04 Jun 07
Even more fundamental than the price, however, is the question mark over where you're going to be able to buy an NAC-MG TF. Yu Jian Wei said: 'The first group of dealers are being selected. There are many applications, both from previous dealers and from new dealers that would like to become MG dealers.'
The theory is that a dealer associated with a particular brand won't be faced with a conflict of interest or divided loyalties if they want to give some floor space to the MG TF, simply because there is no other budget-priced mid-engined roadster currently on sale in the UK.
Glass-half-full types might agree that the lack of competition increases NAC-MG's chances of success. But if your glass is half-empty, you'll be worrying about the fact that nobody else thinks budget two-seat rear-drive roadsters are worth making. The MG TF's closest rival, the Toyota MR2, went off sale last year, as did the Smart Roadster, leaving the front-engined MX-5 on its own.
The big companies aren't building neat little roadsters - they're building coupe-cabriolets like the Peugeot 207 CC, Vauxhall Tigra, Nissan Micra C+C and Mitsubishi Colt CZC. They don't provide the driving pleasure of a decent rear-drive roadster - far from it - but they do offer a highly marketable combination of wind-in-the-hair driving and hardtop security.
