MG opens first new dealer of 2015, and starts selling straight away.

MG has appointed its first new dealer in 2015 – but staff are too busy taking new car orders to celebrate!

Telford MG opened a £1-million new showroom in the heart of the town’s ‘motor alley’ and sold a new MG33STYLE to a delighted 21-year-old Alix Lye on the opening day. 

Alix is a barista at her local Costa Coffee and the MG3 has been the centre of  coffee shop conversations.

Last year MG was the fastest growing brand in Britain and it looks as if motorists in Telford intend to keep it that way in 2015. James Martin, Managing Director, of Telford MG, part of the Budgen Motor Group, said: “We have been inundated with enquiries as soon as people heard we were going to sell MGs.

“We were thinking of having a party on the opening day, but we've had so much interest – especially with the new March registration looming – that we've had to put that back to April.”

MG’s dealer network is growing at the fastest rate in the brand’s 91 year history. Last year 24 new sales dealerships and two new After Sales dealers were appointed. The expansion will continue throughout 2015 and details of more new MG appointments will be announced in the coming months.

James said: “It’s great to be part of the new MG success story. We've invested heavily with more than £1-million being spent on new showrooms and workshop bays and we have every confidence in the brand for the future.

“If our MG business grows the way we think it will, we could be looking to take on new people and all the early signs are that there’s a huge demand for MG in Telford and throughout Shropshire.

“The MG3 is an incredible value-for-money package and the MG6 is hugely underrated. Once people test drive the new MGs they are impressed by the quality, high specification levels, value and of course they way the cars drive and handle. It’s just great to see MG back.”

Telford MG is part of the Budgen Motor Group family-owned business going back almost 40 years. The new 180 square metre purpose-built showrooms are on Stafford Park 1 and includes a five-bay workshop.

The business also runs an MG After Sales workshop in Featherbed Lane, Shrewsbury with a further 14 bays. In total the firm employs 75 people.

James has more than 15 years experience in the motor industry. He started his career in manufacturing and then became a fully qualified accountant. He has worked for some of the biggest names in the automotive industry alongside MG, including Inchcape, Pendragon and Volvo and for three years ran a Jaguar franchise.

Dynamo joins forces with FIAT and the 500 X to tour the country.

• FIAT has partnered with famous magician Dynamo to star in the build up to the launch of the FIAT 500X in the UK in April
• The artist and the new crossover feature in an extraordinary 360-degree VR test-drive experience using special 3D headsets
• The tour visits six UK city-centre locations in February and March, starting today in London’s Covent Garden
• The VR experience is a collaboration between FIAT, Dynamo and Framestore, the British Oscar-winning SFX studio
• More information on the "The Power of X” initiative is available at the dedicated site:thepowerofXtour.co.uk

The "The Power of X” tour, featuring the FIAT 500X and world-famous magician Dynamo, kicks off in the UK. Having already visited 68 European cities, the UK leg of the tour brings the FIAT 500X and Dynamo’s immersive VR experience to London’s Covent Garden on February 13 and 14, before moving on to Cardiff (Queen Street, February 15), Birmingham (Victoria Square, February 21), Manchester (Piccadilly Gardens, February 22) and Newcastle (Grainger Square, February 28), before making its final stop in Glasgow (Silverburn, March 1).

Participants in the #ThePowerOfX tour are taken on a double journey to discover the new FIAT 500X: not only are they able to get up close and personal with the new crossover they can also take part in an immersive digital experience thanks to a special Virtual Reality headset, which reproduces a 360-degree environment in ultra-high resolution 3D. Users will be part of the first ever virtual reality magic experience, produced in collaboration with FIAT, Dynamo and Framestore - the two-time Oscar®-winning, British special effects studio.

Everyone is welcome to drop in and explore the “The Power of X” tour events but by registering online at thepowerofxtour.co.uk visitors will be given priority access at their chosen location, allowing them to skip the queues. Once there, they will be given a wristband with a unique chip which will not only allow them to gain access to the facilities, it will also enable the cameras installed at the event to recognise each individual and compile a unique and personalised video of their experience.

At the same time, dealers throughout the UK will host special preview weekends where people can enjoy the same VR test drive experience with Dynamo and see the FIAT 500X in the metal for the first time. The beginning of the tour also coincides with the official opening of the FIAT 500X order books, enabling the 82,000 “hand raisers” who have so far expressed an interest in the new crossover to create their perfect FIAT 500X using the online configurator and place their order for one of the most hotly-anticipated new cars of the year.

Visitors to both FIAT dealerships and city-centre tour locations will also be able to recreate Dynamo’s incredible virtual experience at home using a cardboard toolkit that will be given as a gift to all participants. Comprising a piece of carefully folded cardboard containing a pair of lenses and used in conjunction with a designated smartphone app, the headset becomes a virtual reality headset in its own right, allowing people to experience “The Power of X” in their own homes.

The arrival of “The Power of X” tour in the UK was marked by an exclusive event at the Copperbox Arena in London where Dynamo performed a one-off, never-to-be repeated illusion, making a FIAT 500X appear on stage in front of more than 1,000 astonished guests. 

Video of the illusion is available to view here:www.youtube.com/FiatUK

The FIAT 500X range at launch kicks off with the 140hp 1.4-litre MultiAir Popstar, priced from £17,595 OTR, when the first right hand-drive models arrive in showrooms nationwide on April 17. An entry-level 1.6 Pop joins the range shortly thereafter priced from £14,595 OTR. For more information visit 500x.FIAT500.com or search for #ThePowerOfX

New Electric MG makes Glbal debut at SMMT headquarters, London.

• MG displays current and future technology at SMMT London headquarters 16-28 April
• Global debut of the Dynamo concept electric vehicle
• Display co-insides with Beijing Motorshow where MG will be celebrating the marque’s 90^th year
• SMMT recently announced MG as the fastest growing automotive brand in the UK for 2014
• MG90 celebration event at Silverstone on the 21- 22 June 2014

MG celebrates the marque’s 90^th anniversary year and looks forward to the next 90 years, with a display of current and future technology in central London today, including the global debut of MG’s concept electric vehicle.

The display, to be shown at SMMT headquarters in Westminster, London, features current UK production models; MG6 and MG3, and the world’s first static preview of the small and fully electric MG. The Dynamo concept electric vehicle encompasses the latest in design and engineering technology from the iconic Longbridge based manufacturer.  

The Dynamo concept EV has been developed in order to fully understand European market demand for a small, electric MG. The concept vehicle is the latest MG to be created at SAIC Motor’s state of the art European Design and Technical Centre (SMTC), located with MG Motor UK, at the Longbridge site in Birmingham. SMTC and MG are both owned by parent company, SAIC Motor; the largest automotive company in China, currently ranked 103^rd in the Fortune 500.

The MG6 boasts an impressive equipment list as standard on all models, with class leading interior and boot space, and MG driving dynamics available in both a sporty GT Fastback and GT Magnette saloon body styles, and both petrol and diesel variants. The MG6 range starts from just £15,455 and includes the new 350 Nm, 150 PS, six speed stop-start diesel engine, which emits only 129g/Km of CO2; making the MG6 diesel variant road tax exempt for the first year, and costing only £110 a year to tax thereafter.

Launched in September 2013, the MG3 supermini is fun to buy, fun to drive and fun to own with over one million personalisation options, class leading chassis and driving dynamics, and exceptional value for money aftercare packages. The successful superminiis priced from only £8,399 to £9,999, or on PCP from only £99 a month or from zero deposits. The MG3 benefits from an ultra low 4E insurance group, strong residuals of up to 61 per cent, class leading interior and boot space, and high levels of equipment on all specifications as standard, as well as complete peace of mind with the three years fixed servicing package MG CARE3, the ultimate in carefree ownership.

The MG90 event, to be held at the Silverstone circuit 21-22 June 2014, is the culmination of the iconic marque’s 90th anniversary plans. The major event will feature historic MG vehicles alongside current production models and a preview of technology that will take the marque forward into the next 90 years. MG90 is set to be not only a great family day out but also a highlight of any enthusiast’s diary, celebrating all things MG past, present and prototype.

Figures announced by the SMMT at the beginning of the month, show MG as the fastest growing manufacturer in the UK, for both March and 2014 year to date.  As the perfect celebration for the marque’s 90^th anniversary year, MG Motor UK has recorded the best ever Q1 sales performance, as year to date sales increase by 574 per cent. The success of the iconic British brand is due to the launch of the MG3 supermini, introduction of a high-tech diesel engine in MG6 and rapidly expanding dealer network in the UK.

Dynamo v's David Coulthard, part 2 - amazing, just amazing !!! FULL VIDEO

Last night renowned magician, Dynamo, stunned Formula One™ legend David Coulthard by completing a blindfolded, fire-laden run in a Mercedes-Benz SL 63 AMG… impressive in itself, but it proved to be a prelude to a much bigger mindreading feat.

The specially created circuit was first driven by David Coulthard, who set the lap pace of 38.57 seconds. Dynamo then attempted to beat the time whilst blindfolded, with parts of the track set on fire, and with David in the passenger seat.

Getting around the track unscathed was impressive enough to David, but the real awe came when Dynamo revealed the true outcome in the never-seen-before challenge – Dynamo had correctly predicted and spelt out David’s guess of his lap time, 1:25, in flames, across the track.

Andrew Mallery, Marketing Director at Mercedes-Benz UK, said: “As the latest instalment in a series of challenges which sees Mercedes-Benz UK put David Coulthard to the test, this is by far the most daring yet. The SL 63 AMG is a hugely impressive car, so it really is the perfect fit to have as the starring role as part of such an astonishing feat.”

Dynamo v's David Coulthard

WATCH THIS SPACE - MORE TO COME SOON