The huge car plant at Longbridge will officially reopen today, two years after closing following the dramatic collapse of motor giant Rover. A special ceremony will be held at the Birmingham plant.
It will mark the next phase in the restarting of car production.
The new Chinese owners Nanjing Automobile Corporation (NAC) is to build TF sports cars at Longbridge with models due off the production line later this year.
Pre-production MG TF sports cars will be driven off the newly re-commissioned production line as part of today’s events.
Officials attending the ceremony will include Mr Liang Baohua, governor of Jiangsu Provincial Government, the home province of NAC. There will be a special cavalcade of MG cars around the plant.
Nearly 6,000 workers lost their jobs when MG Rover went out of business, dealing a huge blow to the UK car industry in general and the West Midlands economy in particular.
The crisis blew up just before the last general election and led to jobs being lost in companies, which supplied the car giant.
The Unite union welcomed today’s ceremony but said it would continue to press for jobs to be created at Longbridge.
Eric McDonald, the union’s regional industrial organiser said: “Longbridge has a long and proud history within the automotive industry and Nanjing’s ownership will be another important chapter so we wish it every success.
“The restarting of car production will be welcome but we continue to press Nanjing to honour their stated objective of creating 1,200 jobs.”
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