MG invites seven new students to take part in it's Automotive Engineering Internship programme.

Iconic British automotive brand, MG Motor UK, has accepted seven new students onto its acclaimed Automotive Engineering Internship programme for 2016/17. Open to all undergraduates taking relevant degrees within the engineering field, the initiative demonstrates the carmaker’s ongoing commitment to developing young talent.  

The students, all from Bath or Oxford Brookes Universities, will spend the next year working at the SAIC Motor Technical Centre (SMTC), which is based at MG’s Longbridge site in Birmingham. Employing more than 250 qualified engineers, the SMTC delivers product engineering and design activity for MG Motor’s global operations, as well as providing automotive engineering services to other companies within the SAIC group.

Steve Jones, HR manager at the SMTC, said: “We’re incredibly privileged at the Longbridge site to operate as the global centre of excellence for design and engineering within the SAIC group. Manufacturing more than 5.6 million vehicles per year, our global business provides a massive opportunity for aspiring UK engineers, who are designing vehicles right here in Birmingham that are made and sold throughout the world.” 

September 2016 marks the fourth intake of engineering interns to the annual programme. Each student is appointed a mentor from within the SAIC engineering team and spends the next 12 months working within a specific automotive engineering discipline.

Commenting on the continued development at the Longbridge site, Matthew Cheyne, head of sales and marketing at MG Motor, commented: “We’re proud to be attracting this calibre of graduates to the company. It shows that the future for MG and our product line-up is strong and growing in step with our sales and dealer network.  We’re an evolving company and we need to continually look at what ideas and designs the new breed of designers and engineers can bring to the brand.”

The programme provides vital real-world engineering exposure alongside team building and classroom based training. Throughout their placement, interns will be immersed in all areas of the SMTC business, including design, advanced engineering, vehicle integration, body structure, powertrain applications, engine and chassis development.

The Chinese owners of MG have faith in the Longbridge plant with the addition of a new £1.2 Million Engine Test Facility.

New state-of-the-art test facilities have been installed at MG Motor UK’s Longbridge site demonstrating commitment to the future and the quality of its products.

£1.2 million has been invested to install a fifth engine test facility and to further enhance the vehicle rolling road on-site at MG HQ in Longbridge. The state-of-the-art engine test facility has significant improvements on the existing test resource and brings with it a major step change for MG Motor’s test and development capability.

Typically, vehicle emission testing on a rolling road has been out-sourced, but now engineers can carry out the required tests in the correct temperature controlled environment with full emission measurement capability. They also benefit from having the technical centre on-site for continuous product development.

Being able to carry out vehicle emissions and engine development on-site allows engineers to ensure the engines going into MG products are at their optimum for emissions, performance and fuel economy. The engineers can run test engines through a complete transient drive cycle with the ability to control temperature and humidity of the intake air and also the temperature of the coolant, oil and fuel.

James Scott, Powertrain Test Senior Manager, said: “The money that’s been invested into this new testing facility shows a real commitment to the future of MG. This additional test cell and enhanced rolling road allows us to continue to get the very best performance and economy for MG products”

“This facility increases the global test and development capability which allows even more collaborative powertrain testing and development with our colleagues in China.”

The new engine test facilities are just one of many new developments for the UK-based design and engineering centre. MG also recently announced an expansion to the design team at Longbridge, following the successful UK launch of the MG GS in June.

Matthew Cheyne, MG’s Head of Sales and Marketing, added: “It’s great to see the company taking even more strides forward – both in sales and engineering developments for the future.

“In July, we again saw our sales figures increase way above the industry average and with these new facilities, it’s clear for everyone to see that MG is continuing to move in the right direction.”

The two biggest UK magazines both highlight the current MG range as some of the best bang for your buck around.

MG cars have won further positive accolades from two of Britain’s leading car magazines.

Both Autocar and Auto Express have showered praise on the value-for-money of MG cars, with the MG3 being singled out as a “24-carat bargain” across the entire new car market.

In an Autocar special investigation to find the best value cars in Britain, the highly-respected motoring guru Andrew Frankel, wrote: “Just one of our selected candidates charges less than £100 for a single horsepower, that car being the astonishingly cheap MG3, the best bang-for-buck value car not just in this class, but also across them all."

Frankel says any car that can deliver this sort of value-for money is a “24-carat bargain.”

Auto Express has carried out a huge survey to find the best 50 top deals on cars ahead of the September plate change. Again the MG3 is highlighted among the front runners.

Their special consumer report says: “With its attractive styling, roomy cabin and fun to drive, the MG3 ticks the important boxes for many people.

“MG3 3Form trim brings air-conditioning and a DAB radio. Deals are keen, thanks to MG’s £900 deposit contribution. Putting down £2,948 cuts monthly payments to £159.  All this and insurance is free for the first year.”

Auto Express’s Consumer Editor, Joe Finnerty, said the magazine trawled through manufacturers’ brochures and websites in the search for the best offers in the market. Just 50 made the grade.

Meanwhile Autocar highlighted the newly-launched MG GS in its assessment of SUVs and crossovers on the British market. The MG came under the heading of “SUVs sold for their honest, no-nonsense, rugged appeal” and was shown to have a cost per horsepower ration of £92/bhp the second lowest in the report.

Matthew Cheyne, MG’s Head of Sales and Marketing, said: “For two of the top motoring magazines in the country to write in such glowing terms about the value that MG offers is terrific news.

“Giving the customer exceptional value for money is a key part of what we are all about and it’s gratifying to know that some of the most respected motoring journalists in Britain have recognised this.

“MG, of course, gives you so much more than just great value-for-money. Our cars are great fun to drive, the design is fantastic, comfort levels and equipment levels are class-leading so MGs give an all-round brilliant package. 

MG’s sales are climbing with 2016 set to be the best year ever since MG Motor UK was formed. While the UK car industry is currently increasing by an average of 2.8 per cent, MG growth is more than five times that level with official figures showing the brand is up more than 15 per cent so far this year.

MG dealers among the best in Britain

MG dealers are celebrating after an outstanding result in one of the toughest consumer reports in Britain.

The brand has rocketed up the dealer charts in the highly-prestigious Auto Express Driver Power awards for 2016. With a jump of eight places, MG now sits 12^th in the league with an overall score of 90.54%.

MG is continuing to grow its network of dealers and new dealerships have opened recently in Swansea, Bradford, Ayr, Warrington, Epsom, Wolverhampton and Brandon in Suffolk. More new dealers will be announced in the near future.

Matthew Cheyne said: “With increasing sales and a stronger dealer network offering such great after-sales service, the MG brand is getting stronger all the time.

“We are still building and maturing, but you can now feel a real tangible, growing public confidence in us and our products. It’s been hard work but now we are getting real results and are on course for a record year in 2016.”

MG Customers go on holiday to Devon and instead of bring home sweets or postcards, they bring home new cars.

Most people just bring a stick of rock back from their holidays. But tourists visiting Devon are taking larger souvenirs home – MG cars!

Blights MG in Bideford, north Devon, is developing a thriving business in selling the latest MG cars to visitors to the holiday resort who to find the dealership by chance. 

General Manager, Dave Chumbley, said: “It’s amazing really, we’ve had three sales in the past week alone and all of the customers live miles away from us.”

The latest holidaying customer was Coral Taylor from Thatcham – 170 miles away from Bideford. She bought one of MG’s top-selling MG3 superminis. Coral said: “I was in Bideford for a long weekend and fancied a test drive, which Dave kindly arranged for me on the Saturday afternoon.

“I loved it and spotted a bright yellow used one when we got back to the showroom and that was it – I just fell in love with it and signed up there and then.”

The Hello Yellow MG3 had in fact only just been part-exchanged by a couple who had ordered one of MG’s latest models, the MG GS sports utility vehicle, and that customer was another summer holiday buyer!

Dave Chumbley explained: “While we were servicing their MG3, they took our new MG GS demonstrator for a spin, they loved it so much they ordered one on the spot.

“Last week we took the MG GS to the North Devon Show which was packed with holiday makers and blow me, we took another order from a chap who was on his summer break down here.

“There were other cars on show, but the MG GS was certainly the biggest attraction and it wouldn’t surprise me if we get more orders from tourists. It’s a trend that’s now building our sales very nicely!”  

Meanwhile, MG’s summertime sales boom continues to accelerate with dealers up and down the country reporting record requests for MG3 and GS test drives.

The UK marque is one of the fastest growing brands in Britain and is on target to set a new sales record in 2016, backed by an ever increasing dealer network. While the UK car industry is currently increasing by an average of 2.8 per cent, MG growth is more than five times that level with official figures showing the brand is up more than 15 per cent so far this year.