Don't know anything about MGs but have plenty of experience with Chinese buses.
Can they make a good product, yes if your willing to pay for it. Trouble is once they have your confidence they will then start to cheapen down the finished product until you either accept the rubbish or you jump on them with contract in hand.
Can they design a good product, in the auto world NO!!!! They learnt from the Japanese to copy and produce and let the world know that if you don't like it stiff!
Chinese made products from major manufactures, my experience is with Michelin mainly, first batch of tyres we found to be made in China were sent 40 ft container amount back quick smart, European price for Chinese product, no thanks. We were then asked if we would accept Chinese tyres at a heavy discounted price to try them, we did and went over to Conti tyres as the Michelins were cracking on the sidewalls even before we could use them for caps for the rear of Urban buses (12 months/120,000kms).
Cummins engines, ZF trans and parts, Thermo King bus A/C units the list goes on, some of it is as good as what is produced else were but same cost so no advantage.
As for the Chinese mentality to cheapen the finished products, 1 engineer who grew up in the coach manufacturing industry in Australia ended up working for an Aussie company who imported complete buses (less seats). He explained to me that every week he would go down to the production line and check things like the insulation, with a lighter to make sure it wouldn't catch fire (re:ADRs) because it would only be a matter of when, not if, they would slip in the cheaper flammable materials to save the Chinese bosses some money.
I've seen first hand what these same companies, be Aussie owned or Chinese owned would do if they were found to be providing less than satisfactory vehicles, even to the point of ignoring a Victorian Supreme Court ruling and still telling the owners to go back to court and get another ruling, they did and the company dragged their feet for so long that the sole operator went belly up, ending 4 generations of a family business.
I watched a another company sold probably 5000 buses then left the market so no backup, no parts warranty, no nothing. The sad part is that State governments were bulling family bus companies into buying these cheap buses or lose their contracts for school runs, then when the s**t hits the fan and they can't get anything done to their buses then the governments dept leaves them in the lurch. The disappointing part was that they could have purchased Australian built school bused for $30,000 more (350,000 Aust or 320,000 Chinese) with backup but the contacts are financed by the state Governments so they had no choice. I went to look at a depot just out of Brisbane to decide if we would purchase the company and saw a new (within 12 months old) Chinese bus with a red defect sticker on the windscreen, can't use until repaired and then after reinspection by Compliance @ qld Transport, apparently a cracked chassis, picked up on first over the pits inspection, towed home as the
distributor/manufacture was deciding if it was covered by their warranty???? I didn't purchase the company so don't know what the outcome was.
As you can gather we never had anything to do with Chinese buses, we actually purchased 2 Aussie made coaches from NZ and refurbished them to use as school buses when nothing was available here, and when we needed any coaches/buses and nothing Aussie was available we purchased Irizar products made in Spain, not perfect but at least Irizar went the route of purchasing the original
distributor out and then provided factory backed parts and warranty.
Would I buy Chinese, cheap non life threating stuff yeah, major stuff nope!
They will learn? eventually when the western world gets sick of the poor attitude to cost/manufacturing but only when forced to do so.? Maybe!
Stay safe
Terry aka Tbro