THE MG BRAND will return to Ireland within weeks after the Chinese owner of the ill-fated British sportscar marque - Nanjing Automobile Corporation (NAC) - confirmed that it is to launch its limited edition two-seat MG TF LE500 here before the end of October.
NAC is at the final stages of agreeing terms with a newly-appointed Irish importer - KC Garages in south Dublin - which previously sold MG Rover cars before the manufacturer's collapse in 2006.
Heading Ireland's newest car importer will be Gus Corrigan, who has a long history with the MG marque.
He was managing director of MG Rover Ireland for three years until the collapse.
Prior to this, he was chairman of the MG Rover Dealer Association and joint dealer principal at KC Garages, which currently holds the franchise to sell Kia vehicles.
The garage will now multi-franchise, selling both Kia and MG and will initially be the only dealership in Ireland to sell the new MG TF until agreements are signed with other dealers looking to take on the franchise.
The niche rear-wheel drive hardtop TF LE500 comes with just one engine (a 1.8-litre 134bhp petrol unit) and will be the only model available for at least 18 months.
The launch of this new MG into Ireland has already been delayed for several weeks while the company sources and fits kilometre speedometers to the 10 Irish cars that will be registered here during the remainder of 2008.
Corrigan, who will be named managing director of MG Ireland within days, confirmed that demand for the new sportscar, which will be priced just below €30,000, will be limited and will peak at an expected 35 units in 2009.