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MG MGA - So that's what MG stands for!

http://www.motorauthority.com/news/news/mg-is-now-modern-gentleman/
Derek Nicholson

Loses something in the translation doesn't it? Glenn
Glenn

Does it really matter what they call it? Hate to burst anyones hopes and dreams,it's not a MG.
gary starr

Yup, everything since Abingdon closed has been badge engineering.
Del Rawlins

Also, that site crashes my browser, so I guess it doesn't really matter what it looks like, either!
Del Rawlins

I guess we have all been following the MG Nanjing saga. It seemed they were making all the right and logical commercial moves until this stupid "Modern Gentleman" bit reared up. I will never buy one of those - ever.
Now if there had been a bit of British Morris Garages type recognition instead, it might have been different...

Pete
Pete Tipping

This is the beginning of the end for the Nanjing MG. Fine with me. I always said that a Chinese MG was an oxymoron. I wonder if the MG Car Club Ltd. will accept these models. My membership ends if they do.

George
G Goeppner

My main reason for buying MGs since 1968 has been that they were cheap and good fun but mostly because they were made in Britain - MG not made in Britain - no thanks -will have to wait and see if the British built (assembled)TF arrives this year.Kimber always said ( probably in jest ) that MG didn't stand for anything when it was obvious it was Morris Garages - perhaps the Chinese also had a sense of humour when they said - "what do you think it stands for - Modern Gentleman ?" Meanwhile I will have to buy a British made Toyota, Honda,Nissan when my everyday car (Rover) expires - or maybe a Jag if I can afford it! -If they stop making cars in Britain? - I will walk -cheers Cam
Cam Cunningham

I sure wished they would have picked a different model than "TF". How confusing is that going to be in the future that is if they have a future.

John
John Progess

Hahaha,

This changes nothing, The lot of you who have been purchasing from Moss Motors have an abundance of Chinese parts on your roadsters and coupes already.

The nice thing though is now it is time to beat the crap out of the Chinee guys with copyright infringement and the sort by producing logo festooned hats and pins without guilt of stealing from the brits.

Modern Gentleman my bullocks!

This makes me laugh as much as an MG getting pinched from a grocer lot.

Hhahahhahhahah

Kilgore Trout.
K. Trout

So what does M.G. really stand for, just was asked by a friend the other day and was embarassed that I didn't know, thanks.....
Mike

Extremely wise words Cam I have to agree with you 100 percent!!

Mike man who built the first MGs and many others afterwards worked as the manager of Morris Garages, Now you could have a guess at what they represent. An idiotic reporter one day asked the same question of the manager, a one Cecil Kimber, thinking the man was a fool he more or less replied I haven't a clue!
Bob (robert) yes I own an MG Dwarf!

"So what does M.G. really stand for"

http://www.mgnuts.com/mg/mgname
Steve Simmons

Note that Cecil's daughter only quotes that she had heard her father reply to this question on several occassions. She does NOT state that he directly told her.
I stand by what I have said it is an idiotic question answered in an idiotic manner.

Had Cecil Kimber wanted to be different from Morris Garages then the VERY LAST 2 letters he would have chosen would have been MG.

However the cars that were built were M.G.s nothing more nothing less, but to suggest M.G. had nothing whatever to do with Morris Garages is silly!

They will be telling us next that S.U. does not stand for Skinners Union!
Bob (robert) yes I own an MG Dwarf!

WHAT!!! Don't tell me the Chinese have bought SU, too. Going to call it Silky Underwear, perhaps?

Derek Nicholson

Modern Gentlemen?
Well, they sure are not talking about us!
Guess it could have been worse. Maybe.
Frank Nocera

Silly me. I was always under the impression that MG stood for ny name, Mark Gannon.
M Gannon

This makes my blood boil. As MG enthusiasts we all know that the cars that will come out of the Nanjing plant are not true MG's. But I can't help but think that the MG brand (and hence our cars which helped to build that brand)will be tarnished as a result.
Steven

Living in a town where the majority of the population consists of immigrants from China I have absolutely no doubt that they think "Modern Gentlemen" makes a good slogan. They really have no concept of how marketing to the "Gwai Lo" works.

Rich
Rich McKIe

Well...The Chinese think tank came up with this?
Do gentlemen use silverware?

Morris Garage will always have the real deal. Sorry guys.They are still obviously mad about Hong Kong? Oh Well.
Gabe

It helps to understand that the Chinese have no phonetic alphabet. Any names that come from another language have to be represented by a euphemism. They have no way of writing "EM GEE", so I'm sure much of the reasoning behind the name Modern Gentleman is to give the car a name that will market well in China and that will still give some recognition to non-Chinese.

Bill
Bill Boorse

"...Cecil's daughter only quotes that she had heard her father reply to this question on several occassions. She does NOT state that he directly told her."

I don't see how it's logical to assume Mr. Kimber would tell everyone one thing, but his daughter another. To me it appears to be clearly implied that she was told the same as everyone else.

"...Had Cecil Kimber wanted to be different from Morris Garages then the VERY LAST 2 letters he would have chosen would have been MG."

If Cecil Kimber had NOT wanted to be different from Morris Garages then the last thing he would do is use a different name plate and logo! Why would he not simply call them by the same name?

"...to suggest M.G. had nothing whatever to do with Morris Garages is silly!"

I agree with that statement. The letters are definitely related to the name "Morris Garages", there is no doubt about that as stated in the article. But Mr. Kimber did need his cars to have an identity of their own. Choosing an offshoot name for his offshoot company makes sense to me. But "Morris Garages" and "The M.G. Car Company" were in fact different businesses.

Whatever his reasons for choosing to put the letters MG in the name of his company, I think it was a really strange and dare I say dumb thing to do! Fortunately he was better at designing cars than choosing names! ;)

I certainly don't mean any disrespect toward Bob (Robert). Everyone is entitled to their opinion. And regarding the "dumb" statement, no disrespect to Mr. Kimber either!
Steve Simmons

I guess I have to comment.

First of all, there is no problem for Chinese people to say or write MG. It's true the written language is not phonetic but it can be represented by pin yin.

The "Modern Gentlemen" reference is simply a marketing gimick and is only relevant in English. However, as all Chinese are taught english from the age of six, that's not a problem. Even old people here are usually happy to "have a go" at using the english words that have entered into everyday use.

I have to say that selling off our heritage to China makes my blood boil too, but facts are facts.

But something that no-one has mentioned; China will soon be the biggest auto market in the world and domestic products will dominate. If Nanjing only make a half decent product they will most likely succeed to have a strong enough domestic sales base to survive.

Today, the domestic quality of all the cars built in China is still behind global standards (that statement will upset all the BMW, Mercedes, Ford/Volvo, Audi/VW, GM, Fiat, Peugeot and Japanese etc. guys producing cars here, but it's a fact) and the domestic brands are the worst. But they are all improving.

So if Nanjing can be successful enough to export is another issue; and by the time they are ready, the brand will have little value in overseas markets, that's for sure.

Neil
Neil McGurk

Maybe they should call them WOG's (wily oriental gentlemen)
jim mckenzie

Perhaps we have lost sight of one important fact. An origional is always worth more than the copy. All of we MG Car owners should now look apon this as an increase in the value of our cars. Should the new mg every get produced in the USA, to all sense and purpose, they will simply be a copy of the origional MG IE: An origional Carrol Shelby Cobra vs a Cobra Kit car. IE: A true origional Hemi muscle car vs clone car. Both have value but the origional is worth far more. As much as I dislike the fact that the British business world was unable to hold onto one of their precious treasures, we should now look upon this as a god send for the value of our cars.

Even the change of name (as hard to swallow as it is ) should be regarded as....help.... in solidifying the value of ours cars. Times are changing and every ORIGIONAL MG just got a new shot of life, in its heritage, history and value.

Perhaps we should thank the Chinese for their help.

gordon
Gordon Harrison

I think that before anybody gets up in arms about "Modern Gentleman", they should decide what that means to them. In China, it apparently is considered good to be a modern gentleman, and I see nothing wrong with that. Look at the Chinese restaurants. They have the silliest names. Does that stop anybody from going to them? If the car is still called MG in the western world, nobody will worry about what the Chinese call them in their own country.
mike parker

Mike is right. In fact, MG's first 4-door model is going to be called the "Super Happy Family Car".

The big question for me is whether they're going to try this "Modern Gentleman" crap in the states. Really, if they're insisting that this brand of car is called the Modern Gentleman, and it just happens to have the old MG logo on it because they purchased the rights and the letters are the same, then maybe that's what I'll call it. "No Mister, An MG is what I drive. A Modern Gentleman is what the Chinese are selling you. They just used the same logo."

Incidentally, if BMW announced that they were now called Brazen Marmot Washer, I'd still want a Z8.

At least there is no way on earth that these new cars could fool anyone into thinking that they're of the british MG lineage. Think of all those poor saps driving around Jags that look like Ford Tauruses. I don't have the heart to tell them.
Mark

I saw one of the "Super Happy Family Cars" on Canal Street in NYC a couple weeks ago.

Seemed nice enough, it had one feature of note that caught my eye. The "Moo Goo Oil Pan" was guranteed not to leak and doubled as a Wok.

I was'nt too keen on the Dog Hide seats and the handling was Lomein like.

The one I saw was badged as a Rolex edition and was'nt running at the time.
chris Hausbeck

Mark I understand what your saying but I wonder if BMW went belly up like MG did, and Uganda bought what was left,would you still want that Brazen Marmot Washer Z8? I think you'd run to your nearest ex BMW dealer to see what he had left.
gary starr

Gery, you're absolutely right. I probably wouldn't want the car. Just another way of saying "What's in a name?"
Mark

I thought it stood for My God. Well that's what my wife said when she first say my car.
Kris Sorensen

This thread was discussed between 10/01/2007 and 17/01/2007

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