300 NEW LONGBRIDGE JOBS - NOW LET’S HAVE SOME MORE

29-05-2007

When the first MG TF rolls off the new Nanjing production line at Longbridge today, the challenge will be to see if more than 300 jobs can be created - and local politicians are talking up the prospects.

Birmingham Council leader Mike Whitby has hinted that if the launch is successful,several other models could be assembled here too, with the Chinese making Brum the base of their Euopean sports car production.

Meanwhile the Northfield MP Richard Burden has challenged Nanjing to help develop Longbrdge as a centre of technological innovation.

While welcoming the re-start of the track at the famous old plant which closed two years ago, he said: “There is potentially a huge cross-over in the skills required for performance automotive engineering and other areas such as aerospace and environmental technologies.

“The increasing global reach of the UK‘s motorsport industry into these areas is an example of that. The home of a lot of that expertise is here in the Midlands.

"There is huge potential for technological cooperation and knowledge transfer between the UK and China to tackle the environmental challenges we both face. With NAC already here, Longbridge could become a natural centre for that.”

First though, the new car has to be a success - and as we reported last week, Gemma Cartwright to the Rover Community Action Trust is calling on British motorists to back the new car (click here)