MG Motor announces expansion project

MG Motor UK has completed an expansion project at its electrical component testing facilities in the UK. Alongside adding a third vehicle skeleton to increase pre-production testing capabilities, new lighting, cabling and display screens have been installed to further improve operational efficiencies.

Used for the development and validation of prototype technologies, the electronic component testing facility is based at MG’s UK Motor Technical Centre (SMTC) in Longbridge, Birmingham. With 22 team members and state-of-the-art testing equipment, the facilities are used to develop in-car electronics for all models manufactured by SAIC Motor Corporation Limited – the parent company of MG.

The investment will allow MG’s team of highly-skilled electrical engineers to bring new components to market and support the development of innovative technologies for the vehicles of tomorrow.

Richard McAlister, Vice Director of Electrical Engineering at the SMTC, commented: “The latest in a long line of investment projects at our UK Technical Centre in Longbridge, expanding the electrical component testing facility provides significant opportunity to test, validate and facilitate an even greater workload.

“The work undertaken in the laboratory isn’t simply about testing individual components, we have to ensure that they all integrate. The electrical architecture of a modern car means that thousands of electrical messages happen simultaneously. It’s vital that the systems all cope in different scenarios, which is why continuing to invest into the latest technologies and processes is so important.

“Thanks to facilities like our electrical component testing facility, we can now identify and solve issue long before a new car enters the pre-production stage. This saves time and vast amounts of money by streamlining the whole process.”

As an integral part of SAIC Motor Corporation Limited – the parent company of MG Motor – SMTC is responsible for key phases of the engineering, research, design and development programmes for all new MG products worldwide.

For more information about the SMTC, visit www.saicmotor.co.uk. For more information about the latest MG model range, or to find your local dealer, visit www.mg.co.uk.