The Brand continues to expand its global presence through football taking a major leap forward after becoming the official car of one of the biggest competitions in South America
February 2021.- MG Motor has made a name for itself in the world of sports (especially in football) and today leaps its history regionally, announcing the unprecedented agreement with The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) so the brand will become the new Official Sponsor of the CONMEBOL Sudamericana Cup.
“We are very proud to be part of this important event for the region, and we are very excited by this challenge where we begin to support such an important international cup in South America. This certainly marks a new milestone in our history, as globally it is the first time that MG Motor collaborates in an event of this magnitude,” said Wu Gang, General Manager of SAIC Motor South America, manufacturer, and owner of MG Motor.
Drive Your Passion
Almost 100 years old, MG Motor was born after the association of the Englishmen William Morris and Cecil Kimber, who stood out for the manufacture of vehicles with fast and fun-to-drive bodies, officially registering Morris Garages on May 1, 1924. Some of the historical records include two-speed records achieved in 1957 and 1959. In 2007, MG Motor began a new chapter after becoming part of the automotive giant SAIC Motor (ranked 7th among vehicle manufacturers in the prestigious Fortune Global 500 ranking) who seek to advance the brand’s heritage into the mobility of the future with increasingly efficient and intelligent vehicles within people’s reach through the Drive Your Passion concept.
Globalization has become an important strategy for SAIC Motor in recent years, as the MG Motor Brand has shown growth in most of the countries where it has been introduced. In South America, the Brand has a presence in Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Paraguay, and Bolivia, with a wide range of models, both models for passengers and SUVs, emphasizing amongst them the MG HS, MG ZS, MG 5, and MG 3, for their great combination of equipment, safety, connectivity, and design.
Through its constant quest for innovation, MG Motor has also developed a series of eco-friendly models (such as the successful MG ZS EV or the MG HS hybrid) and the award-winning driving assistance system, MG Pilot, which assists from lane change to automatic emergency braking, and will be gradually incorporated into the equipment of its product lines.
MG spirit: “Always young, and passionate”
The British Brand has already made headlines in "the king of sports" for having been the signature sponsor of several international clubs demonstrating its support for a passion that goes beyond engines and four wheels, and that’s seen through the competitive spirit of the game around the world. As of 2019, it has become the global partner of England’s Liverpool FC. Meanwhile, in the Middle East, the brand supports the Al-Ahli team in Saudi Arabia.
South America is also part of this sports Alliance, as the brand has been the official sponsor of Sporting Cristal of Peru for more than a year and was also the main sponsor of Colo Colo shirts in Chile from 2018 until the end of 2020.
“At MG Motor we like to make our customers’ hearts beat, we know that football has a similar effect on fans, and that same passion is the reason why we are happy to support this type of initiative and thus continue to expand as a brand in the region and the world,” adds Wu Gang.
In South America, football plays a fundamental socio-cultural role, which has made it the king of sports at a regional level. This sponsorship provides the possibility of connecting the automotive world with the football world (and vice versa) beyond the connection and synergy that currently exists, thereby reaching every corner of the continent.
In conclusion, says the General Manager of SAIC Motor South America, this Alliance (which will last until December 2022) “is very important for the brand, as it enriches the sporting DNA that MG Motor seeks and provides the possibility of sponsoring one of the most important tournaments in South America and the world by joining global brands such as Amstel, Betfair, Bridgestone, EA Sports, and Qatar Airways”.
Through this partnership with CONMEBOL, MG Motor will benefit from the exposure of its brand in South America and worldwide through its image in stadiums, events, tournament broadcasts, and digital assets. Furthermore, this agreement goes beyond real-life sports, as MG motor will also appear in FIFA 22, which translates into a great instance for video game lovers to get to know the company through the display of MG’s logo at different moments.
2021 CONMEBOL Sudamericana Cup
44 teams will compete in the 2021 CONMEBOL Sudamericana Cup including teams from ten countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela.
The classification of this tournament is determined by the rules established in each country, plus 12 additional places for four losing teams from Phase 3 of the 2021 Libertadores Cup with another eight clubs that achieved third place in the Group Stage of the same competition. These make a total of 56 teams.
Some countries have already confirmed their participation: Six Argentinian teams, four Peruvians, four Venezuelan, four Colombian, four Ecuadorian, four Paraguayan, and four Bolivian. The Chilean and Brazilian tournaments have not yet ended, so the representatives of the respective countries have not yet been determined.
The tournament is scheduled to begin on March 16, 2021.
