Car production at the former MG Rover factory in Longbridge will start again in June, a council leader claimed today.

Nanjing Automobile, the Chinese car maker that bought MG Rover two years ago, today launched production of MG model sports cars, seeking to revive the historic brand in China and overseas.

The new owners of MG Rover today announced a deal with a British team of designers to develop a new range of cars.

SHANGHAI Automotive (SAIC), the Chinese carmaker that lost out in the bidding process for MG Rover last week, said yesterday it was considering a legal challenge to the court-appointed administrator’s decision to sell Rover to fellow Chinese company Nanjing Automobile.

Workers at MG Rover were today hoping more jobs would be created at its Longbridge, UK factory after Chinese firm Nanjing bought the collapsed carmaker.