According to you, since when has MG been Chinese?

MG, the British legend, has survived its fall and total disappearance by being reborn under Chinese ownership.

It is often forgotten, but one of the oldest British automotive brands has already switched to Chinese ownership two decades ago! When MG Rover collapsed in 2004, amidst depleted finances and aging models, the most probable scenario seemed like a complete extinction. The production lines stopped, employees were uncertain, and the British industry lost another historic pillar. However, on December 6, 2004, an unexpected player came to change the game: Nanjing Automobile, the oldest Chinese automotive company, officially took over MG.

A brand stronger than its nationality

This acquisition is not just a strategic move. It is the beginning of a reconstruction. Nanjing acquired the industrial tools, the rights, and part of the British engineering, with a clear ambition: to revive MG bridging the United Kingdom and China. At the time, many doubted the ability of a Chinese manufacturer to relaunch such an iconic brand. But this skepticism underestimated a rapidly accelerating Chinese industry, already in search of global recognition.

The following events validate this bold bet. A few years later, the merger between Nanjing and SAIC changed the equation. Now backed by one of the most powerful automotive groups in the world, MG regained resources, teams, and a vision. The brand relaunched models, partially reopened the Longbridge site, modernized its ranges, and gradually conquered new markets. Two decades after this often-overlooked takeover, MG has become a household name in Europe, particularly thanks to its electric and affordable models.

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This rebirth was not written in the stars. But it perfectly symbolizes the transformation of the global automotive landscape: when historic brands falter, it is sometimes new players who breathe life back into them. MG is now living proof of that.

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