04 Jun 07
Among the many questions that can't yet be answered about the cars that will soon be coming off the production line at Longbridge is this: who will buy them?
Would YOU buy a Chinese MG TF? Even if the price was right, even if quality control was at least as high as it was under Phoenix ownership, even if you'd always fancied the mid-engined roadster - would you actually buy one now?
A lot depends on the price. Nanjing Automobile Corporation chief executive Yu Jian Wei - the man who now ultimately runs the slimmed-down Longbridge - said at last week's ceremonial reopening that the price would be announced nearer the car's launch, likely to be this autumn.
It's hard to imagine the MG TF being priced at anything other than rock bottom - probably less than the £16,000 it cost when MG Rover collapsed in 2005, before Nanjing bought the name and many of its assets. Remember: you can get a new MX-5 for just over £15,000 - and that's an excellent car with a fantastic record for reliability and a solid, well established dealer network.
