MG6 saloon revealed

MG Motor has revealed the saloon version of its new MG6 at Longbridge.

Sales of the new four-door Focus rival will start in the UK in July, three months after the first deliveries of the new five-door hatchback. Prices for the saloon model are likely to be between £17,000 and £20,000.

The MG6 had originally been expected to be launched last autumn, but it has been delayed due to customer feedback on some of the interior switchgear and trim materials. Changes have been made as a result of these clinics, which has led to a delayed launch.

Chinese parent firm SAIC was also keen for press drives of the car to occur in Britain and not Spain as originally planned, with these now scheduled for March.

Part-designed in the UK, the MG6 will be powered by a 147bhp 1.8 turbo and is said to be capable of 120mph and 0-62mph in around nine seconds. The engine is a third-generation version of Rover’s K-series, now re-named N-series, re-engineered with better cooling, lubrication and head gasket.

Both saloon and hatchback MG6 variants will be assembled at Longbridge and MG Motor's parent firm SAIC is currently shipping knockdown kits to the UK for assembly. A total of 40 people are currently employed on MG's production line, meaning capacity is currently around 5000 units per year.

But the car will only be available in the UK, not the rest of Europe, until at least summer 2012, as it will not launch it in mainland Europe without a diesel engine. This is currently scheduled to arrive in the MG6 in summer 2012.

Prices for the five-door MG6 are likely to start at around £16,500. Three trim levels will be offered for both saloon and hatch, with the price gap between the entry-level models at around £500 and the top-spec models £1000. This is because MG's market research revealed saloon car buyers expected more equipment than hatchback buyers. Sat-nav will be standard on mid-range and top-spec models.

MG has also revealed a new logo, which is seen on the screen behind the MG6 saloon in these pictures.