Harry Gibson on February 28, 2023 No Comments
Are you looking at those classic MG cars and you wonder what does MG stand for car? If that is the case, then you are at the right place because there will be a lot to cover on this topic where we will learn all about MG and their history.
Going for a car brand with a big history is one of the best things that you can do. Why I’m saying this? Well, because it is true. Especially if we are talking about a classic car that has a ton of value. Classic cars from well-established marques tend to carry a lot of value with them.
So, if you can get a good survivor car, with a few little touch-ups and a small refresh, you can make a profit. Or if you want to get a classic car for yourself like one of the MG models like the MGB that was hugely popular here in the US. These cars are an excellent future investment. You can enjoy that classic look and you will also not lose money since these cars hold their value really well. But more on that, later on.
First, we are going to cover what does MG stand for car, then we will cover the brand history and learn more about the ownership changes. Since this brand has a number of these restructurings and each of them has brought something really special. After that, we will cover the most popular MG cars in the USA which were imported here in the states. So, if you want to learn more about MG, follow along.
What Does MG Stand For Car
A lot of people who are not into cars or have just introduced themselves to a certain brand have no clue of what the name or badge means. This is why we are covering this in great detail in this and in the following chapters, we are going to explain all about what does MG stand for car. So, buckle up because it is going to be a long ride.
So what does MG stand for car? MG simply refers to Morris Garages. Morris Garages was a small retail service located in Oxford that was owned by William Morris.
William Morris owned the Morris Motors car company and was a big British entrepreneur at the time. During the early 20s. More precisely in 1921, a well-known car designer named Cecil Kimber joined the company as the sales manager first, and from 1922 as a general manager.
Then Kimber began promoting special versions of the Morris cars. And here the story with MG has started. These cars were re-bodied Morris models known as the Kimber specials.
These cars have worn both the Morris badge and the new MG badge. And soon after, proper MG models started rolling from the production lines.
As we explained. The MG stands for Morris Garages, it started as a side gig with re-bodying Morris Motors cars. But this quickly has become a true brand that created a big legacy in the car world. And especially in the UK where this brand is still sold. But we will cover more on that a bit later. Now as we learned what does MG stand for car, we can move on and understand more about the logo of the MG brand.
MG Logo
So, we leaner what does MG stand for car and we discovered that this abbreviation simply refers to Morris Garages. A company owned by William Morris who owned Morris Motors. Now let’s see more about the logo and the history behind this logo.
Car logos are really important. They basically are the ones that sell cars. When people see a car, the first thing that they look at is the logo and see if this is a well-known brand.
Even though some cars like the MG cars, do not even have to wear a logo in order for you to distinguish them from the pack. They are largely identifiable by the massive metal grille with long vertical stripes. Just like a Rolls Royce. But on a budget.
MG cars are really well known for being good quality sports cars that almost anyone can afford back in the day. Namely the MG MGB and the MG Midget. More on these cars, we will discuss later on. What is important for us right now is to understand more about the MG logo and learn what does it mean.
So, what does the MG mean? Well, the MG is an octagon badge. It doesn’t matter if you get a modern MG or a classic one. One of the most distinguishable features of this brand is the octagon badge. But what does octagon means?
Well, this means that this badge has eight angles. Almost all badges in the car industry are either resembling a circle or a shield. But what is interesting about the MG badge is that it is an octagon.
Then inside of the octagon are the letters MG. Which stands for Morris Garages. So, we learned what does MG stand for car. Now let’s move on.
Morris Garages
As we covered what does MG stand for car, we think that now it is time to cover more on the history of MG as a brand.
MG has a rich history, it has a ton of models that were released throughout the years. And also a ton of ownerships were changed through the long years of existence of this brand. In the following chapters, we are going to focus primarily on that. And we will discuss the most important information for you for each time period. So, let’s get into it.
What Does MG Stand For Car – Morris Garages/ MG Car Company, 1924 – 1935
Now let’s get to the history of the MG brand. Since we covered what does MG stand for car, we mentioned the early beginnings of MG.
But let’s cover this again briefly. This company was started by William Morris. Who was the owner of Morris Motors? In 1922, he appointed Cecil Kimber to be the general manager of the Morris Garages company. Then he started to do some bodywork in the garage of the shop and started to create some interesting designs.
And these designs attracted people. Especially Kimber’s re-bodied Morris Cowley special, for which design he even got an award.
Then his models were started to be sold as the “Kimber Specials” in 1924. Then the company was formed and the manufacturing moved into an old leather factory in Abingdon. William Morris owned the company until 1935 when he sold it to Morris Motors. But what does MG stand for car? Well, the MG as we mentioned stands for Morris Garages. Now let’s move to the next chapter.
What Does MG Stand For Car – Morris Motors, 1935 – 1952
So, we learned what does MG stand for car, and now let’s cover the second period of MG which is the years between 1935 and 1952.
This is basically the golden age for MG. This was the time when Morris sold MG to the Morris Motors company and this was the time when MG has already been producing several very popular models like the Midget, K-Type Magnette, and the M-Type Magnas.
This was basically the period before the war. Their lineup before 1939 included the TA/B Midget, 1.5L VA, 2.6L WA, and the SA 2L.
But a bad chain of events happened during the war. Cecil Kimber left MG because he had a dispute with the factory, which was turned into a war factory since WW2 was raging on the old continent. And he was sadly killed in a train crash in 1945.
After the war, only one model was produced which was the two-seater TC model. In fact, this was the first model that was introduced into the North American Market. Soon after the YA and also the TD Midget was introduced. But in 1952, another chain of events occurred when this company was merged with Austin Motor Company to form the BMC.
What Does MG Stand For Car – British Motor Corporation, 1952 – 1968
So, we know what does MG stand for. Now it is time to learn more about the third company that owned the MG marque.
This was the British Motor Corporation. This company was created from the merger of Austin Motor Company and Morris Motors. And frankly, for the MG brand, this was a very fulfilling partnership. What is good to know is that even though purchased, MG Car Company still existed as a daughter company of BMC.
What is interesting about this partnership was the introduction of unibody chassis. They ditched the old-fashioned body-on-frame design with something new.
This time the MG MGA was introduced, more precisely what happened in 1956. And this model was one of the most popular models made by MG ever. Especially in the North American market where these models sold really well. Back in the day, MG was the prime British marque in the US.
Nevertheless, in 1959 a 1600 OHV version of the MGB was introduced. Then soon after in 1962, a more powerful 1.8-liter version of the MGB was introduced.
But even though the MGB was a great success. The luck of the MG brand was running low and was part of another merger. Why so? Well, it was because another British brand is known as Triumph. But more on that, we are going to cover in the following chapter. So, we learned what does MG stand for car, now let’s cover the next part of the story and that is the merger with Leyland.
What Does MG Stand For Car – British Leyland, 1968 – 1986
We learned what does MG stand for car, now let’s cover something about the fourth owner of the MG marque. And that was the merger of BMC which MG was part of and the Jaguar brand.
Together, these two companies have formed the British Leyland Motor Corporation. The first years up until 1975 were very fulfilling for the company.
In 1967 they introduced the MGC six-cylinder which was an extremely popular car during its years of production.
But what happened was in 1975, British Leyland was nationalized. This means that the company fell under government control. And these new owners didn’t quite appreciate the MG badge.
The MG badge quickly fell out of favor since the new leadership of British Leyland leaned towards the competitor badge, which was the Triumph.
The only model that was introduced from 1975 onward was the MGB V8. Models like the ADO16 and the Midget were dropped in 1973 and 1979 respectively.
So, the MGB was the only model until it pulled the plug on this model in 1980 and canceled the production, and also got rid of the Abingdon factory. But what does MG stand for car? MG stands for Morris garages. Now let’s move on to the next chapter, and that is the Austin Rover company.
What Does MG Stand For Car – Austin Rover Group, 1986 – 2000
For two years the MG marque was discontinued but in 1982. British Leyland has revived the brand by creating the Austin Rover Group. And this was a successful comeback, with the introduction of the MG Metro, and soon after the Metro followed the Metro Turbo.
Then a new model named the MG Maestro 2.0 EFi followed and after this the MG Montego 2.0 EFi a year after. The turbo variant of the Maestro was noted to be the quickest hatch in the world and this greatly helped in the revival of the MG brand.
Then the MG brand, in 1988 again got a hit when the Rover Group was sold to British Aerospace and soon after that, the Rover Group was sold to BMW.
The cash flow from the German manufacturers has greatly helped MG as well as Rover and in 1995 a new MGF was introduced. This sports car has packed a 1.8L K-series engine and was a really massive success for the MG brand until was sold again. We learned what does MG stand for car, now let’s see the next chapter in their history.
What Does MG Stand For Car – MG Rover, 2000 – 2005
We learned what does MG stand for car, now let’s learn more about the next chapter in the story of the MG brand.
In 2000 MG was again sold along with the Rover Group. BMW decided to pull the plug and sold the assets to the Phoenix Consortium.
The new company has continued the manufacturing of the MGF, also the lineup was refreshed with three new models which were based on existing Rover models.
These were the MG-ZR based on the Rover 25, MG-ZS based on the Rover 45, and also the MG-ZT based on the Rover 75. The ZT even got a 4.6L V8 engine.
In addition to this, in 2004, the MG brand introduced the SV model which produced a massive 320hp.
But the company still struggled and the company went bankrupt in 2005, stopping the production line in the process. So, we learned what does MG stand for car, now let’s move to the next chapter.
What Does MG Stand For Car – NAC MG UK, 2005 – 2009
Now let’s discuss more about the next phase in the history of MG. We learned what does MG stand for car. But how far has MG gone in terms of its roots?
Well, in 2005 MG went bankrupt. The company and its assets were purchased by the Chinese Nanjing Automotive Company. This new company was named NAC MG UK Ltd.
And what happened is that the new company immediately started transporting some of the assembly equipment to China. And no cars were produced in the Longbridge factory in the UK till 2008 when a limited edition of the MG TF LE500 started selling.
Then a new model followed, more precisely the TF135. Then in 2009, another change of ownership occurred. So, we learned what does MG stand for car, now let’s cover the last part of this long story.
What Does MG Stand For Car – MG Motor, 2009 – Present
And the last part of this story that we need to learn since we covered what does MG stand for car is the merger of Nanjing Automotive Corporation with the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation. And this merger has created a new chapter for the MG brand which still stands.
Currently, the MG brand is mostly focused on the Chinese market. All the cars are now developed and built in China. They have a whole lineup of models. More precisely, there is the MG3, a small hatch, the MG5 EV station wagon, MG ZS and MG ZS EV, MG HS, and the MG HS Plug-in hybrid.
Overall, all these models are sold in the UK and if you live there, you can purchase one of them for yourself.
What is good about the MG brand nowadays is that they offer crazy value for your money. The MG ZS EV starts at 30,000 British pounds. You just can’t beat that in my opinion. Also, the MG5 EV is a neat little EV station wagon that is also really popular and starts at about 31,000 British pounds. So, we learned what does MG stand for, now let’s learn more about what’s going on with MG in the US.
MG Cars USA
We learned what does MG stand for car and we covered the whole story of MG and how the ownership changes took place when it comes to this brand. Now let’s see if they are available in the US? Are they?
Well, not quite. Back in the day, a lot of MG models were imported. Especially some of the sports models like the MG Midget and the MG MGB. They have created a true following in the US and a big fan base.
On the collectors market in the US, these models cost a whole fortune. And finding some of them can be a true challenge since they hold their price really well and nobody wants to sell them.
But are there any MG models available in the US as of today? Well, the sad thing is that there isn’t a new MG model that is sold in the US.
The MG market nowadays is mostly China and Britain. This is the case because in Britain this brand has a long history and people just love to purchase cars from this brand.
In addition to this, the MG Motorsport is also active and is racing MGs in the British Touring Car Championship. In 2014 they even won the Manufacturer’s Championship with the MG6 GT.
Also, the MG cars were raced in the past on many famous circuits and races like the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Now let’s conclude this article on what does MG stand for car.
MG Cars: Facts and History
- The MG brand has been controlled by various companies and organizations since its creation in the 1920s, with the current owner being the Chinese-based automotive giant SAIC Motor Corporation.
- The MG brand was saved by Chinese-based Nanjing after parent company MG Rover went bust in 2005, and later merged with SAIC Motor Corporation in 2012.
- The first-ever MG, or Old Number One, is a preserved pointed-tail two-seater.
- The Abingdon-based MG Car Company produced several successful models, including the TA Midget, K-Type Magnette, L and M-Type Magnas, before being acquired by Morris Motors in 1935.
- The MGA became a top seller for MG, although the twin-cam version introduced in 1958 was dropped due to its problematic engine.
- The 1.8-liter K-Series powered MGF was a massive success for the German-owned brand after German cash flow helped finalize its development.
- MG Rover was the name of the revived company after BMW sold the Rover Group’s car and engine manufacturing assets to the Phoenix Consortium in 2000.
- NAC MG UK Ltd was renamed MG Motors Limited in 2009, and the first all-new MG-badged car for 16 years, the MG6, was officially unveiled at Longbridge in 2011.
- The current MG line-up consists of the 2016-launched GS, the larger ZS SUV range, and the recently introduced electric MG ZS EV SUV, powered by a 44.5kWh water-cooled lithium-ion battery pack.
- MG celebrated its 90th birthday in 2014, marking a record-breaking period as the fastest-growing automotive brand in the UK, and returned to motorsport with a specially prepared MG6 winning the 2014 British Touring Car Championship.
Conclusion
In this article, we have covered quite a bit when it comes to the MG brand. MG is a really popular British brand with a long lineage that is almost 100 years old. And was and still is one of the prime choices for many buyers. This is why we learned what does MG stand for and explained the meaning behind the logo.
Then we have covered the history of the MG marque. We have covered the period from its inception till the present day. Their cars are still sold in the UK, so if you come from the UK, you should definitely check them out because they have real bargains, especially when it comes to EVs.
F.A.Q
Now let’s cover some frequently asked questions.
What Does MG Stand For
MG stands for Morris Garages. This is a car brand that was created by William Morris and Cecil Kimber who was the chief designer of MG cars. First, these cars were Morris Motors vehicles. But Cecil Kimber and his team reworked the models and were sold under the MG badge. This is how the MG marque was created.
How Much Is A MG
If you get a new MG, you can expect to spend about 30,000 British pounds. These models are only sold in the UK as well as in China. So, if you are not from the UK, finding a new MG car can be a challenge.
Who Makes MG Cars
Currently, MG is owned by a company called MG Motor. This company is owned by SAIC Motor UK, which is owned by SAIC Motor Technical Center from China. So, basically, MG is owned by Chinese owners.
What Does MGB Stand For
MGB is an abbreviation, the first two letters stand for Morris Garages, while the B refers to the model. So, Morris Garages Model B. That’s what MGB stands for.
What Was The First Car Ever Built
The first car was manufactured by Karl Benz. This car was a three-wheeler that was known as the Motorwagen. It was produced in 1886.
What Does M Mean On A Car
M simply means manual. If you have an automatic car and you have the M button, pressing this button will shift your transmission into manual mode where you can change your gears manually. While on M-sport cars made by BMW. This button will transfer your car into high-performance mode.
