The rebirth of the MG car brand is under way, and it may include North America.
China's Nanjing Automobile Group said it will produce cars at MG Rover's historic Longbridge plant in England, closed since the collapse of MG Rover Group in 2005.
Nanjing intends shortly to announce plans for sales of MGs in the United States and even perhaps of manufacturing in North America, a source close to the venture says.
In 2005, Nanjing purchased MG Rover for £53 million, or about $97.3 million at current exchange rates.
Yu Jianwei, managing director of Nanjing, plans to outline what he hopes to achieve at the British International Motor Show in London on July 17.
Martin Hayes, Nanjing's spokes-man, said: "We want to take the opportunity to bring everyone up to speed with what we have achieved so far and what our future plans are."
MG Rover collapsed in April 2005, and its assets subsequently were sold by a receiver. BMW AG owns the rights to the Rover car brand.
Nanjing, majority owned by the Nanjing government, is one of about five small Chinese automakers eager to sell vehicles in the United States.
Some analysts question whether the companies have the financial staying power and engineering expertise to sustain global sales and production. They will rely heavily on the expertise of major suppliers to meet global quality, emissions and safety standards.
MG, short for Morris Garages, got its start in 1923 building sporty versions of Morris economy cars. The first MGs came to the United States in volume in 1947 and began the British sports car craze. They were sold at U.S. dealerships until 1980.
Nanjing also plans MG production in China.
