MG Motor to end manufacturing in the UK

MG Motor has announced it is to stop making cars at its Longbridge plant, moving production to China.

The firm, MG Motor will no longer make cars in the UK, saying vehicle assembly was no longer “required” and cars including the MG3 and MG GS would arrive “fully built ready for distribution”.

The UK base also incorporates the SAIC Motor Technical Centre (SMTC), and the total site employs over 300 people.

A total of 25 redundancies will be made at the plant, but sales, marketing and after-sales operations will remain at the plant.

More than 400 design engineers and other staff at the SAIC Motor Technical Centre (SMTC) at the site and MG Motor employees are not affected.

Production re-started in 2011, with the first new MG for 16 years being made from the production line in the West Midlands in 2011, marking the first large-scale production at the plant near Birmingham since the demise of Rover in 2005.

A spokesman for MG said: “Centralising production demonstrates MG’s commitment to the future, as well as its continued focus on attracting and developing the highly-skilled automotive engineering and design talent present in the UK.

“Where possible, production staff would be moved into new roles”.

Matthew Cheyne, head of sales and marketing at MG Motor UK, said moving production abroad was “a necessary business decision”.

Richard Burden, Labour MP for Birmingham Northfield, has criticised the decision, describing it as “hugely disappointing and premature”.

“I understand the business concerns that MG have surrounding costs of assembly at Longbridge, which have undoubtedly been aggravated by problems with the strength of the pound.

“However, more discussions should have taken place to explore alternatives and options before any decisions were finalised.”

There was the option for MG to meet with the government to discuss options, with Mr Burden saying he had hoped that the announcement would not be made until further talks had been held.

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