Merc1

A coupe version of the MG7 – haven't we seen this before?

Yes, if you cast your minds back to late 2004, when the MG Rover Group unveiled it wearing Rover badges. However, a lot of water has passed under the bridge since then, and in the meantime the sleek concept car has received a brand makeover as it stumbles closer to production reality.

This MG7 Coupe may have been tucked away from prying eyes at the recent re-opening of Longbridge, reserved for management and VIPs' eyes only, but CAR Online managed to get an exclusive close-up view of the car. The re-branding of the Peter Stevens-styled car is a clear indication that NAC MG is considering this car for potential future production.

They haven’t changed much at all – and isn't that a Rover badge on the steering wheel?

Yes it is – but the two-door concept looks so right that it could be argued that nothing really needed to be changed. As our pictures reveal, the MG logo sits in a Rover-shaped recess on the grille, and there’s a neat new boot spoiler to cover up the badge plinth that formerly resided there, so plainly there’s work to do.

More interestingly, this was the first opportunity to take a close look at the beautifully crafted instruments – and the wood 'n' leather laden interior, a traditional Rover styling cue. When the car first appeared, it won plaudits for its balanced styling, despite being conceived purely to demonstrate to the then-potential partner, Shanghai Automotive, that Longbridge could design desirable cars – keeping the upcoming deal on-track.

That’s all well and good, but why show it off again?

Although the reborn NAC MG company would not readily confirm anything other than TF roadster production for Longbridge, Nanjing Auto’s CEO Yu Jian Wei stated that a new Coupe could be launched, followed by all-new sportscars – assuming that sales for the roadster were satisfactory.

Although it is a good bet this will be the TF GT, unveiled alongside the original Rover 75 Coupe back in 2004, the presence of the MG7 Coupe is certainly interesting. It indicates that the Chinese company is clearly ambitious, and that given the money, could be interested in building this range-topping halo model. There were VIP guests at the re-opening ceremony that could indeed help make this happen.

But will it go into production?

The chances are pretty slim, but never say never. Much of the tooling to get the MG7 saloon into production at Longbridge is still there, although installing new presses for the coupe-only parts would require significant investment.

However, the newly scaled-down Longbridge would be the perfect place to effectively hand-build the new car, and British assembly would add kudos to the model if it were to go on sale in the status-conscious Chinese market.

Against the 3-Series coupe and Audi A5, it would undoubtedly struggle, but as a bargain-basement baby Bentley, it could certainly work on some markets.

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The Emperor

From this angle and in this pic this profile looks super nice!

But the front...

Merc1

Yeah the front looks like some little ugly mask on a demoic doll or toy soldier.

M

Mirage77

Looks far too old for the modern day but I know it might appease Rover fans.

I can't believe what they did too the front, I wish they could take an eraser, rub away all the detailing and then start over again on proper sheetmetal.

El Zorro

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The picture above shows what the first Rover 75 based coupe looked like...
Too bad I can't find a bigger picture...
I saw it first in a car magazine, a few months after the market introduction of the Rover 75, a typical British car that I admired from the very beginning. I remember a quote of a car journalist, saying that the "Seventy Five" looked more 'upper class' than the Jaguar S-type that was launched in the same year

I agree that they completely ruined the front when they facelifted the car... The Audi-like grill doesn't suit the car, IMO.

The coupe interior is nice, but the color combination sucks... and I'm afraid the interior looks outdated anno 2007 in comparison to the competition. If they find the money, they should redesign the interior, modernize it while keeping enough British touches... not as radical as the new Jaguar C-XF interior that is...

Bruce

Doesn't look that bad.. Not bad at all (the side profile that is..)

Giannis

Sorry folks, but i really like that car, even the front! For some reason i reckon pure british style on this, hence the wood/leather combo, which i always liked!

I think that if it is as nice to drive as it looks, and is also priced smartly, then i guess it will sell good enough!

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