According to one senior Nanjing exec most TFs will be sold outside China initially, but the company hopes that brand-building in its home country will improve sales. Chinese buyers are keen to drive imported models and are increasingly buying more luxury cars.
Nanjing is also working on expanding the MG range with a new sports car that would potentially sit higher than the TF. Cars would be assembled at the Longbridge plant, but high-cost components such as engines and gearboxes would be sourced from China. Next year will see the launch of a new research and design centre in China and this latest sports car could be the first model we see fully developed in the East.