China is where MG does best yet this is becoming ever more of a global brand. India and Thailand are steadily becoming high-growth territories, market share is above one per cent and rising in the UK, while a return to selected EU and EFTA countries is also underway. There is much new product to come too.
Cars
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By GlobalDataThe next MG 5 will be revealed very soon. The car is a 4,675 mm long fastback sedan with a 2,680 mm wheelbase. Power will reportedly come from 1.5-litre and 1.5-litre turbo petrol engines. SAIC’s C architecture, which underpins this model, was also the basis of the 5’s predecessor, the MG GT. That car went out of production in 2018 after only four years as it was not a success.
By contrast, as well as being an electric car, the future 5 EV will be unusual for being a wagon. The name and initial details were revealed to the media by MG Motor UK earlier in 2020. The sales launch is due to take place by year-end. This car is to share much with the Roewe iE5, with that model itself using a platform derived from GM’s Global Delta. The iE5 – launched in China in mid-2018 – has a single motor and a 52.5 kWh battery pack.
A plug-in hybrid prototype of the MG 6 called eMG 6 was revealed at the Guangzhou motor show in November 2017. That was said to be powered by a 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine and one motor with combined power of 167 kW (228 hp). Nothing became of that prototype but then last month SAIC suddenly announced the 6 PHEV, a few weeks after the debut of a facelift for the 6 range in the Chinese market. This is a far more powerful car than the eMG6.
The petrol-electric MG 6 is powered by a 2.0 turbocharged four-cylinder engine plus a single motor. The combined power and torque are 305 hp and 480 Nm, with drive sent to the front axle only via a ten-speed automatic gearbox. As the original is some years old now, the 6 PHEV is due to be replaced in 2023.
As the 6 was introduced in late 2017, the plug-in hybrid will have a relatively short production cycle. It should be replaced along with other variants in mid-2023.
A battery-electric roadster has been talked about since the E-Motion concept premiered at the 2017 Shanghai motor show. SAIC continues to drip feed information about the addition of such a car to its line-up, the most recent news being the release of renderings of a concept called Cyberster to the media in May. The production model is believed to be due for a sales launch in relevant markets – China and the UK at least – in 2021. Further details are in PLDB.
Pick-up
The Extender, MG’s only pick-up, is closely based on the Maxus T70/LDV T70. This model is mainly for Thailand and it is manufactured in that country by the SAIC Motor-CP Co Ltd joint venture (see PLDB for details of the plant). When announcing the truck to the media in August 2019, the JV said it aimed to sell 20,000 units annually. The life cycle will likely last until 2028/2029 and there should be a facelift in 2024.
SUVs
SAIC replaced the MG GS in 2018 by launching the HS, an SUV which is based on the Roewe RX5. This is the donor vehicle for another model which some believe will replace the HS although others claim it will be an addition to the range. Expected to be called Linghang, it will revealed at the Beijing motor show later this month.
The Hector, a restyled version of China’s Baojun 530, was the first model for SAIC’s range of locally manufactured MG vehicles in the Indian market. The Chinese giant took over General Motors’ Halol plant in September 2017 and invested in a refit. The factory’s stated capacity at the time of opening (April 2019) was 80,000 units per annum.
The 4,655 mm long Hector, revealed in May 2019, competes in the same class as the Jeep Compass and Tata Harrier among others. As for engines, a 143 hp and 250 Nm version of the 1.5-litre petrol unit which the Baojun original offers in China is available, along with a 48 V mild hybrid derivative. FCA also supplies its 2.0-litre diesel with outputs of 170 hp and 350 Nm.
The Hector was launched in five-seater form but the Hector Plus, which is 40 mm longer and has three rows of seating, premiered at the New Delhi auto expo in February. COVID-19 delayed its launch but this then took place in July. The Plus comes with the same three engine choices as the Hector. Both are due for some styling changes in 2022 and to be replaced in 2025/2026.
MG’s Chinese market model range should gain a large SUV later this year. It will reportedly share much with the Roewe RX8. The latter is a 4.9 m long SUV which was released for sale in China in March 2018. The RX8 is available with five or seven seats and uses the same body-on-frame platform as the Maxus/LDV T60 pick-up and D90 SUV.
An even bigger model is headed to India as a specific vehicle for that market. To be based on the Maxus D90/LDV D90, a pre-production version called Gloster debuted at the India Auto Expo in February. SKD assembly will commence at the Halol plant either later this year or in the first quarter of 2021 (COVID-19 has caused some delays to SAIC’s plans).
Reports for many other manufacturers’ future models are grouped in the OEM product strategy summaries section of just-auto.com.
Future platform intelligence
More detail on past, current and forthcoming models can be found in PLDB, the future vehicles database which is part of GlobalData’s Automotive Intelligence Center. That includes the MG vehicles not included in this report.
This, the third of three features outlining the current and next generation models for SAIC’s brands, follows a look at Maxus/LDV, and Roewe. The next OEM to have its brands’ future model plans looked at will be Honda Motor.
