1923
» Cecil Kimber, general manager of Morris Garages in Oxford, England, seeks permission from William Morris, founder of Morris Motors, to build sporting versions of standard Morris economy cars. The MG octagon logo appears for the first time in a newspaper advertisement in March. The first of six MG Super Sports Morris cars is registered in August.
1925
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» Old Number One, the first MG built specifically for competition, debuts at the Lands End Trials.
1927
» The first factory dedicated to producing MG sports cars is built in Oxford.
1928
» MG Car Co., a separate entity from Morris Motors, is formally established.
1930
Credit: Ford Motor Co.
» Edsel Ford imports an M-Type Midget and becomes the first American MG owner. The car is frequently seen on the road near his Grosse Pointe, Mich., estate.
1935
» MG becomes part of Morris Motors.
1939
» MG production stops as the U.K. gears up for World War II. Total prewar production of MG sports cars and sport sedans: 18,664
1945
» Cecil Kimber dies in a London train accident.
1946
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» MG officially exports its first car, the TC, to North America. Twenty cars are sold through distributors.
1947
» California Jeep dealer Kjell Qvale spots an MG TC in New Orleans, tracks down the owner, goes for a ride, secures MG’s distribution rights for the West Coast and almost singlehandedly ignites the British sports car boom that lasts until 1981. MG’s 1947 sales in the U.S.: 243
1955
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» MG’s first true post-war design, the MGA, debuts and is an immediate hit; more than 13,000 MGAs are manufactured in the car’s first year.
1956
» The 100,000th MG is built.
1961
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» The MG Midget, an entry-level roadster based on the Austin-Healey Sprite, is introduced.
1962
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» The MGB replaces the MGA, and MG’s U.S. lineup is set for the next two decades.
1965
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» The Pininfarina-styled GT coupe version of the MGB begins production. Later iterations of the MGB include the six-cylinder MGC and the MGB GT V-8, which is powered by a Buick-designed aluminum V-8.
1968
» British Leyland is formed, uniting Austin, Morris, MG, Triumph, Rover, Jaguar, Land Rover and other smaller brands into a British version of General Motors. The company starts life as the world’s sixth-largest automaker.
1971
» The 250,000th MGB, a red GT, rolls off MG’s Abingdon, England, production line.
1975
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» MG builds its 1 millionth car, a green MGB roadster.
1979
» MG Midget production ends after 224,843 cars are built.
1980
October
» The final MGB is assembled in MG’s Abingdon plant. More than 500,000 MGBs – hardtops and roadsters – are built in the car’s 19-year production run making it the most popular sports car in history until the Mazda MX-5 Miata passed it in sales in 1999. Seventy percent of all MGBs built were sold in North America.
1981
Credit: Ford Motor Co.
» The last MG sent to America, a black MGB LE, is gifted to Henry Ford II and is put on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich.
1982
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» The MG name appears on a performance version of the Austin Metro hatchback. The MG name is used on badge-engineered Austin sedans and hatchbacks through the early ’90s. None of these cars are sold in North America.
1992
» British Leyland – now called Rover Group – resurrects the MG roadster with a modernized MGB body and a 3.9-liter fuel-injected V-8 from Land Rover. The MG RV8 has a three-year production run of 1,983 cars.
1995
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» The MGF, MG’s first all-new car since 1962, debuts. Styled by Gerry McGovern, the midengine roadster becomes Britain’s best-selling sport car. Corporate owner BMW rules out U.S. sales.
2000
» BMW unloads money-losing Rover Group. The company, renamed MG Rover, rolls out badge-engineered high-performance versions of Rover sedans and hatchbacks wearing MG badges.
2002
Credit: mgfcentre.com
February
» The face-lifted MGF, renamed TF, debuts.
September
» MG launches in Mexico.
2005
April
» MG Rover runs out of money and ends all production in Great Britain. MGF and TF production totals 116,518.
July
» Nanjing Automobile Corp. and Shanghai Automobile Industry Corp. buy the remains of MG Rover and ship assembly lines to China.
2007
March
» Nanjing debuts three MGs made in China: The TF sports car and the China-only MG3 SW hatchback and MG7 sedan.
August
» Limited production of the TF sports car resumes at the former MG Rover Longbridge plant with bodies made in China as MG returns to the U.K. market.
December
» SAIC buys Nanjing and takes full ownership of the MG brand.
2011
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» The MG6 sedan, the first all-new MG since the 1995 TF, is introduced.
2012
» U.K. sales of the MG TF and MG6 total 2,326 for the year.
2013
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» The second-generation MG3, an all-new car, debuts in the U.K.
2016
» SAIC begins producing MG-badged vehicles in Thailand.
September
» Production ends at Longbridge, and all MGs are now exported to the U.K.
2018
» SAIC opens a design studio in London that is responsible for advanced concepts for MG and the Chinese Roewe brand of near-luxury vehicles.
2019
» SAIC begins producing MG-badged vehicles in India.
2020
» MG relaunches in Mexico after a 15-year absence.
2021
» Total global MG sales soar past 500,000.
2022
» MG brand vehicles are among the top 10 selling vehicles in 20 countries.
2023
Credit: mgcars.com
January
» The MG HS, a compact crossover available with a variety of powertrains, tops the sales charts in Great Britain, the first time in a century any MG has ever been the top-selling car there.
Credit: mgcars.com
February