Under the ownership of SAIC Motor, MG Motors will shift car production from Longbridge, Central England, to China.
According to AutomotiveNews, the automaker said that this move would result in manufacturing efficiencies, which will ultimately reflect in the final cost of the product, and denied that it has anything to do with Great Britain’s vote to leave the European Union.
“[Ending production] will ensure global market competitiveness and support long-term investment into new product lines“, MG wrote on Friday.
The decision has been taken by SAIC and it only affects the MG3 model, as the GS compact SUV is currently assembled in Linggang, China. However, MG’s departure for the People’s Republic means that 25 employees are expected to lose their jobs.
MG’s choice to move car production from Europe’s right-hand drive market to the Asian country by the year’s end has sparked sadness throughout the UK and one of the people who showed his disappointment was Aston Martin CEO, Andy Palmer, who started his career at Rover.
“Deeply disappointed to see the closure of the Longbridge site, where I learned so much of my trade“, Palmer tweeted.
Subsequently, MG Motor will continue to design and engineer cars in Longbridge, and a few months ago, the company announced the investment of £1.2 million ($1.55 million) into a fifth engine test facility, among other improvements that will be made to the development center, which is home to 300 employees.
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