China's Nanjing Automobile Group revived Britain's MG with its first models of the historic marque rolling off the line at its new multi-million dollar plant, a company official said.

Nanjing Auto, China's oldest car maker, bought the rights to the historic cars from the bankrupt MG Rover Group, once makers of the iconic Mini and Jaguar, in July 2005.

It acquired MG Rover's assembly lines, engine technology and many of the firm's models, including the MGZR, MGZS and MGZT, for 53 million pounds (103 million dollars) in July 2005 after the collapse of Britain's last independent carmaker. The start of production Tuesday makes Nanjing Auto the latest Chinese car company to unveil its own line in China after buying a Western brand and technology. Total investment in the project, based in the east Chinese city of Nanjing, will be 2.82 billion yuan (360 million dollars), the company said previously.

The revamped MG series will compete directly with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp (SAIC), which unveiled in October last year its "Roewe 750", a line based on the Rover 75 model saloon. Shanghai Auto bought the rights to MG Rover Group's 75 and Rover 25 in 2005 after it lost out to Nanjing in the bid for all of the bankrupt British carmaker's models and engines.

Although most of MG Rover's machinery and equipment in the British group's now defunct factories was shipped to China, Nanjing Auto also has plans to build 15,000 cars at Britain's Long bridge factory for the European market.

Last year Nanjing, which also has a joint venture with Italy's Fiat, announced it would build the MG brand in Oklahoma in May 2008, which would make it the first Chinese automaker to build cars in the United States.

Source:佚名