MG NEWS STORIES FOR 2003 (Jan - June inclusive)

All Press Releases are provided by MG - Rovers Press office unless stated otherwise!

Recent claims by Citroën to have set a new record at 3,500 ft for the world's highest flying car, their new C3 Pluriel, were thwarted today when they were reminded, by MG historian David Knowles, who brought it to their attention that MG had been almost twice as high ... 25 years ago!

From the text of his book - The MGB - it records that in late 1978, as the 1979 model year MGB made its appearance, the wide open theme remained, but the special gimmick this time was a giant red hot-air balloon - at 350,000 cubic feet, the second largest such balloon in the world.  The MGB had been converted to a gondola, with steel bars welded to the front and rear of the body, which allowed the car to be suspended precariously beneath the balloon on four steel cables.  A propane gas cylinder was installed in the boot, while the "burn" controls were in the car interior.  The ensemble - which the company had to register with the Federal Aviation Authority as an "experimental aircraft" - was flown to 6,500 feet as part of another bold thirty second television advertisement, breaking the record for the heaviest lift by a hot-air balloon in the process.

Citroën must be feeling somewhat deflated, having issued communications about their assumed success.

The largest ever collection of MG sports cars will congregate at Silverstone over the weekend of June 20/21, for the MG Car Club's International Festival.  Some MGCC enthusiasts are travelling from the other side of the world to be part of this spectacular.  The 53rd consecutive event is the largest MG event of its kind, with an anticipated gathering of over 5,000 MG cars and 30,000 attendees.

Three MG enthusiasts Mike Sheryll, Darryl Robbins and Richard Prior are travelling from Australia.  Mike's TC has been driven around the world to be at the event, but the other MG TC and a rare YT model have been shipped in, to participate in the weekend.  Other countries being represented by MG enthusiasts include Japan, USA, South Africa, New Zealand and Holland.

Almost every type of MG will be at Silverstone.  The popular event includes model grouped parking, and circuit races with over 500 cars entering 15 races.  Rob Oldaker, MG Rover Group's Product Development Director is competing in two (Mayflower and Abingdon Trophy) races in a circuit prepared MG ZR.

Product displays promote the anniversaries of the M type Midget (75th), the K3 (70th), T type (40th) and V8 (25th) registers.  The 2003 event includes a full two-day race programme, sprint, rally rides, a massive trade presence, autotests, concours, special exhibits and social events and looks set to draw even more MG devotees to the British Grand Prix venue.

MG Rover will display the new MG XPower SV sportscar, which goes on sale in September, the full MG product range, some in special 'Monogram' paintwork and other interesting XPower competition MGs, too.  The Euro NCAP crash performing MG TF will also be displayed.  Engineers who developed its high-ranking safety performance will be on hand to answer any questions.

On-track activities include 15 races, covering all the MGCC championships, with entries exceeding 500.  There will also be a round of the prestige BRDC Historic Sportscar Championship.  The programme includes MGs of every age, from the earliest Brooklands car, through to the latest MG TF and ZR, which race in the Mayflower MG Trophy, which has a full grid of 33 cars.

With the vast MG Traders City on the Copse Runway - over 100 stands - everything can be found from concours machinery, to basket cases for restoration and all the parts they may require.  MG Car Club stands and regalia sales, Cars for Sale and automobilia, feature strongly, while the Concours and Pride of Ownership always draw some of the finest MGs to be found anywhere.

MG Car Club chief executive Robert Gammage is confident of Silverstone 2003 providing something for every MG follower, whether they are restoring an early car or have just embarked on octagon ownership with an MG ZR. 'Silverstone 2003 really will cater for every aspect of MG interest and we endeavour to provide something for every visitor, including families, who are particularly welcome with our ongoing policy of free admission for under-16s,' he says.

The event also celebrates the 73rd anniversary of the MG Car Club, founded in 1930 by the MG Car Company.  Admission ticket prices are: 2/3 days £25 and £15 for one day. Grandstands and Paddock have free access.

Note:  The Lashings Cricket Club was originally formed in 1979 when the Minstrel Wine Bar Cricket Club of Maidstone was due to play a local side that couldn’t turn up. They asked the Lashings restaurant if they might like a game of Cricket and the inspiration for the Lashings Cricket Club was duly formed. The ‘Harlem Globetrotters’ of cricket raise money for charity, encourage youth cricket and promote the popularity of cricket around the world.

MG Rover Group has today announced the appointment of four new UK dealerships.  The appointments are part of a long-term strategy to increase the network size with high quality outlets, and to fill open points which will result in customers never being too far away from a dealership.

In Dartford, the prestigious Whitehouse group are set to open their second MG Rover dealership while in Milton Keynes, the Souls organisation will open an all new dealership.

Moving further north, the Horner group will open a new dealership in Rochdale bringing their total number of MG Rover outlets to five.  Also, Moss Rose will open a new dealership in Macclesfield.

Welcoming the new dealership appointments, John Jarvie, MG Rover Group head of dealer franchising said: "We are pleased that dealer groups already working with MG Rover Group are keen to extend their relationships.  The appointments reflect the high level of confidence in the MG Rover franchise along with the knowledge of incremental business opportunities that will result from future product introductions."

Lord Austin’s office will be available for public viewing next month and to ensure its period atmosphere is retained, a specially created room provides viewing through the exterior windows.

The money raised will be used to help the NSPCC continue its vital work protecting children and young people from abuse and neglect. Janine Miller, corporate fundraising manager at the NSPCC said: "We are absolutely thrilled at the way employees at both MG Rover Group and Aston Villa have taken our cause to their hearts and supported us over the past nine months. Their donations help us to make a difference to the lives of so many children within the local community."

TOP TV 'tec John Nettles likes his Rover so much he's decided to hand over a top-of-the range model to his favourite charity.

The car, donated to arc by MG Rover Group, will be first prize in the charity's annual Grand Draw, which raises more than £100,000 each year to fund research throughout the UK. The charity spends around £20m a year in total, including £3m on projects in Birmingham.

The Arthritis Research Campaign (arc) is the fourth largest medical research charity in the UK.

MG Rover has launched a summer consumer campaign that quite literally cannot be beaten. The Company will improve on any genuine sales promotion offer, made by any of its competitors.

To demonstrate the breadth of the campaign that can include zero per cent finance, cashback, fuel until 2004, insurance, servicing, extended warranty, deposit contribution and more, 25 Rover 25 cars will take to the road over the next week. Each vehicle will feature one of the offers MG and Rover customers can expect.

The campaign, entitled "Bring us any genuine offer and we’ll beat it", gives customers maximum value and allows customers to focus on buying the car they want, with the offer that best meets their needs. The 25 Rover 25 cars will start their tour in the South of England, on the move onto other parts of the country.

Commenting on the programme, John Sanders, MG Rover Group Sales and Marketing Director said: "We believe our summer campaign is the first time any manufacturer has made such a pledge. It’s bold and imaginative, and we are sure it will make the right impression with car buyers."

MG Rover Group has on the 1 April, announced a groundbreaking initiative, ‘Bring us any genuine offer and we’ll beat it’ – a programme of far ranging offers that will be of great interest to all purchasers of new cars.

Note: This is no April Fool's joke. The purchase options are available on all new MG and Rover cars registered between 1 April and 30 June 2003.  LPG Band 4 conversions are available on all 1.6- and 1.8-litre Rover and MG saloon cars (excluding the MG ZR 160 / Express 160).

A new Rover 75 Tourer car is the prize catch in a national 'Fishathon' charity, the promotion led by Chris Tarrant with Jim Davidson and a host of stars in aid of the Prostate Cancer Charity.

The first UK Fishathon is the biggest-ever angling competition ever held in Britain.  The winners will be one of 70 contestants fishing in the grand final at the Glebe Fishery, in Leicester on September 27.  To win prizes, anglers must catch fish that have been tagged.  The tag identifies the prize.

Mike Smith, Fishathon organiser, said: "The Rover is a superb prize catch and we're absolutely sure that its presence in our competition will fuel the demand for participation."  Chris Tarrant, added: "I reckon I might win, but the lucky angler who hooks the Rover will have won big time - so will the Prostate Cancer Charity."

Competitors can enter by sending an entrance fee of £5, plus a minimum £20 charitable pledge to Prostate Cancer Charity.  The Fishathon runs throughout August.  Judges will focus on two categories: the biggest catch per species and the most money raised for charity.  Entry forms are available at www.prostate-cancer.org.uk

Note: A number of high-profile athletes currently benefit from sponsorship by the Rover brand, many of whom are Olympic medal winners. They include triple jump World Champion Jonathan Edwards, sprinter Darren Campbell, decathlete Dean Macey, rower James Cracknell and the young 100m sprint star Amy Spencer.

"Petrol for free, we don't think Gordon would approve of this. It's far too generous but we thought overtaxed car drivers would appreciate the idea," said sales and marketing director John Sanders.

The free fuel promotion that put over 8,000 car buyers behind the wheel of a new MG or Rover car since January is according to John Sanders: "one of the cheekiest and most innovative promotional campaigns we've ever tried."

MG Rover Group is taking the idea to its ultimate limits.  MG Rover staff, disguised as Gordon Brown, arrive at filling stations around the country completely un-announced and spontaneously offer to pay for a customer's fuel in order to promote the campaign, which runs until the end of March 2003.

MG Rover Group's innovative promotion provides 'free fuel until 2004' for customers buying MG and Rover cars registered before 31 March 2003. 

In another innovative promotion, MG Rover Group announces today (January 3) a 'free fuel until 2004' offer on MG and Rover cars* registered before 31 March 2003.  Participating UK retail customers will be provided with a fuel payment card, with sufficient money provisioned to match the calculated average mileage** of a typical driver.  The monetary value provisioned on the customer's card is calculated on an average annual mileage of 10,000 or 833 miles per month, up to and including December 2003. The calculation is based on the fuel consumption figure (combined cycle) for the manual variant of the model purchased.

John Sanders, sales and marketing director, MG Rover Group said: "This is another example of MG Rover's innovative marketing programmes offering customers genuine benefit.  Fuel costs are a significant issue to many retail buyers and this offer will give MG and Rover customers substantial savings until 2004."

Alternatives to the free fuel promotion are available if preferred and include (conditional dependent upon circumstances or model chosen) 2-years' free servicing, cashback alternatives, finance deposit contributions or insurance contributions.

* Conditions apply:  The offer excludes Rover 25 i/iE and Rover 45 iE models.  Rover 25 Impression and Impression S, MG ZR 105 and MG ZR Turbo Diesel models have a lower 5,000 mile / 416 mile per month projected mileage.  Offers apply to the UK mainland only (not Ireland).
**Average mileage based on the Department of Transport figures. Full details of the Free Fuel offer are available from MG Rover dealers

MG has announced today, 2 January 2003, at the London Boat Show an exciting new partnership with Laser, the sailboat market leader.  This dynamic association incorporates title sponsorship of the premier National event in the Laser racing calendar: the MG Laser National Championships.  This key UK event, the penultimate National Championships before the Athens Olympics, will be held at the Scottish Institute of Sport in Largs in August 2003.

Three Olympic class Lasers in MG livery will be featured on the Laser stand at the London International Boat Show, highlighting the new MG and Laser partnership.  This association will exploit the synergy that exists between MG sports cars and Laser racing boats - a parallel enthusiasm for people who enjoy dynamic driving and the combination of exhilaration and freedom on the water.

John Sanders, sales and marketing director, MG Rover Group said: "This sponsorship is one element in a close association between MG Rover Group and Laser that will give exposure to new customers of our respective products."

The 49th London Boat Show was officially opened by Peter Harrison and his GBR Challenge team who will also be based on the Laser stand adjacent to the MG Lasers for the duration of the show.  The Laser stand (90A) occupies its regular position, just inside the Warwick Road entrance of Earls Court 1.