MG has been out of the U.S. market for 30 years -- a whole generation -- yet somehow people still know the name MG and still associate it with the simple pleasure of open-top motoring. The British marque is of course now wholly owned by Chinese automaker Shanghai Auto (SAIC), but a new TF roadster is under development. And sources suggest that SAIC might use this car to resurrect the MG brand in the U.S.
Nothing is set in stone, of course, and SAIC has yet to source a suitable platform for the new roadster. It won't be a midengine design like the current, European-market TF, which is slated to expire by year's end.
Rather, MG and SAIC have settled on a front-engine/rear-drive layout that balances cost against performance. The MG ZT V8 sedan has been floated as a potential chassis donor, but significant modifications would be necessary, as the automaker intends to create a Mazda MX-5 Miata rival with the new TF.
Although production is 3 years off, sources close to the project tell us that the early designs for the 2014 MG TF resemble these renderings. Note that the TF will again employ a soft-top design. A retractable hardtop has been ruled out due to added cost and complexity.
Engine options for the future roadster are expected to include a General Motor-sourced turbodiesel, a gasoline V6 engine, and a hybrid powertrain based on the system in SAIC's Rowe 750. We'd have to think a simple, four-cylinder gas engine would have to be part of the eventual lineup as well -- if MG and SAIC are indeed serious about going after the Miata.
It seems like a simple task, taking on a simple car like the Miata, but we all know it's not that easy, else the Pontiac Solstice, Saturn Sky and Toyota MR2 Spyder would still be around.
Is there any room for an MG roadster here, or has its time come and gone?
