MG Rover Group - Timeline

Timeline

• Early 2000: MG Rover was formed as the part of the former Rover Group's mass-market car business which BMW sold to the Phoenix Consortium for a nominal £10.
• 2001: MG Rover buy the factory and the rights to the platform of the Mangusta car from Qvale of Italy for an estimated £10 million.
• 2001: The Rover 75 Tourer is launched.
• 2001: The MG ZR, MG ZS and MG ZT (based on the Rover 25, Rover 45, Rover 75 respectively) are launched as sporting alternatives to the standard Rover models.
• 2002: A revised version of the MG F is launched as the MG TF.
• 2002: MG Rover agrees to collaborate with Tata of India.
• 2002: MG Rover also goes into talks with Brilliance China Auto with plans to build MG Rovers in a plant in China
• 2003: MG Rover launches the new MG XPower SV and SV-R sportscars, prices start at around £65,000. The car is based on the Qvale Mangusta and uses the Ford 4.6 litre V8 engine with two different power outputs.
• 2003: MG Rover launches the new CityRover - a small 5-door hatchback city car, based on the 1998 Tata Indica, which was the product of 2002's collaboration with Tata Motors.
• 2003: MG and Rover launches V8 variants of the Rover 75 and the MG ZT.
• 2003: MG Rover launch a restyled version of the Rover 25, the Rover Streetwise. Referred to as an "urban on-roader", it has SUV-like styling.
• 2003/04: MG Rover sell the Longbridge factory to St. Modwen Properties on a lease-back basis to raise funds.
• 2004: MG Rover launches facelifted versions of the Rover 25/45/75 and MG ZR/ZS/ZT/ZT, with revised front and rear ends. Rover 25/45/Streetwise and MG ZR/ZS also get revised fascias.
• 2004: MG Rover enters in talks with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) about a possible collaboration.
• 2004: MG Rover sell design rights to the Rover 25 and 75 to SAIC to raise money to keep the business afloat.
• 2005: Negotiations on possible joint venture with SAIC stall, and MG Rover collapses. Price Waterhouse Coopers called in as administrators.
• 2005: Nanjing Automobile Group acquires the entire assets of MG Rover.
• 2005/06: Nanjing Automobile Corporation announces plans to build cars at Longbridge after signing a deal to lease the site for 33 years.
• 2006: SAIC sets up a new brand called Roewe after losing the right to buy the Rover brand name, and later launches a model based on an extended Rover 75 platform, called the Roewe 750.
• 2006: Ford buys the rights to the Rover marque, meaning that only the MG badge can be used on the new range of Nanjing-built cars.
• 2007: Nanjing Automobile Corporation restarts MG TF production in China.
• 2007: SAIC and Nanjing Automobile Corporation announce a tie-up and on the 26 December NAC becomes a part of SAIC.
• 2008: Production of the limited edition MG TF LE500 commences at the Longbridge plant.
• 2009: Production of the standard MG TF 135 commences at Longbridge.
• 2010: Final assembly of the MG6 from Chinese kits starts at Longbridge
• 2010: MG TF production ends due to falling demand