To be a volume player in the Australian car market you really need to have a ute.
If not a ute, a small or medium size SUV will do the trick.
SAIC with its MG Motor brand has just launched the latter, while indicating the former may be in the works.
Though if you are waiting for the MG Extender ute now on sale in Thailand, you will be disappointed.
AutoTalk got the chance to sit down with MG Motor chief executive Peter Ciao at the local reveal last month of the new HS SUV.
The HS replaces the GS in the brand’s line-up, competes in size with cars like the Mazda CX-5 and Toyota RAV4, but undercuts on headline sticker price, at driveaway $30,990 for the entry Vibe model and driveaway $33,990 for the higher specification Excite model.
The new model arrives in dealerships early next year.
Both are front-wheel drive for now, all-wheel drive is under consideration, and are powered by a 1.5-litre turbocharged engine producing 124kW and 250Nm, paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
Impressively, both get an extensive suite of driver assistance and safety features, which the MG team told AutoTalk at the Sydney reveal of the model has been tested and verified on Australasian roads.
The tech is grouped under the ‘MG Pilot’ name, and includes autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, traffic jam assist, speed-sign recognition, automatic high-beam, rear-cross traffic alert, blind-spot detection and a door opening warning.
This adds to traditional safety hardware like electronic stability control, active yaw control, brake disc wiping and electric brakeforce distribution.
Both models are highly specified, with a leatherette interior trim, soft-touch dash, part-digital instrument panel, 10.1-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, climate control air-conditioning, cooled centre console, keyless entry and USB charging for front and rear passengers.
The Excite adds 18-inch alloy wheels, dual-zone for the climate control, LED lighting, paddle-shifters, electric tailgate and a ’Sports Mode’, activated by a large red button on the flat-bottomed steering wheel.
A quick inspection of the HS while on display at MG’s Sydney dealership showed the build quality and finish is a level ahead of the brand’s previous models, and that it is rapidly closing in on Japanese competitors.
Touches like the well-finished steering wheel, embossed leather shifter and soft-touch materials throughout do give it a slightly premium feel, akin to a Mazda or lower-end Audi model.
Ciao believes the HS will have a broad appeal.
“We’re very excited about the potential that the MG HS provides to our local business and our dealers are confident of the appeal of this new model.As we continue to build trust in the market, we look forward to seeing the MG HS on local roads soon.”
“This model is a real milestone for us.” It leads a product onslaught for the brand, including a Corolla-sized hatchback, another SUV and a ‘crossover’ model.
A ute, he indicates, will be coming – and he has made the pitch to China for one.
It is unlikely to be the Extender – based on the LDV T60 – in part due to MG’s positioning as a premium brand.
Ciao says an MG ute for this end of the world will potentially come around 2025, and be developed to fit that premium mould.
“Australians, for this kind of product, are very demanding.We will invest the money and build an all new model.”
Sydney dealership a chance to listen to customers In June this year MG did something not incredibly common among distributors, opening its own dealership.
Sydney City MG, housed in an impressive multi-level building in Alexandria, the operation is led by dealer principal Kim Nguyen, features a range of MG related displays including an all-wheel drive electric drivetrain, images of classic MG vehicles and a large green-wall display.
Ciao says it is largely the same as other dealerships that sell the brand, but plays the additional role of allowing them to understand their customers.
“We are listening to the customer voice, that is why I built this showroom,” he says.
General manger of marketing and product development Danny Lenartic indicted to AutoTalk further factory-owned dealerships are not planned, though growth continues for the network.
How many dealers they will ultimately have has not yet been decided.
“We haven’t decided on that number,” Lenartic says.
“Right now we want to make sure we have dealers in the right areas that they can run a profitable business.”
“If you look at the kind of dealer that is on board, they are very forward thinking, and have a similar mindset to MG, and a number mindset, because we have been able to find the right people with the right mindset.”
MG has been bullish at asking dealers to develop relatively substantial and high standard facilities for an incoming challenger brand.
The ability to invest in such ways is not the key factor in appointing new ones.
“It is finding the right dealer with the right mindset that is the priority.”
“I think because we don’t see ourselves as Chinese, we see ourselves as a global player.
We won’t compartmentalise ourselves, (the new dealers) have all been aggressive who are willing to invest with us.”
While MG does not see itself as a Chinese brand, we asked Lenartic if buyers did, and if it matters.
“That conversation around where is it made, is happening even less and less,” he says.
“We have two design centres in the UK, we have joint ventures there, we are absolutely on the radar across the world.”
