Origin
Cecil Kimber, the general manager of the Morris car dealership (Morris Garages, where the MG came from) in Oxford, England, produced his own versions of certain Morris models, and these cars were known as Kimber Specials and had the MG logo on them. The octagonal MG logo was registered as a trademark in 1924 and in 1927 the MG cars were assembled on a separate assembly line.
In 1928 the MG identity stood alone as the MG Car Company and models were exhibited at the London Motor Show for the first time. In 1930, the MG Car Company became a separate company. Kimber stayed with MG until 1941.
Ownership history
Like most of the British car industry, the iconic MG has gone through a tumultuous history of ownership. In 1935 MG was sold to Morris Motors, which later became the Nuffield Organisation. In 1952 ownership went to The British Motor Corporation Limited (BMC) when Morris Motors and the Austin Motor Company merged. During this time several Morris and Austin models were badge-engineered as MGs, but the MG sports cars remained.
BMC merged with Jaguar Cars in September 1966, becoming British Motor Holdings (BMH), which then merged with the Leyland Motor Corporation in 1968 to form the British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC). From the 1970s there was very little interest in the MG brand from management that mainly focused on Triumph.
In 1975 the British government nationalised Leyland and became its only shareholder.The name changed to the Rover Group in 1986 and in 1988 it was sold to British Aerospace. In 1992 the MG brand was revived with the launch of the MG RV8, a modernised design of the MGB, fitted with a 142kW, 3,9-litre version of the well-known Rover V8 engine.
In 1994 BMW bought the business and during that time, we saw the Rover 75 and the MG TF in South Africa, but in very small numbers. In 2000 BMW sold the company in to the MG Rover Group – again in British hands. This company died in April 2005 and in July of that year, all the brands and assets were bought by Nanjing Automobile Group of China. In 2007 Nanjing was acquired by another Chinese manufacturer, SAIC Motor, which brings us up to date on MG’s ownership.
In December 2024, it was announced that MG will be returning to South Africa, and it launched in January of this year. The Westvaal Group opened the MG dealership in Nelspruit on 3 February this year, officially bringing this legendary brand to driving heaven.
Model line-up
The iconic MG Motor hit the local market with three models. The first is the MG ZS, a compact SUV with a 1,5-litre normally aspirated petrol engine that delivers 84kW and 150Nm of torque through a four-speed automatic gearbox, and it rides on 17-inch alloys. There are two variants: the ZS Comfort costs R289 900 and the ZS Luxuy costs R309 900.
The second is a medium-sized SUV, the MG HS. The HS has a turbo-charged 1,5-litre engine that delivers 125kW and 275Nm of torque through a DCT gearbox and rides on 19-inch alloys. The HS Comfort costs R499 900 and the HS Luxury can be yours for R534 900.
The star in the iconic MG crown is the Cyberster, an all-electric convertible sports car with 375kW and 725Nm driving all four wheels. The lines are classic roadster, but the design is very modern and the Cyberster will right at home in a parking lot filled with Italian exotics. Large MG badges on the nose and the pop-top’s lid make it clear that this is a car with quite the heritage. As expected, this stunner is blisteringly fast, reaching 100km/h from standstill in just 3,2 seconds. It can be yours for only R1 399 900.
The only MG dealership in the Lowveld
“We are very excited about our iconic MG brand,” says Wiaan Pretorius, dealer principal of Westvaal MG in Nelspruit. “We sold our first cars before any advertising had been done. I also believe we have an excellent value-for-money offering here, and coupled with the heritage of the MG brand, we are very excited about the future for MG.”
For more information, contact Wiaan Pretorius on 087 107 0362 or wiaan@westvaal.co.za. You can also contact his team on 013 757 5000 or go to www.westvaal.co.za/mg/new-cars
