Former British rivals MG and Rover are facing new competition from China: each other. China's Shanghai Automotive (SAIC), having lost the bidding war for many of MG Rover's assets — including the MG name — to Nanjing last year, reportedly spent $21 million to buy the rights to the Rover name from BMW. The deal could still be derailed by Ford, which according to the UK's Guardian, holds rights of first refusal for the brand name after buying Land Rover from BMW in 2000. (And, if SAIC does get Rover, it's banned from building off-road vehicles under the name.) Still, with MG on a high-profile push for expansion, but SAIC having far more financial juice than Nanjing, the fight for bizarro British rule in China is bound to be a hoot, if nothing else.
MG and Rover to Compete Again [PistonHeads]
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Nanjing's MG Rover Deal: The Art of War with Shanghai Auto; Duke Hale Says: Never Mind Nanjing, MG to Be Built in the US [internal]