Perhaps he was hinting at the Gleagle Panda city car, in which case we can all be thankful: its wide eyes and gaping mouth weren’t for the faint of heart.
Autocar’s man in China drove the Emgrand EC7 in early 2012 and reported that it had hard yet flimsy interior materials; a thirsty yet underpowered 1.8-litre petrol engine; a clunky manual gearbox; a soft ride; and light steering. But, hey, it was going to cost £10k.
Actually, it wasn’t, because in October 2012 MBH fell into administration with a £3.9 million black hole in its accounts, having failed to bank a profit since 2007.
Geely, already a 20% shareholder, rescued LTI and quietly dropped the plan to import its cars – whether to focus fully on reinventing the black cab or to protect its brand image for any future UK endeavours, we couldn’t say.
Maybe it was both, but surely it was wise, or at least fortuitous, given how long it took SAIC to restore the reborn MG brand’s lustre after its faltering UK launch.
Perhaps surprisingly, Geely wasn’t the first Chinese brand expected to come here. Back in 2006, Birmingham’s International Motors (IM), the long-standing Subaru importer, held talks with “several”, Chery being the likeliest candidate – another one that is now finally on its way, two decades later.
Around the same time, Landwind (later to earn infamy for ripping off the Range Rover Evoque) became the first Chinese car brand to gain European type approval, with its dated-looking X-Pedition SUV.
Europe MD Paul Williams (Kia’s former UK boss) suggested a price of around €15,000, and there were hints that the UK was in its sights. But then the X-Pedition performed terrifyingly in official crash tests and was immediately withdrawn.
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