The first Chinese car for the American market will actually be built in Oklahoma and bear the MG name, which may be familiar to some auto afficianados. Following a similar practice with electronics, the Chinese have scarfed up a once proud name brand to enter a new market. In electronics the Chinese have bought brands such as Polaroid and Westinghouse. In the case of automobiles, state-owned carmaker Nanjing Automobile Group bought the once venerable British brand from bankrupt, British car company MG Rover for about $100 million — the related Rover car brand is now in the hands of Germany's BMW AG, according to trade publication AutoWeek. While AutoBlog reports that the first models will be roadsters, Nanjing is bound to expand the line up assuming the early models sell well. After all, when the Chinese bought the Polaroid name, the brand graced more than just cameras expanding into DVD players and TVs. MG was one of Britain's first domestic carmakers starting production of small roadsters in 1923. After World War II, the brand came to America as GIs stationed in Britain were clamoring for MGs because there was nothing like it on America's roads at the time. MGs were available for 33 years before the company withdrew from the U.S. market.—Matthew Wurtzel
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