THE first MG cars to be built in China are expected to roll off the production lines in Nanjing this week ahead of a planned restart in British production in May.

Nanjing Automobile Corporation, bought many of the assets of MG Rover, after the last British-owned volume carmaker collapsed into administration in 2005. It will begin making MG TF sports cars and two models of what it calls its 7-series, the MG ZT saloon, at a new plant in its home city within the next “24 to 48 hours,” according to a London-based spokesman for the company.

The first cars will be pre-production models, to test the facilities, rather than for sale. However, cars are expected to be in Chinese showrooms this summer, with prices ranging from <00A3>12,000 to <00A3>25,000 (US$23,570-US$49,098).

In Britain, Nanjing, which has leased part of the former MG Rover plant at Longbridge, is expected to begin producing the TF sports model this spring and aims to have them on sale by the end of the year.

The company wants foreign investment to back its plans to develop the MG brand, according to reports Monday. Zhang Xin, general manager of Nanjing MG, a subsidiary of Nanjing Automobile, told reporters: “We have been in talks with several potential partners, including funds, in North America and Europe, and could sell as much as 50 percent.”

Nanjing Automobile acquired many of the assets of MG Rover after a bidding battle with its arch-rival, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation --- the company with which MG Rover had sought, unsuccessfully, to forge a partnership before it went into administration.

The struggle was seen as part of the Chinese auto industry’s determination to develop its own models capable of competing in international markets, without having to depend on joint ventures with western carmakers.

(SD-Agencies)