MG Rover was sold in July 2005 to another Chinese car firm, Nanjing Automotive, which paid around £50m.In July 2006 Nanjing reaffirmed its commitment to produce cars at Longbridge when it purchased a 33-year lease for one third of the land at Longbridge. The company also said it would be investing around £10m in the plant, but there would be far fewer jobs than in previous years. By March this year, as the company unveiled its first China-built cars to the world's media at its factory in Nanjing, plans were well advanced in Longbridge too.
Several pre-production models of the MGTF had been completed and the old production line was being brought back into use. It is thought that around 250 people are already employed at the factory. Staff numbers are expected to rise over time as production ramps up. Nanjing has said it aims is to make 3,000 cars in the first year, rising to 12,000 by 2009. It will ultimately have the capacity to make 15,000 cars a year. The company also says it has had a good response from dealers who want to sell the new cars.
