New MG7 Saloon to Take On the Might of the Germans

Exciting news from the struggling British automaker MG. According to an Autoexpress report, the brand is back and it wants to manufacture a four door sports saloon to take on BMW’s 3-Series. The looks already seem to be there, but we are reserved about the outcome until we see the actual car.

The new model will be called the MG7 and will most likely have a Roewe Chinese cousin called the 750. The two models are part of parent company SAIC’s plans to reintroduce a sports saloon for the UK market. In order to achieve this, MG will use a chassis and engine borrowed from the latest Vauxhall Insignia. As good as that sounds, the MG7 will actually be based on the Buick Regal, which is a rebadged Chinese version of the Insignia.

The British manufacturer hopes to create a complete model range in just a few years, with the anticipated MG6 expected in 2011, followed by the MG3 hatch in 2012. All the models will be designed at the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation’s Longbridge Technical Center in the West Midlands.

The engines will come from the Buick Regal’s line-up, with the naturally aspirated 2.0 and 2.4-liter units being the most likely candidates together with the potent 2.0-liter turbo found in Insignias. There should also be a diesel variant, although it’s more likely this will be the manufacturer’s own engine, that will first arrive in the MG6. Roewe and MG will work together for research, production, purchasing and share investment resources to build their respective brands. The MG7, currently in the early development stages, could be produced in SAIC’s Lin Gang factory by 2013.