AW Rostamani Trading, part of UAE-based AW Rostamani Group, has launched the British automotive brand MG (Morris Garages) in the UAE as its exclusive distributor.

MG is the flagship brand owned and operated by Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (Saic), the leading automotive manufacturer by sales in China.

“Our strategy to partner with Saic and the MG brand reflects the steady shift of automotive manufacturing excellence to China and is very much a signifier of the future,” said Michel Ayat, CEO of AW Rostamani Automotive.

“We are excited about partnering with China’s leading automotive group to introduce this icon of the British automotive industry to the UAE.”

“Our recipe for success is based around European MG product quality and engineering, the power and scale of Saic’s manufacturing capability and our local expertise in providing the best in sales and after sales service for these products,” he added.

Yanghao, Mena sales manager, overseas sales department at Saic, said: “It is a privilege to be working alongside AW Rostamani Trading. As a group with unrivalled experience in the automotive retail and after sales sector in the UAE, we are confident they will provide the best customer experience and backup for the MG brand.”

“We look forward to a highly fruitful relationship working alongside the company as we introduce the initial two MG products,” he added.

MG launches into the UAE market with two new four door sedans sporting the octagonal badge - the MG 550 and the flagship MG 750.

The MG 550 is a sportily styled car with a European-look interior and a 158 hp from a 1.8-litre light pressure turbo four-cylinder engine powering the front wheels via a five-speed tiptronic auto transmission with paddle shifters as standard.

The MG 750 is a more familiar shape to car enthusiasts being based on the core technologies of the existing Rover 75 although with many technical and cosmetic updates from Saic. A 183 hp 2.5-litre V6 engine drives the front wheels through a multi-mode five-speed automatic transmission.

The MG 550, which will be available in two grades, will start in price from Dh64,000 ($17,423) and the MG 750 will start in price at Dh76,000. – TradeArabia News Service