Family-run Hawkins Motor Group has opened a new MG dealership in Hayle, Cornwall, expanding the brand’s presence in the South West of England.

The regional group has been supplying cars in the area for almost 90 years, operating Peugeot, Citroen, Kia, Hyundai and Mitsubishi franchises across seven locations.

The new site, MG Hayle, is based at the Hayle Industrial Park, in Hayle.

Jeremy Hawkins, dealer principal at Hawkins Motor Group, said: “It’s a very exciting time to be joining up with MG, which is a brand that is clearly going places, as well as taking the lead on making electric cars affordable to the masses. With that and the reassurance of a seven-year warranty it’s a brand that fits well into our family-run business, which has been providing cars, service and friendly support to motorists in Cornwall for almost nine decades.”

At the end of September 2020, MG’s registrations were up 52.1% year-on-year in a market that was down 33.1%.

Shanghai Automotive-owned MG had set a target of operating from a 120-site franchised retail network by mid-2020 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Daniel Gregorious, MG’s head of sales & marketing, added: “We’re delighted to welcome Hawkins Motor Group into the MG family. The site in Hayle is ideally positioned for us to help grow our network and sales volumes.

“Our incredible value, seven-year warranty and great range of cars have really captured the imagination of Britain’s car buying public and have also helped us strategically grow our dealer network, which will comprise over 120 sites before the end of the year. But critically, we are very selective in who we work with and the dealers we engage with are some of the best and most customer-focused in the business. Hawkins MG fits this brief perfectly.”

The MG ZS EV, all-new MG5 EV and MG HS Plug-in are expected to help MG to reach a tipping point in 2021 with plug-in cars accounting for more than 50% of MG Motor UK’s total sales.