Healey goes Chinese

Plex · Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 9:18 pm Post subject: Healey goes Chinese

The famous Healey name has taken on a Chinese flavour with the announcement that Nanjing Automobile Corporation has signed a deal to develop sports cars bearing the winged badge.

HFI Limited owns the rights to the Healey name, which graced many of the best sports cars from the 1950s and 1960s.

The deal between HFI and Nanjing brings to an end some of the problems surrounding the use of the Healey name.

The Healey family retains a stake in the rights to the name and can veto its inappropriate use.

There's no word on how much Nanjing has paid to use the Healey name, but HFI stumped up �1 million at the beginning of 2007 to buy the rights to the Healey name.

It's thought that Nanjing intends to build all-new Healey-badged sports cars in the UK. The plan is believed to include spiritual successors to the Austin Healey 3000 and 'Frogeye' Sprite models.

These new cars would be built at the re-opened Longbridge plant alongside production of the revitalised MG TF, which began production again last month.

Topgear

MG Man · Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 10:58 pm Post subject:

good stuff
I cannot see the chinese doing a worse job than the Brits
Nanjing did an amazing MG launch in March. They shipped MGs from UK just for the occasion. They went thru great lengths to demonstrate a committment to nmaintaining british heritage. They even have former MG Rover managers on staff!
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Plex · Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2007 10:02 am Post subject:

Pardon me, but first time i hearing about this brand of cars..So i guess it is good news then?

MG Man · Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2007 6:31 pm Post subject:

Austin Healey has been edad for decades............the AH name will be just that, a brand name
If the cars are good, who knows.....but I cannot see a bugeye sprite being reborn in todays world
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