China''s Nanjing Automobile Group, the new owners iconic British firm MG Rover, said it had begun construction of a plant as part of its plan to revive the brand.
 
Total investment in the project based in China''s eastern city of Nanjing, will be 2.82 billion yuan (350 million dollars), with the plan capable of producing 200,000 cars and 250,000 engines every year, Nanjing Auto said. It said that most of MG Rover''s machinery and equipment in the British groups'' now defunct factories had already been shipped to China and production was scheduled to start next year.

Nanjing Automobile Corp paid 53 million pounds for MG Rover in July last year, acquiring its assembly lines, engine technology and many of the firm''s models.

It will however compete in selling cars developed by MG Rover with Shanghai Automobile Industry Corp (SAIC), which lost out in the bid for the bankrupt British carmaker, but managed to buy the rights and assets for the manufacture of the Rover 75 and Rover 25 models and related engines.

SAIC''s first model, a new generation Rover 75, is scheduled to be launched in September, ahead of Nanjing Auto''s MG launch.

Nanjing Auto was expected to launch its first MG model on March 27 next year, the Chinese automaker''s 60th birthday, according to previous state press reports.

The MG series will be renamed MG3Z, MG5Z and MG7Z, from the original MGZR, MGZS and MGZT.

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