MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -MG Motor plans to build a manufacturing plant and a research and development center in Mexico, the carmaker said on Wednesday.

The move will allow MG - a formerly British brand now owned by China's SAIC Motor Corp - "to not only produce vehicles, but to also produce market intelligence specifically designed for and by Latin America," country head Zhang Wei said in a statement.

The firm did not detail how much it planned to invest, nor did it give a timeline for the construction.

MG's sister brand IM, a luxury electric-vehicle line, also plans to enter the Mexican market, MG said.