It’s like a scene from the future. Hopping down in front of the MG-SAIC Intelligent Plaza in cosmopolitan Shanghai, the streetscape is eerily quiet. As the locals enjoy the perks of owning an electric vehicle, the rush hour traffic didn’t have the usual sounds or smells of gasoline or diesel engines. It’s hard to imagine, but this is MG undergoing a major and very high-tech transformation.
Inside the sprawling center, a cutesy humanoid robot greets visitors and by using facial recognition, can track and follow their movements. To one side, there’s a virtual reality test drive machine that looks like a one-man roller coaster and to the other, an augmented reality device that allows people to poke around the various vehicles on display.
The setup sends a very clear signal that British-bred MG has evolved far from its simple but well-loved roadster heritage of the 60s and 70s. Fueled by increasingly sophisticated buyer tastes and stringent automotive regulations, MG has been investing huge amounts of money into design and R&D.
One of the many global automotive brands under the multi-brand SAIC Group, MG has successfully morphed to become the crown jewel. Driving that growth is SAIC’s decision to make MG their innovation leader where MG owners can expect the extraordinary.
Rich sporting heritage
It’s the latest chapter in MG’s rich history. A British brand established in 1924, it was best known for its popular two-seat sports cars (England’s royal family owned one). Hard times in the 80s and 90s meant it went through several owners, eventually being acquired by the Nanjing Automobile Group in 2005. In 2008, SAIC Motor acquired the MG brand when it merged with Nanjing Automobile Group.
Global technology and R&D
In some markets, MG now means “My Glamour” — a clear sign of them trying to appeal to the sophisticated, discriminating buyer. However, they haven’t forgotten about MG’s roots. Realizing that youthful design and advanced technology are core MG values, they’ve kept advanced design centers in Birmingham, United Kingdom as well as in California. The design centers are supplemented by technical centers in Anting (the biggest in China) and another one in Tel Aviv, Israel. These fully equipped design and technical centers boast the same state-of-the-art levels of technology found in factories in Europe, Japan, the U.S., and Korea. The two facilities cover more than 66 hectares and employ around 4,000 people. It houses the design building and various laboratories such as thermal energy and emissions, architecture, NVH, thermal wind tunnel, powertrain, new energy, chassis, safety, electronics, and even a prototype/pilot-build workshop. Oh, and they have their very own proving ground — the first Chinese brand to do so.
State-of-the-art manufacturing plant
And speaking about MG’s production facilities, MG’s manufacturing base in Lingang, Shanghai is huge. It measures 1.2 million square meters or roughly the same size as the entire Central Bonifacio Global City, covering all areas from body stamping, engine assembly, painting, and final assembly processes.
Getting around requires the use of electric and fully automated buggies, setting up perfectly on what else to expect in this manufacturing plant. The assembly process is highly automated from the welding (they use laser welding technology) to the mating of the drivetrain and body; even delivery of parts at workstations are done by Automatic Guided Vehicles or AGVs — something you see at plants in Japan and Germany. As one of the most advanced automotive assembly plants in the world, the MG plant is fully equipped to do flexible production to the tune of 80 vehicle variants using three platforms. Today, all MG products have a panel gap of less than five millimeters, equaling some luxury brands.
Leading the way in futuristic human-centric and EV technology
In 2015, MG-SAIC and the Alibaba Group moved to produce the country’s first “internet car.” A year later, that plan came to fruition. Aimed at addressing a driver’s needs from avoiding traffic to looking for parking, setting repair and maintenance reminders and so forth, MG-SAIC and Alibaba combines the former’s automotive engineering knowhow with the latter’s various online solutions like Alipay, Ali Telecom, and AutoNavi. In 2017, they’ve reached a milestone by rolling out more than 400,000 “internet cars” to customers in China and more recently, in Thailand as well.
Apart from connected cars, SAIC has made inroads in the development of New Energy Vehicles or NEVs as well. In fact, it’s the only Chinese brand that’s simultaneously developing plug-in hybrid, pure electric, and fuel cell-powered vehicles. EV sales have already topped 60,000 units annually — up 140 percent compared to the year before — and that number is set to rise further with plans to launch 30 NEV products by next year.
MG is also getting into the autonomous driving game. Three years ago, it’s begun developing Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) — a technology that lays down the foundation of smart cities and driverless cars together with China Mobile and Huawei. Since then, it’s gained the license for autonomous driving tests in California. MG has also set up the first intelligent driving base in its home market where they’ve already accumulated more than 500,000 kilometers of testing.
Expect Extraordinary
The fast-growing success story of MG in major global markets means that the world is starting to notice. In both the Philippines and Thailand, MG has managed to crack into the top 10 bestselling car brands in a very short amount of time. MG’s comprehensive R&D drive will help it develop the manufacturing and branding expertise it needs to succeed elsewhere. It’s a direction of travel that could very well put MG in the driver’s seat. And it’s the reason why MG owners can always expect extraordinary.
