoff.F

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Rob Bell
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Re: MG London Showroom. I just don't get it :(

Post by Rob Bell » Sat Dec 23, 2017 1:03 pm

MG as we knew it is dead. Chinese management are completely clueless as to what they’ve bought and are only interested in churning out volume shopping trollers that on the home market is perceived as a prestigious British brand.

I agree Colin, the whole “re-birth” has been a massive disappointment. I can’t see that I’ll buy a new MG again. MGs loss, Jaguar Land Rover’s gain.

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Green Squirrel
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Re: MG London Showroom. I just don't get it :(

Post by Green Squirrel » Sat Dec 23, 2017 1:26 pm

I agree with Rob - our Discovery 4 is now 7 years old and totally reliable and am now looking at the Sportbrake XF. Still have the *F* though. :thumbsu:

ashleyfrazer
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Re: RE: Re: MG London Showroom. I just don't get it :(

Post by ashleyfrazer » Sat Dec 23, 2017 2:23 pm

Green Squirrel wrote:I agree with Rob - our Discovery 4 is now 7 years old and totally reliable and am now looking at the Sportbrake XF. Still have the *F* though. :thumbsu:
Hi GreenSquirrell
I am on my second XF S and can only recommend them. The only problem is finding a good dealer. Be prepared to travel. PM me if you want the details of the dealer and sales man I talked to back in August when I bought the car.

The original XF which included the sportsbreak is called an x250 and the newer one which was the 16 model year is the x260. The sportsbreak has just become available on this one. The newer car is a very different thing to the original besides being a little shorter. There is great debate in the Jaguar community on which is best. I like my x260 better. The interior is more German (the birdbath thing in the front illuminated when the doors open and the lights are on is very pretty. Jaguar dont call it a bird bath) and there is more power. Who it was woke up one morning and said "You know what that 275 hp engine needs is more power" I don't know but I am glad they did. Oh and cd players are old news, it's all about streaming and playback from usb drives on the x260. The x250 had cd or a hard drive you could upload to.

One thing to be ready for (I wasnt) is the extra filler tank on the left of the boot aperture on the x260. It holds ad-blue which is injected into the exhaust on diesel to clean it up.

So it's a Jaguar and an 18 year old mk2 mgf mix for me.

Ash


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Green Squirrel
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Re: MG London Showroom. I just don't get it :(

Post by Green Squirrel » Sat Dec 23, 2017 3:22 pm

Thanks Ash - I have test driven the all new Sportbrake a 2 litre AWD and I loved it but feel that it is a wee bit underpowered for towing my Airstream 532 caravan so I am waiting for the 3 litre AWD to appear on the market - I know they are doing one as it appears in the u tube video of their world ski record see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXVPW1p ... e=youtu.be :D PS I find Beadles of Sidcup very good as they are also Land Rover and look after my Disco4

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Rob Bell
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Re: MG London Showroom. I just don't get it :(

Post by Rob Bell » Sat Dec 23, 2017 6:14 pm

I looked at the Disco 5 and Velar. The former feels HUGE and the Velar... not quite what I wanted out of a Land Rover.

Love the XF sportbrake. If selling our ZTT, this is the car that’d replace it :)

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Red Hot Pepper
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Re: MG London Showroom. I just don't get it :(

Post by Red Hot Pepper » Fri Dec 29, 2017 6:14 pm

"are only interested in churning out volume shopping trollers"

Sorry you feel that way Rob, but I love my TF whatever anyone else thinks, but this is probably the reason the whole "MG" thing is not holding up as it once did. One has to embrace change when necessary, otherwise there would not be any made at all.

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Rob Bell
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Re: MG London Showroom. I just don't get it :(

Post by Rob Bell » Sat Dec 30, 2017 11:57 am

TF hasn’t been sold on any market for years. Where’s the sports car in their line up?

The MGE seems a step in the right direction, but for now seems like a very long way away. Worse, I am not sure they can instil “MGness” into their products (only the MG3 comes close), but I’m happy to be proven wrong...

In the mean time, Jaguar now have a four-cylinder F-type... just a bit more expensive than I’d ideally like. ;)

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