20 July 2001: MG Rover is ‘looking at’ the possibility of going back into the US market with its new MG products such as the ZR above, but the odds are against a quick re-entry to a market in which it had an unhappy experience last time around.

Still, according to marketing director John Sanders, they have been ‘testing the water’ by sending over some prototypes of their new range to MG owner events in the US, and also displayed their MGF Trophy at a number of transAtlantic shows.

“The interest we got was very high,” he said this week. “And of the people logging onto our website, the biggest proportion is from the US. So we do have to look at it. But there are major regulatory issues in bringing a car to the US market, as well as the whole situation of distribution.”