SAIC launches MG3 in UK

The hatchback car model MG3 newly launched in the UK. [Photo by Cecily Liu/chinadaily.com.cn]

SAIC Motor Corporation launched its first hatchback car model MG3 in the UK on Thursday, marking another important milestone for the Chinese car brand after launching the sedan model MG6 in 2011.

The newly launched MG3 has its entry-level model priced at 8,399 pounds ($13,230, 9978 euros), which has features including LED running lights, six airbags and hill hold control.

For a premium of 900 pounds it adds air-conditioning, Bluetooth phone and audio streaming and a smart and simple to use DAB radio.

The cars are sold across MG’s dealership in the UK, consisting of about 30 points of sale.

The cars are designed jointly by SAIC’s design teams in Shanghai and Longbridge, in Birmingham. The car parts are primarily manufactured at SAIC’s factory in Shanghai, and the assembly process and testing process are done at Longbridge.

SAIC gained entry into the UK market through an acquisition of the British car manufacturer MG Rover, which was founded in 1924.

The company went into administration in 2005, at which time, its key assets were acquired by the Chinese company Nanjing Automobile Group, which was later acquired by SAIC.

In 2011, SAIC launched production of MG6 in the UK, which became the first all-new MG car produced in the UK for 16 years. The retail price of a new MG6 was about 16,000 pounds in the UK when it was first launched.

SAIC currently employs around 400 staff in the UK. It currently sells several hundred cars a year in the UK, but sales in China reached 200,000 in 2012 due to surging market demand for cars in China.