MG Motors - A legacy of 100 years: History of the British Morris Garages

While British Leyland discontinued the MG name when MGB manufacture ended in 1980, the iconic octagonal emblem resurfaced on the MG Metro two years later.

It somehow doomed once more in 2005, when parent firm MG Rover declared bankruptcy. The nameplate was salvaged by Chinese-based Nanjing, which went on to create Longbridge-based NAC MG UK before merging with a competing Chinese automotive business to form the gigantic SAIC Motor Company in early 2012.

Today, MG Motors is one of the UK's fastest growing automotive brands, and the company's current line-up of highly sophisticated motors is a far cry from the early MGs created by Cecil Kimber at Morris Garages.

Let's take you down to the memory lane and look at the legacy of MG Motors:

Morris Garages/MG Car Co. – (1924-35)

On Longwall Street, Birmingham, William Morris began manufacturing bicycles. By 1911, Morris had shifted his focus to motor vehicles, selling and repairing a variety of models from the refurbished facilities, now known as Morris Garages.

William Morris chose his top salesperson, a young Cecil Kimber, as general manager in 1922. Kimber was an expert at creating custom bodywork in addition to directing the store and garage.

The MG designation, derived from the garage's initials, originally debuted in 1923 on a Kimber-bodied bull-nosed Morris Cowley special that won gold in the Land's End Trial. Although this is said to be the prototype MG, the vehicle known today as the first MG, or Old Number One, is a preserved pointed-tail two-seater.

By 1924, a variety of rebodied Morris and MG badged models were being offered as 'Kimber Specials,' and an overflowing order book necessitated MG assembly at the Alfred Lane premises, and eventually at a bigger site in Barton Road.

Subsequent growth saw fledgling MG manufacture relocated to a separate building on Cowley's Edmond Road, adjacent to the main Morris facilities.

A Kimber-bodied 2.4-litre MG Six was unveiled at the 1928 London Motor Show, and MG manufacture was soon shifted to a former leather factory in Abingdon.

The MG Car Company Ltd was formed in 1930, the year MG began racing, and although William Morris personally controlled the firm, he eventually surrendered his stakes in MG to Morris Motors, the principal company in the Morris Organization, in 1935.

Morris Motors Ltd – (1935-52)

Prior to joining Morris Motors, the Abingdon-based MG Car Company created a number of popular models, including many Midgets, the K-Type Magnette, and the L and M-Type Magnas. The 1936 TA Midget, the first of the company's T-Series sports cars, was one of the first vehicles created after MG was taken over by Morris Motors.

Morris Motors and its subsidiaries MG, Riley, Wolseley, and SU Carburetor had all formed members of the Nuffield Organisation by the time World War II broke out in late 1939.

The SA 2-litre, TA/B Midget, 1.5-litre VA, and 2.6-litre WA were the penultimate MGs made before the war. After the war, Cecil Kimber quit MG over a disagreement regarding wartime manufacturing and was tragically killed in a train disaster at Kings Cross station in 1945.

During the war, the first automobile built by MG was the two-seat TC, which would eventually find its way to the North American market. The 1947 YA saloon was swiftly followed by the covers of the highly popular TD Midget two years later. Morris Motors and the Austin Motor Company amalgamated to become the British Motor Corporation in 1952. (BMC).

At the year of the merger, MGs in production included the YT open-topped four-seater, the YB saloon, and a Mk2 version of the 1.2-litre XPAG powered TD Midget.

British Motor Corporation – (1952-68)

Although being a member of the newly established BMC, MG was still known as the MG Car Co. John Thornley, a long-term service manager, was named General Manager at this time. Although the 1953 TF was a classic body-on-frame design, the unitary ZA Magnette was based on a Wolseley 4/44 and became the forerunner of a stream of postwar badge designed MG saloons.

Rather of the old XPAG engine from the early TF, the elegant ZA saloon was driven by an Austin-sourced B-Series 1.5-litre inline four, which would also power the TF's replacement, the 1956 MGA. The MGA was produced in two versions: an elegant coupe and a canvas-topped convertible. It was a top seller for MG, albeit a twin-cam variant released in 1958 was discontinued owing to engine problems.

A 1600 OHV powered MGA debuted in 1959, and the upgraded Mk2 debuted soon before the arrival of the all-new 1.8-litre MGB in 1962, along with an MG version of the best-selling A-Series powered front-wheel drive ADO16 saloon. The ZB Magnette had been superseded by the badge engineered Farina styled Mk3 Magnette at this point, while the new unitary made Midget had arrived a year earlier.

With BMC's merger with Jaguar and a subsequent joining with the Leyland Motor Corporation two years later, British Motor Holdings was renamed British Leyland Motor Corporation in 1966, thereby relegating the MG Car Company moniker to history.

British Leyland – (1968-86)

Earlier rationalization led in the relocation of Austin-Healey 3000 manufacturing to Abingdon, but the 1967 six-cylinder MGC was no match for the terminated large Healey, and the C-Series powered 'B was quietly retired in 1969, a year after the final Farina badged Magnette was made.

The British Leyland Motor Company was nationalized in 1975 and renamed British Leyland (BL), albeit the MG brand was no longer recognized. Sadly for MG, the high brass at BL always looked prejudiced towards the Triumph badge, and no new MGs were released throughout the 1970s, with the exception of the MGB V8.

The ADO16 MG vanished in 1973, and the Midget vanished in 1979. MG was now down to a single model, the rubber bumper coated MGB, and in 1980 BL discontinued 'B manufacture and sold the Abingdon facility.

Austin Rover Group – (1986-00)

The MG name was reintroduced in 1982 with the debut of the Longbridge built MG Metro, a three-door hatchback that was swiftly followed by the barnstorming 110mph MG Metro Turbo. The MG Maestro 2.0 EFi was introduced the following year, followed by the MG Montego 2.0 EFi a year later. High powered turbo versions of the MG badged Maestro - at the time the world's quickest hatchback - and the Montego helped improve MG's resurrected image even more.

But, everything changed for MG in 1986 when the volume manufacturing branch of BL was renamed Rover Group PLC, and the Rover Group was sold to British Aerospace shortly after.

The MG Metro was discontinued in 1990, while manufacture of the MG Maestro and Montego continued until the following year. The Rover V8 equipped MGB RV8 was introduced in 1992 as a tribute to MG's golden days.

British Aerospace sold the Rover Group to BMW two years later. This proved to be a lifeline for MG, as German funding flow assisted in the finalization of the 1995 launched 1.8-litre K-Series powered MGF, which went on to be a great success for the newly German controlled company.

MG Rover – (2000-05)

In 2000, BMW transferred the Rover Group's automobile and engine production assets to the Phoenix Consortium, renaming the resurrected business MG Rover. The athletic MGF was nevertheless well-liked.

The MG line-up was expanded in 2001, when MG Rover introduced three new MGs based on a series of current front-wheel drive Rovers. This included the Rover 25-based MG-ZR, the mid-sized 45-based ZS, and the bigger Rover 75-based ZT. MG's Z-car lineup included a good selection of petrol and diesel engines, including a 4.6-litre V8 option for the rear-wheel drive MG ZT-260.

In 2004, MG introduced the 320bhp SV, a two-door coupe based on the Italian-built De Tomaso Bigua, which eventually evolved into the Qvale Magusta before becoming the British-built and MG Sports & Racing-developed MG SV. Unfortunately, MG's masters were quickly running out of money, and despite lengthy discussions between cash-strapped MG Rover and a number of possible purchasers, MG and Rover automobile manufacture at Longbridge ceased on April 7, 2005.

NAC MG UK – (2005-09)

The insolvent MG Rover was finally purchased by the Chinese Nanjing Automotive Corporation and renamed NAC MG UK Ltd. Work on transferring assembly equipment to China began almost immediately, and no vehicles were built at the decommissioned Longbridge facility until the limited-edition MG TF LE500 went on sale in September 2008.

The TF135 was the second MG released by NAC and constructed at Longbridge, followed by the TF 85th Anniversary to commemorate MG's 85th anniversary. In 2007, Nanjing Automotive joined with the Shanghai Automotive Industry Company, one of MG Rover's previous suitors, to establish SAIC Motor, ushering in a new chapter in the company's long and dramatic history.

MG Motor – (2009-present)

NAC MG UK was rebranded MG Motors Ltd in early 2009, and the MG6, the first all-new MG badged car in 16 years, was officially revealed on June 26, 2011, at Longbridge by visiting Chinese leader Wen Jiaboa. The next year, SAIC invested £450 million in MG Motor, and the MG3 went on sale in September 2013.

MG celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2014, the year the firm set a new record as the fastest growing automotive brand in the UK. MG's comeback to motorsport culminated in a specially built MG6 winning the 2014 British Touring Car Championship, allowing the MG brand to re-establish and thrive.

With MG's Abingdon plant closed and a new town created on the former Longbridge site, MG-badged vehicles are now developed in a London-based design studio led by style director Carl Gotham, and the cars are produced in China.

The current MG lineup includes the 2016-launched GS, MG's first Sports Utility Vehicle, and the bigger ZS SUV series, which was initially badged as the XS. With electric propulsion presently very much in the news, the recently debuted electric MG ZS EV SUV, powered by a 44.5kWh water cooled lithium-ion battery pack, marks a new chapter in this highly recognized sporting marque's long and exciting history.

MG Entry in India

The subsidiary was established in 2017, with sales and production operations beginning in 2019. MG automobiles are manufactured at the company's Halol, Gujarat, manufacturing site. From January 2023, the brand has been committed to promoting localization. To make this endeavor possible, MG chose to obtain funds to fuel its growth in India by entering the Indian capital market and selling a portion of its stake in parent company SAIC.

MG launches its first product in India

In June 2019, MG Motor India launched its debut model, the MG Hector. The mid-size SUV was based on the Baojun 530 model from SAIC Motor. It was introduced in India with a starting price of Rs 12.18 lakh (ex-showroom) for the base trim and a price of Rs 16.88 lakh for the top-end variant (ex-showroom).

The MG Hector soon became popular as a large 5-seater SUV with technologies like as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as Over-the-Air (OTA) software updates. Nevertheless, the Hector remained the best-selling model in MG's India portfolio. Afterwards, Hector had aesthetic enhancements that wowed the crowd.

MG Current Product Lineup

MG Motor India made a reputation for itself by offering high-tech amenities including a panoramic sunroof, an electrically adjustable driver's seat, connected-car technology, and a 360-degree camera.

There are currently five MG automobiles for sale in India. It comprises the Hector (Rs 14.73 lakh - Rs 21.73 lakh, ex-showroom), Astor (Rs 10.52 lakh - Rs 18.43 lakh, ex-showroom), Gloster (Rs 32.60 lakh - Rs 41.78 lakh, ex-showroom), Hector Plus (Rs 17.50 lakh - Rs 22.43 lakh, ex-showroom), and ZS EV (Rs 17.50 lakh - Rs 22.43 lakh, ex-showroom) (Rs 22.98 lakh - Rs 27 lakh, ex-showroom).