Once upon a time, British automaker MG was renowned for its lightweight sports cars, but since the company was sold to Chinese automotive giant SAIC, the automaker has mainly focused on selling SUVs and subcompacts like the MG 3. This will soon change. The company is looking to return to its roots, as SAIC design boss Shao Jingfeng has confirmed the MG will once again produce sports cars. Speaking to Drive, Jingfeng confirmed MG is planning to build a lightweight roadster similar to the MG B and MG A to rival the Mazda MX-5 Miata.

Unlike the MX-5, the new MG will be an all-electric sports car with all-wheel drive, and will feature a completely new platform. There's no word yet when MG's new sports car will arrive, but it will be the first of many models to come. Jingfeng confirmed MG is planning to build "a motorsports car, a sports car and two years later EV, all EV." Jingfeng added he wants MG to return to its roots "because the brand stopped for several years" by focusing on building SUVs. A spokesperson also told the publication "Sports cars are the essence of MG in the past and we're trying to carry over this essence into our future plans.

This is something people remember in the past but when you look into the auto industry you see a significant switch to SUVs. In the meanwhile, we need to look into the future trend and make sure that people are starting to see the future but keeping the heritage of the brand." MG's sports car comeback has certainly been a long time coming, as the TF has been out of production since 2011. MG has since shown interest in returning to its sports car roots however as the automaker recently unveiled the E-motion concept at the Shanghai Auto Show in 2017.