Shanghai Auto to re-open Longbridge on August 1

Shanghai Auto, the Chinese company that bought the rights to MG Rover last December, has revealed plans to resume production of MG and Rover models at the traditional home of MG Rover in Longbridge. Traditionalists will be pleased to know that the cars will be manufactured as they previously were at Longbridge, rather than being assembled from imported Chinese kits.

Production will resume for four model lines, including the MG TF roadster, a large car and two as-of-yet undisclosed cars based on the Roewe 550 sedan, which could include small sedans or hatches. While we previously reported that the MG TF might have been killed off due to manufacturing difficulties, it appears that these have been overcome and production will go ahead for the MG roadster.

Production is expected to begin by August 1 and should see the Longbridge plant outputting around 50,000 vehicles annually, a far cry from its annual peak of 345,000 units, but still a better figure than its current output of zero and a boost to the flailing British car industry.

Shanghai Auto already sells versions of the Rover 75 in China under the Roewe and Nanjing brand names but there's some uncertainty whether these brand names will be used in Europe to market the new vehicles, or whether the company will sell the cars under the MG badge. The Chinese manufacturer is unable to use the Rover badge because it has been bought by Tata as a part of its takeover of Land Rover and Jaguar.