FORMER England cricket captain Graham Gooch officially opened Eastbourne’s brand-new MG showroom today (Monday), drawing a crowd of car enthusiasts and cricket fans.
The new dealership, Birchwood MG is located on Lottbridge Drove and marks the arrival of one of Britain’s fastest-growing automotive brands to the town, bringing a full range of petrol, hybrid and all-electric MG models to car buyers.
Gooch, who is widely regarded as one of England’s finest-ever batsmen, attended the launch today (16 June) at the state-of-the-art showroom. He posed for photos with fans and toured the showroom alongside staff and MG representatives.
He told Eastbourne News: “It’s fantastic to see MG thriving once again, I actually own a vintage model myself. The new cars look great – and it’s brilliant to be part of the celebration here in Eastbourne.”
The dealership showcases MG’s full 2025 line-up, from the stylish MG4 EV hatchback, which has quickly become one of the UK’s best-selling electric cars, to the family-sized ZS EV and versatile MG5 EV estate. Petrol and hybrid models are also in the line-up, including the compact MG3, HS Plug-in Hybrid and the brand new ZS Hybrid+.
The MG Cyberster, a fully electric sports two-seater, which boasts a 0-60mph of just 3.2 seconds, was also on display at the opening (pictured). Priced from £54,995, the Cyberster is one of the most talked-about electric vehicles on the market today.
The MG brand has seen a resurgence in recent years in the motoring world. Once synonymous with classic British sports cars, MG is now owned by Chinese automotive giant SAIC Motor. While manufacturing has moved overseas, MG maintains its design and engineering base in the UK and continues to grow its identity as an affordable brand with British roots.
Matt Brown from Birchwood Group said: “We’re proud to bring MG to Eastbourne and to have a cricketing legend like Graham Gooch launch our new site. With a growing interest in electric and hybrid vehicles, we’re confident this showroom will be a big hit with local drivers.
“Since opening the showroom in October last year, we’ve probably sold around a hundred examples, so that’s a really good start for us and we really look forward to reintroducing the brand locally.”
