Abingdon: Back to the future for MG

It’s back to the future as the latest MG dealership opens in the brand’s historic birthplace. Lodge Hill Garage in Abingdon is just a stone’s throw away from the site of the original MG factory where cars were built from 1929 to 1980. Now the latest MG3 and MG GS models are proudly displayed in the showroom of the UK’s latest MG dealership.

The Abingdon dealership joins one of the fastest-growing brands in Britain as new MGs in the Oxford and Abingdon area created a wave of interest. Lodge Hill’s principal Nigel Murrin said: “We’ve had a huge response from people wishing us well and saying how glad they are to see the MG name back. It’s just a reminder how much passion there is for the brand. 

“Now we’re planning to repay that with a huge official opening weekend event and we will be confirming the dates very shortly.” 

Lodge Hill Garage is on the Oxford Road in Abingdon, the main commuter route between Abingdon and Oxford and is easy to spot with a full-size replica of an RAF Spitfire on the forecourt.

Matthew Cheyne, MG’s head of sales and marketing, said: “It’s always great to welcome new dealers to our brand, but even more so to now have a dealer representing us in the very birthplace of MG.” 

MG’s summertime sales boom continues to accelerate, with dealers up and down the country reporting record requests for MG3 and MG GS test drives. MG Motor UK sales so far this year are way ahead of last year’s figures and it is expected that 2016 will be a record year. 

While the UK car industry has increased by an average of 2.8% so far this year, MG’s growth is more than five times that level, with official figures showing the brand is up more than 15% year to date.