page_title: Longbridge plant
section_title: Nanjing and SAIC ownership
hierarchical_section_title: Longbridge plant / History of Longbridge car industry / Nanjing and SAIC ownership
caption_attribution_description: English: Photos of MG Motor UK HQ - SAIC UK Technical &amp; Design Centre Other information Photos taken using I phone 5
context_page_description: Longbridge plant is an industrial complex in Longbridge, Birmingham, England, currently leased by SAIC as a research and development facility for its MG Motor subsidiary. Vehicle assembly most recently stopped in 2016.
  Opened in 1905, by the late 1960s Longbridge employed around 25,000 workers, building cars including the original Mini. In the Second World War, the main plant produced munitions and tank parts, while the nearby East Works of Austin Aero Ltd at Cofton Hackett produced Short Stirling and the Hawker Hurricane aircraft.
  Since the collapse of MG Rover in 2005, part of the site has been redeveloped for commercial and residential usage.
context_section_description: The Chinese automobile company Nanjing acquired the remaining assets of MG Rover, including the lease to the Longbridge plant, three months after it went into receivership. In August 2008 MG TF production restarted, some three years after the collapse of MG Rover, using only part of the old Austin Works, Austin's original South Works.  Most of the rest has been demolished and is to be redeveloped for housing and industry, with a new local centre, south of Longbridge Lane.
  The current production facilities at Longbridge have the capacity for employing no more than around 1,000 employees. More than half the factory site has been sold off and cleared, and the land restored to provide land for homes and businesses with a target of creating 10,000 jobs and 1,450 homes.  
  NAC (Nanjing Automotive Corporation) was acquired by Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) during late 2007 into 2008, resulting in the Longbridge site coming under the ownership of SAIC.  The UK engineering function known as SMTC (SAIC Motor Technical Centre) UK was moved from its site in Leamington into the Longbridge during 2008.  In 2010 the SMTC UK Technical Centre was unveiled showing the engineering areas and styling studio.
  During this time the engineers at Longbridge have worked on the MG 6 which is based on the Roewe 550 to make it ready for UK launch. MG Motors was created as the UK manufacturing company for SAIC and in April 2011 began manufacturing the MG 6 from semi-knocked-down (SKD) kits that come from the SAIC Lingang Plant China. The cars arrive from China, essentially complete, requiring only the fitting of engine and front suspension, nose trim and wheels at Longbridge which no longer has functional body welding/assembly or paint shops. Production of the MG TF was discontinued around this time; a mere 906 having been built at Longbridge since production restarted almost three years previously. Production of the MG 3 super mini began at Longbridge in 2012, and by 2014 there were some 400 people working there, up from just over 200 people who were there when production restarted.
  The new MG GS SUV was due to be launched in May 2016, and body kits were arriving in a ready made format. The rear suspension as found on the VW Tiguan was to be fitted in Longbridge as well as the engine and UK spec dashboard. Any factory extras such as HID headlights, would also be stored and fitted at the Longbridge plant. Various parts of the 4x4 system, including parts to the rear axle, would have been fitted in the UK.
  On 23 September 2016, MG announced that all car production had ceased at Longbridge. Henceforth all MG vehicles would be imported into the UK.
  Starting on 19 January 2020, the last surviving assembly buildings CAB1, CAB2 and the paint shop are to be mostly demolished to make way for further new housing, although part of the buildings are to be retained.
caption: MG Motor UK HQ - SAIC UK Technical & Design Centre.
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