The MG brand has officially been launched in the UAE, at an event in Dubai. MG, or Morris Garages, was originally a sporty British brand under Rover before changing hands to become a part of SAIC, China’s largest carmaker. Chinese-built models at launch include the MG 550 and the MG 750, with the MG3, MG 350 and MG6 models set to join later.
While the Rover-derived Chinese Roewe models, rebadged as MG, are still undergoing testing in the UAE before its imminent launch, the MG 550 as well as the MG 750 are already on sale in Oman via an official dealer.
While we were trolling around in Dubai looking for a midsize sedan to buy, we came across this attractive compact car, fully registered, and driven by staff from Arabian Automobiles, who happen to be the local dealers for Nissan, Infiniti and Renault here. On closer inspection, “SAIC” badges revealed its Chinese origins. It was also badged as an MG 550 1.8T. Those who keep track of such things will know that Chinese carmaker SAIC now owns the MG brand as well as some bits of Rover. On further pestering, the “owner” told us that Arabian Automobiles has handed out a bunch of these cars to staff members a couple of months ago,