Tag Archives: SMMT

U.K., MG, EV

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The past isn’t necessarily prologue. . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

According to the British trade association the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), through the first half of 2024 the car brand MG had 4.38% of the UK market.

While that may seem, at first blush, somewhat trivial, it should be noted that MINI was a 2.11%, Land Rover 3.26%, and Ford at 5.64%–and as for that last-named, I’ve been told by people who live there that Ford has been on the scene so long that it is considered indigenous to the U.K., and that Ford’s U.K. showroom has a breadth of offerings that dwarfs MG’s.

MINI is owned by BMW. Land Rover by Tata Motors. And MG SAIC Motor.

MG was established in Oxford in 1930 and had a run until 1972, when its then-owner British Leyland, which itself no longer exists, stopped using the marque.

SAIC has owned the brand since 2005. (It was purchased by Nanjing Automobile Group that year, then SAIC acquired Nanjing in 2007.)

Presently MG offers 11 models in the U.K. of which only four are pure ICE vehicles, with the remainder hybrids or EVs.

But next month a British company, Frontline Cars, is going to be bringing its MGB-based LE60 to Monterey.

The Frontline LE60. An MGB brought up to date with a V8. (Image: Frontline Cars)

Interestingly, this restomod is powered by a 375 bhp 4.8-liter V8. Frontline points out that this is “almost quadruple the power of the original MGB.”

But one wonders: while the company now selling vehicles carrying the MG badge are mainly non-ICE, doesn’t a V8-powered sportscar that is returned and updated from the past seem like some sort of curio?

A Bright Aspect of the U.K.’s Dour March Sales

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Although passenger vehicle sales in the U.K. were down 14.3% in March compared to March 2021 at a total 243,479 units.

The U.S. sales were, according to LMC Automotive, on the order of 1.25 million units in March, the automotive consulting firm notes that compared to March 2021 that is a decrease of 22%, so the Brits are better on that score.

What is most notable about the U.K. vehicle registration numbers, as reported by SMMT: Battery electric vehicle sales were 39,315 units, or 16.1% of all vehicles sold. That is a 78.7% increase over the number of EVs sold there in March ’21.

Other categories:

Diesel:                    13,736 units           -55.2% (from March ’21)

Petrol:                     102,349                  -25.6%

MHEV diesel:          11,569                    -50.3%

MHEV petrol:          32,716                    4.0%

PHEV:                     16,037                    -7.5%

HEV:                       27,737                    28.4%

In other words, only EVs, mild gasoline hybrids and hybrids saw an increase. Those three categories of vehicles represent 40.9% of the total market in March ’22.

Things are certainly changing in the U.K.

The best-selling vehicle in the U.K. in March? The Tesla Model Y. And that’s of all powertrains. Number 2? The Tesla Model 3.

Enough said.