MG6 – what needs to be done

Could this set MG on a stronger course?

I’ve been thinking about the MG6 rather a lot recently. In the seven months or so that they’ve been on sale, I’ve seen one – from the back seat of a Maestro City X on the M6 just outside Lymm Services en route to a show at Cholmondeley Castle. See? Seeing an MG6 was such a momentous occasion, I can pinpoint exactly where I was. It’s safe to assume then that they’re not selling – a fact borne out by recent SMMT data, which indicated that during the month of November MG managed to move just seven cars. And as I understand it, some of these were pre-registered TFs, so we can assume MG6 sales averaged approximately one per week.

Whatever MG are doing, it ain’t right. There are several articles on AROnline telling us this – from articles criticising the MG PR department (Where are the telly ads, the billboards, targeted ads on websites, ads in print etc), the dealer network (My nearest is about 40 miles away), and the ambitious price for an unknown quantity, to articles exposing MG’s OWN woeful prediction of residuals. With such a wealth of critical material out there on a website which likes the MG6, there’s scant point in my adding to them.

The MG6 is a good car. When I borrowed one in May, I liked the way it drove, the impressive amount of standard kit on the TSE model, and the space. I was pleased MG had got a generally competent package in the 6, and nobody could have been happier than I when they sorted the styling by launching the Magnette. I accept that the GT visibility isn’t great and that the handbrake is badly designed, but it’s not a BAD car. I know Keith Adams of AROnline likes it too, and for every word of criticism levied against the company there is one in praise of the car. It does not deserve to be mismanaged in the way that I believe MG are mismanaging it, so here follow my list of recommendations as to how MG might reclaim lost ground.

The diesel's ready, but is it the answer to MG's prayers?

I don’t think there’s much point in clamouring for a diesel engine or an estate body. For a start, the diesel’s already pretty well ready. Fact is, whilst a diesel would be tempting for far more people than a 1.8 petrol, the product’s still wrong. People who want a diesel fleet car will continue to be given Focuses and Astras, because there’s a dealer on every corner and the fleet buyers have long standing relationships with well-established firms. People who want to buy privately will look at the price tag and the lack of dealers, remember the shoddy image of later MG-Rover products and spend their £20000 on a nice Skoda Octavia. Estate buyers will do the same thing, only with slightly longer versions. No, for MG to make their name known, they need to really attack the niche markets.

A halo model would boost the MG6's image. This could take inspiration from the Roewe 550 Sport, shown here.

The first change they need to make is to introduce a halo model, a real ripsnorter of a car. What say they use the NV6, updated to TCI-Tech spec, and bolt a turbo or two onto it? Add to this deeper front bucket seats, some carbon fibre trim, a lairy bodykit, big wheels, mental colour schemes (Let that orange be the sensible choice), spec levels from the TSE and stick it on sale at about £22000. That should clean up the market the ZS180 and ZT left behind, whilst being hardcore enough to possibly attract people from their Type Rs and Focus RSs. MG have all the bits, and they’ve even previewed it with the Roewe 550 Sport.

Roewe interior parts could be used in a more conservative MG6 based saloon

The second model I’m proposing is more left field, and will undoubtedly divide opinion. I think they should introduce classic colours like BRG and Garnet Red, and offer the Roewe interior, on Magnettes. Nobody else does a walnut and leather smallish car any more, and there are bound to be scores of people wanting to replace their end of line 45s and 75s. I know it’ll deter from the sporty image, but it will boost sales. Even if they only sell one per week that represents an improvement of over 50% on monthly sales. They don’t even have to wear the MG badge – Morris is a name that is largely untainted and thanks to the Minor it’s a name many know. The ‘Morris’ could use the Roewe nose, to maintain individuality without the expense of a new design. It also fits well with the MG bit – weren’t MGs originally sporty Morrises? It sounds like I’m trying to rebuild MG Rover – and to an extent I am. Because even at the end they sold more than seven cars a month, and at the end of the day car sales are what I think a car company’s number one goal should be.

So, in my hypothesis MG would have two niche-market products based on the 6, sat alongside the 6 in showrooms. I’d suggest a similar tactic with the MG3, too. We have the mainstream variant to appeal to those who want a car, the hairy one to appeal to those who want a sporty car (Something MG should be offering by dint of name alone!), and the posh one to appeal to former Rover customers. All well and good, cars to appeal to just about anyone looking to spend £15-20000 on a mid-ish sized family car. But that’s only the start.

The next thing MG need is a damn good ad campaign. I like what they’re doing by brokering tie-ins with local landmarks such as Birmingham airport. But why stop there? BMC showed us the way forward with an undesirable product – you give it to people who are in the public eye. If MG donated MG6s to people like Stephen Fry, Doctor Who’s Matt Smith, and other people in the public eye for 12 months, ensuring that the cars were featured in as much press coverage as possible, the image would SOAR overnight. Bolster this with good TV and magazine adverts featuring the halo sports model doing something daring – say, driving through a burning building. Copies of the magazine advert in prominent positions on websites such as Pistonheads and our own AROnline. And the odd stunt – it would be a good move if SAIC were to start sponsoring MG Saloon Day or Pride of Longbridge – the captive audiences could be possibly made into customers.

And my last suggestion; start offering good deals on new cars. It’s a bit late in the day to suggest lopping £1500 off the price of each model without looking desperate, and if any additional kit was offered it would only fuel the existing criticism for lack of sales. That 5,4,3,2,1 offer was a good start, but it should be standard – a 5 year warranty is par for the course now, but the free 5 months of fuel, 4 years’ tax, and 3 years’ European Breakdown are all good incentives to buy an MG6 over the equivalent Octavia or Focus. Sort out some finance deals – Keith Adams’s suggestion of £199 per month all in sounds like a good idea, and would get people interested. Free insurance for a year might help, too. And get your act together regarding future values – a factory prediction of under 25% for a three year old car is never going to make you any friends. If you can make the ownership package tempting enough, people will buy.

Predicted residuals dire - come on MG! (Image copyright © AROnline)

For anyone who can’t be bothered to read all that, my five point plan for the MG6 is below.

  • Get the diesel out – it won’t be the volume seller everyone expects but it’ll help
  • Get a really hairy, extrovert model out
  • Get a far more conservative alternative out, using Roewe parts.
  • Sort out the ad campaign
  • Sort out the packages offered to customers

A fair bit of what I’ve outlined is divisive – and I look forward to hearing people’s thoughts. But can I be the only one who thinks it’ll reap a few more sales? Surely, at the end of the day, that’s the primary concern of a car firm. MG, you’ve had a bit of a false start during 2011 – but there’s time to recover that. Even if you don’t implement all the above ideas, at least one or two should serve to help boost your profile until the MG3 comes onto the scene. And please please please make THAT one appealing to customers from the start!

3 thoughts on “MG6 – what needs to be done

  1. Interesting ideas Sam. I agree with all your suggestions, although I would stick to MG rather than bringing back Morris as re-launching one brand is hard enough, let along two using the same basic design – would only confuse buyers.

    I reckon that, for most people, re-launching MG with what appears to be an all new model is also confusing and therefore a turn-off. Is it Chinese? Is it related in anyway to the old MGs? I’ll take a known quantity like a Skoda, thanks very much. But I reckon they could get round this by promoting the older MGs a bit more – keep the MGF in production, and import the MG7 so that it looks like a familiar sporty/luxury British brand has come back on the market – and look, there’s a new model too. Sell it at an attractive price with a bullet-proof buying package (5 4 3 2 1, perhaps, maybe free insurance, breakdown cover and servicing for three years) and it would attract interest. Oh, and be prepared to loose money on the marketing for a couple of years.

  2. Interesting article. I agree with most of the above. The cream leather interior looks like a nicer place to be. The notion of bringing back old brands, like Morris, Wolseley, RIley, etc. is the stuff of enthusiast’s dreams. Even the calling the saloon a Magnette is a bit of nonsense and sensibly didn’t make it onto a badge. They won’t be called ‘GT’ or ‘Magnette’ anywhere than in the UK and in communication with the enthusiast community.

    The trouble for lots of MG Zed owners is that they have either moved on to something else or they still have their Zed. Either way, keeping their current car is more attractive than buying an MG6. We have an MG ZT 135+ with the Option Pack, so – apart from the fact that there is currently no diesel MG6 – an MG6 with the equivalent spec, is £19,995 for a Magnette TSE. Forget the VW Golf, you can buy a brand new Passat for that money.

    The prices just have to come down because all the toys in the world are not going to convince people to cough up that kind of money when the residuals are clearly going to be very low. The benchmark is the Kia / Hyundai range of cars. These are keenly priced and have fantastic warranties. They are even looking quite good these days and have much TV advertising and coverage.

    On a selfish note, I am just hoping that the MG6 diesel is launched and sells in significant enough numbers so that I can buy one in four years time when it will be worth a couple of grand. Not much help for the company, I know.

  3. Since my earlier comment, two things have come true. One of mine, and one of yours. Firstly yours; the MG6 is available with that cream interior, an automatic gearbox, a sunroof and without those silly plastic bungs where the repeaters used to be. So you can get your conservatively styled model, in the Dominican Republic. That is the other half of the island that isn’t Haiti – you can see it all here http://www.mg.com.do

    Secondly, the Magnette name. In the aforementioned Dominican Republic, the saloon version of the MG6, complete with conservative styling, is called the MG6 Sedan. That’s not a badge or a model, just the word that most of the world uses when describing the sort of car we call saloons. Very sensible.

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