Brexit puts MG's planned mainland Europe sales start in doubt

London - Brexit could hit MG's already long-delayed plan to expand sales into mainland Europe, which was scheduled for 2018 - until Britain voted to leave the EU in June.

"The Brexit vote has thrown all immediate plans into doubt until a new trade agreement with Europe is negotiated,” said Matthew Cheyne, MG UK's sales and marketing director.

Although the SAIC Motor-owned company imports its cars from China, MG does some assembly on many of the vehicles at its plant in Longbridge, central England. That means MG's launch into mainland Europe would be from the UK.

A few weeks before Britain voted to quit the EU, MG had launched the first of two planned SUVs and was hopeful that its refreshed lineup would attract younger customers to boost its sales, which last year reached 3,152 vehicles.

"We need to entice new customers. The current demographic is 55-plus," Cheyne said. "The SUV is capturing the imagination of younger buyers."