Until now, the MG6 has been sold with a single 1.8-litre turbocharged petrol engine emitting 174g/km CO2, which has put it just outside the fleet radar. Its new 150bhp 1.9-litre diesel was developed in-house, from scratch, and is aimed at offering a competitive value for fleets, helped by low pricing, SMR and insurance costs. The MG3 supermini will follow next summer, with a multi-model platform set to underpin further models within five years.

Three quarters MG6 diesels are expected to be sold to businesses, and two thirds of those will be the range-topping TSE trim with every optional extra included. Priced at £20,195 for the GT hatch and £21,995 for the Magnette saloon, MG is hoping its performance and up-front value for money will offset its comparatively high CO2 emissions while engineers continue to work on improvements and smaller units.

‘It’s high but we’re aiming for the performance end of the market as opposed to the economy end,’ explained Guy Jones, Sales and Marketing Director at MG Motor UK Ltd. ‘MG as a brand fits having a good high torque figure. We’ve got to make a good first impression, and we can water it down later. At launch it’s good for customers to see that MG can offer high performance.’

The carmaker’s UK network comprises 40 dealers, with the fleet operation managed out of Longbridge. Originally set up to sell a small run of MG TF sports cars, larger dealers with fleet capability are being appointed to cope with the growing model range. A further 20 will be appointed during 2013, with some of the preparation and de-fleeting work farmed out to hubs around the country.

MG will also be running fleet events from its Longbridge headquarters, offering test drives and giving tours of its £250m Technical Centre to show customers that it’s got staying power.