News : Countdown commences for MG GS unveiling

The right kind of car for current market trends. Can MG fully capitalise on this? We hope so.
The right kind of car for current market trends. Can MG fully capitalise on this? 

The countdown is on and MG Motor UK will be unveiling its all-new crossover to attendees of the London Motor Show on 6-8 May. MG Motor UK announced in October last year that it was the first volume manufacturer to confirm attendance at the London-based car show. The British brand decided that this was the perfect platform to unveil its new SUV, the MG GS.

Following a tour around the UK in the form of augmented reality, members of the public attending the Battersea Park show will get the opportunity to get up-close and personal with the real MG GS. MG will be announcing further teases about the car at the event, which is sure to generate more interest in this exciting new model.

Matthew Cheyne, Head of Sales and Marketing for MG, said: ‘Next week will be a really exciting moment for us, as we’re getting closer to launching this fantastic car into the market. Members of the public are finally getting the chance to get their hands on the UK model and see for themselves what an outstanding car this is.

‘We’re extremely proud of the GS, so we’re looking forward to unveiling it and speaking to attendees of the event about how easily it will fit into their lifestyle. I can assure potential customers that it will be consistent with the MG-family pricing strategy.’

Those attending the London Motor Show will see MG’s latest range in the central display area in Battersea Park. Tickets are £15 and the event runs from Friday 6 May until Sunday 8 May. If you want to receive updates on the MG GS, find out when the new brochure is available or when you can get your hands on a GS, register your interest on MG Motor UK’s website.

Mike Humble

34 Comments

  1. Why the delay in this launch?!.
    I remember walking around this “finished car” in the Piccadilly showroom, this time last year (April 2015)- albeit LHD….although we knew about this car nearly 2 years before that.
    Once again; MG seem to have missed the boat again, with other SUV’s coming onto the market and taking MG’s share.
    So long as its keenly priced and offered with at least a 5 year (Like Hyundai) or a preferable 7 year (like Kia) warranty….Then , they may gain some sales?.
    What is really needed, next, is a TF replacement…
    But it looks like the new MX5;The new Fiat 124 and rumoured superleggera Mini may scoop that up, before the new MG soft-top comes out.
    What is going on at Longbridge?

    • The market for roadsters is tiny. That Mazda are willing to share their brilliant MX5 with FIAT, or BMW will only replace the Z4 with a Toyota JV, shows how small it is.

  2. Is this just a copy and paste of an MG press release?

    I’d not describe MG as British. But if we are going with British how is ‘volume’ being measured in terms of manufacturing?

    That said it will be interesting to see how this car shapes up. Will it persuade buyers out of their Nissans and other established brands building vehicles in this sector?

    How will the private leasing companies – an emerging force in determining sales and residuals in the UK – view it?

    And the corporate fleets?

    This is going to have to be something special or a financial no-brainer if it is to succeed.

  3. In the whole of Europe in 2015 Mazda sold just 7000 MX-5s.

    Since February5th when they launched the new Sportage, Kia UK alone have sold 12,000 of them.

    The enthusiasts might want a new MGF but there’s just no market to justify making one.

  4. It will die a death. Depreciation will be like a well flung house brick. No diesel and no dealers = no chance.

    Bargepole in extra long please.

  5. I have seen a few on the M40, presumably test vehicles. I can’t seeing doing well unless cheap. Is any assembly being in the UK or just PDI and stickers/stripes?

  6. Sales: The GS now represents about 75% of MG sales woldwide, currently outselling the MG3 in China at a rate of 4 to 1

    Price: As quoted in the press release it will ‘be consistant with the MG family pricing strategy’ i.e very competitive, probably starting at £15,495 or lower.

    Specification: 3 trim levels all with 1.5T petrol 168bhp and 6 speed manual and 2WD. Diesel may follow as will 4WD

    British: Designed by a team in the UK lead by Anthony Williams-Kenny. Final assembly at Longbridge to same level as MG3 and MG6. MG owned by SAIC, a Chineese company. (compared to JLR, owned by TATA, a now rather infamous Indian company)

  7. @ Austin Metro

    ” Final assembly at Longbridge to same level as MG3 and MG6 ”

    I had heard reports that final assembly at Longbridge had ceased ie that the 3 and 6 were now arriving fully assembled. Encouraging to hear you say otherwise.

  8. Looks like a right dog’s dinner to me!
    Has no sporting aspirations whatsoever, that you would normally expect from a marque like MG.

  9. Roy, I think it looks ok.

    It would be nice to see some sportier MGs, even if only faster versions of the 3 and 6 for now. However, I think criticising the GS for having no traditional MG sporting flavour is missing the point somewhat. To achieve big volumes in today’s market there is no option but to offer an SUV/Crossover. Such a type of car though can’t possibly major on MG traditional values.

    It could be argued that no SUV offering contributed to MGR’s final demise, over ten years ago now. (God, time flies!!!!)

  10. SUV = “Sport Utility Vehicle”
    Maybe the “sport” in MG Motor’s interpretation of SUV, is just the ability to transport your mountain bike or golf clubs?

    I take your point Dave about any manufacturer wanting to achieve big volumes, needs to offer an SUV in their range nowadays.

  11. it will be interesting to see what the price on this. One thing ive noted recently is that main stream Japa cars are being advertised on TV at the moment cheaper than the list price for the similar sized MG’s. now the MGS might be premium cars perhaps I dont know, no one knows really, but the Jappas do have some known repuation and very good warrantees for example….https://www.mmnz.co.nz/10-year-warranty/

  12. Roy, the term SUV always seems a contradiction in terms to me – Sport and utility?!? How can this type of vehicle possibly be regarded as sporty?!

    Overall, I understand your point about the absence of a sporting theme in MG UK’s current line up.

  13. Too late, no dealers, no engine options,no advertising or marketing all adds up to no chance. Only reason it’s here is so in China they can still trade on the heritage angle. Take a look at the Chinese website to see what I mean. It would also be useful if this site preceded each article with a line that confirmed it was simply copying and pasting press releases ….simply to save 5 mins of my life. And what exactly is augmented reality? A prediction of forthcoming sales I imagine….

  14. Dealers: MG now have 65 dealers across the UK and 5 ‘Pending’. 70 dealers is similar to Subaru who sell in similar numbers to MG.

    UK Assembly: There have been rumors that this was stopping but no actual evidence. The cars do however arrive with complete painted and trimmed bodies and it is mainly the front subframes, engine and transmission (put together in UK from Chinese built units) that are added here plus rear suspension, wheels and some UK spec. instrument pods. Apparently the GS will have a UK spec dash which will be fitted in the UK, presumably as the China spec is of lower quality.

    If they can put it together as well as my MG3 (now two years old and coming up to 20,000 miles on the clock)then it should be pretty good.

  15. Austin Metro,
    Are you able to provide any evidence to support the claims of any, significant or otherwise, Longbridge assembly work having taken place within, say, the last 12 months? I’d be very interested to see it.

  16. John,

    I have no direct connection with MG and my comments are based on Wikipedia sites for Longbridge, MG3, MG6 and GS as well as site visit photos (from more than a year ago I admit) and comments on other sites including the comment below a couple of weeks ago relating to a roumor that on site production has stopped:

    ‘Parts are kept in Cell 6 which is a parts warehouse on site. Huge building. CAB1 is used for car production. The rumour is a load of rubbish, we’ve all still got very. safe jobs. We could do without stuff like this as the GS is launching this year, a car
    I’m really looking forward to drive’.

    If production has stopped at all it is likely to be temporary suspended while they accommodate new production facilities for the GS and sell pre- built stocks of the 3 and 6. Some early MG3’s were imported fully built I believe, but UK assembly can be identified by a code on the VIN number.

  17. Thank you gavtro. Great to see hard photographic evidence of MG 3 production in the UK.

    MG have built their international business model and logistics on this system of local assembly for local markets (I think they also do the same level of assembly at the new plant in Thailand, for local markets in that part of the world) with painted and trimmed bodies arriving in containers from China and engines and transmissions arriving from other factories for local assembly and the adding of market specific components (such as subframes and suspension etc. for the UK and future Europe markets), so I could not understand the rumors that they had stopped. UK ‘manufacture’ should also help when they finally do export to mainland Europe (starting with the GS next year apparently).

    Hopefully British design and engineering and British assembly may even convince some readers on aronline that MG is still as ‘British’ as any international car company can get these days..

  18. @Austin Metro

    Sorry, but that level of local manufacture (which better than nothing) is nowhere near the level of manufacture contained in rival UK made products, especially the Nissan Q’ashqai which is a direct rival

    http://www.carnewschina.com/2015/01/21/the-mg-gs-suv-is-ready-for-the-chinese-car-market/

    A couple of interesting things in this article
    1) That this car is based on the 3rd generation SsangYong Korando
    2) That the rear suspension is based on that from The VW Tiguan

  19. I thought SAIC had always denied that the GS was based on the Korando, which was an assumption made by some due to the similarity in dimensions and the fact that SAIC used to own SsangYong.

  20. The tyres on my MG3 registered in January last year admittedly were made in Slovakia, so it would have been assembled at Longbridge.

  21. I have followed the link and couldn’t find any photos of MG UK car production. Perhaps you could show me where I’ve gone wrong?

  22. Yet another failed wannabe Ssangyong SUV that tries too hard and fails miserably.
    A 21st century Lada Niva.
    Try understated style that the Germans and Land Rover do so well.

  23. Having looked at the coverage on AutoExpress, I have to say that it looks like a well designed car with features that could match the direct rivals like the Qashqai. A diesel version will be available and the estimated starting price of around £16k is very attractive. Let’s wait for the official launch in the showrooms and the full details. I think it will sell well.

  24. I think it will bomb.

    If sales of the 3 and 6 are used as a benchmark then it’s clear that the marketplace is not receptive to MG badged products.

    I’d personally prefer to see sales taken by a product that’s actually built in the UK such as the Nissan crossovers. I bet they will struggle to shift more than 100 of these per month nationally.

    There are quite rightly, very few people in the UK that are taken in by a bit of hub cap polishing at Longbridge.

    • Hundreds of engineers and designers, huge R&D investment, strategic UK base. Hardly hubcap polishing

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