Imported China

You're looking at the first MG cars to roll off a Chinese production line, and likely enough, the first Chinese-owned cars to be sold in Europe. The MG TF and MG 7 are updated versions of the Longbridge-built TF and ZT, made in China with a mixture of machinery ripped out of the old factory in Birmingham, and newly-built Chinese presses.

It's not yet clear how many changes have been made to the cars, although the exteriors look more or less identical. Certainly, Nanjing Automotive, which bought the MG brand, will have had to have worked very hard to bring the old K-Series engines up to modern emissions standards, although MG Rover had started work on just that before the final axe fell.

The press release makes no mention of specific sales plans or further new models, nor even of any modifications or improvements to the TF or ZT. It chooses instead to waffle on about the automated production line and how many dignitaries will be at the official launch.

The cars will almost certainly be sold in the UK (and some limited TF production is expected to start up in a corner of what's left of Longbridge soon) so there's a good chance they could end up in Irish dealerships too, although no importer has been appointed as yet. We'll keep you posted.