News : MG GS undergoes pre-(UK) launch testing

97359mg

In June 2016, the new MG GS goes on sale in the UK. To mark the occasion, MG has been sharing images from its development, from the design brief and early sketches through to what it’s gone through to ensure it performs at its best.

All new models are put through their paces, and the MG GS is no exception to this testing. The GS has travelled over 750,000 miles as part of its testing and it has braved the 46°C heat of Australia’s Alice Springs and -30° chills of Arjeplog in Sweden. To make sure the GS is as streamlined and fuel efficient as possible, it was also put through more than 200 hours of wind tunnel testing.

Testing has also covered the ‘wet dog in car’ scenario. By placing wet cloths in the GS, tests were able to determine how quickly the car can demist when moisture is present inside. Carrying out tests like this allows Engineers to fine tune systems to ensure the GS runs at its optimum performance. Matthew Cheyne, Head of Sales and Marketing for MG, said: ‘With the imminent arrival of the GS, we’re excited to share facts and figures and nuggets of information people may have not been privy to before. By sharing these, we’re showing customers that, when they step into the GS, they know it can stand up to all challenges and adventures they put it through.’

Stay tuned for more fascinating updates…

Keith Adams

41 Comments

  1. What a load of nonsense. Why waste money going to Australia when they have the Gobi desert.
    Perhaps a real wet dog would be a proper test of the de mister and even more a useful test of the upholstery durability.
    The author of this press release must have been sniffing he marker pens when they wrote this

  2. As well as sniffing marker pens, they’ve used one of the worst photos I’ve seen to advertise a car. It’s nothing more than a black blob. Small car in a large picture, with no detail visible. It gives very little idea of what the vehicle looks like.

  3. Well, I have seen such a black blob on the road last week – I would not describe it as exciting looking, but certainly modern and not too much blob like. In fact, it was easy to spot from a bit of a distance, because the window line is quite characteristic. And they did not bother with any kind of disguise here in Germany.

  4. LOL at the extreme climate testing in Australia and Sweden, for a car that will rarely venture beyond the UK’s pensioner havens on the south coast.

    Can the HVAC cope with the “open Thermos flask of tea in the car” scenario?

  5. What, they test their car in extreme climates, just like any other modern manufacturer and trumpet the testing it as the latest and greatest thing since sliced bread…???

    Shesh.

  6. All looks and sounds very amateurish. Total lack of flair, imagination, an inability to create desirability

  7. They will have climate chambers, just like Ford have here in Essex. Way cheaper and far more predictable than Norwegian cold or Aussie heat

  8. The wet cloth scenario is marketing magic. A sure-fire way to capture the public imagination. I can see the cinema advert now, slow sensual shots of damp upholstery and wanton drips cascading down the inside of a rear window. People will be ditching their Audis and BMWs in spades.

  9. Does this mean we will soon see more of these on our roads than the MG6 or 3? I’ve still yet to see an MG3 for real!

  10. I’ve seen a couple MG3 mostly either old people or learner cars, highlight was a luminous yellow one driven by a guy with a flat cap who look like steptoe the elder. This just looks average, and the only real reason to go to Australia is junket day..
    To paraphrase Terry Pratchett on Australia “the only non venomous animals, some of the sheep & the odd MG”.

  11. MG continue their fine record of showing the automotive world how NOT to market automobiles.

  12. Will anything MG do satisfy the biased, grumpy,snobbish cynics out there?. Whenever there is a blog or news about Mg on Aronline the sneering starts.

    • But it’s true. The marketing is purely dire.

      What they need to do, is create a desirable, on-the-pace model, market it effectively and maybe, just maybe, they can pull it off…

    • Well said that man . I to feel that there’s a constant barrage about anything that MG tries to do. I agree that they are doing things in an unusual way but they are keeping the brand alive. I used to work for The London Taxi Co and although I felt at the time the part Chinese owned company went into administration that Geely should have done things differently , they ( Geely ) have kept the brand and the UK assembly plant going in a similar way to SAIC. I am sure the guys and girls who work in Longbridge will welcome this new model even though the vehicle comes more or less complete from China. As for not seeing many MG3’s and 6’s ,I’ve see quite a few of both and look forward to seeing the new model.

  13. Anyone know how many British built MGs were made in total, from 1920s through to 2005?

    And how many Chinese built ones have been made to date?

    Can we project when number of Chinese MGs exceed the number of British ones, or has that already happened?

  14. Oh dear….Lots of comments here and all fairly negative, so far…

    We’ve seen very little in the car magazines about this new model, of late, and it has been ages that this car has been talked about & kicking around waiting to be launched.
    Although a trendy SUV style (Like the Tiguan, Kuga etc.), I feel its too little, too late & the completion is better & still people out there don’t know MG is still around – partly due to very few MG6’s & 3’s on the UK roads.

    As I wrote on here the other month – MG really do need to bring back a brand new TF replacement, for the wider audience to take notice & for some exciting write-ups to appear in the magazines & papers.
    Afterall; MG was primarily a 2-seater, open-top, sports car.

    Yes; It wont make the money for MG & perhaps its not economically viable – But neither does the MG3 or 6 in the UK make money for SAIC.
    The new TF replacement would be the PR image that MG desperately need & which magazines, car programmes etc WILL want to talk about & give free publicity to.

    If SAIC have enough money to keep approx. 300 MG staff employed in Longbridge + sell shed-loads of MG6 & 3’s in China – they surely have enough to get this car into the market place & get the general public to see that MG still exists & is alive. Then, perhaps, they may look at MG’s wider model range.

    In addition; MG should temporarily assist with increasing the dealer network out there. I know a friend who is put off buying an MG3 as there is no nearby dealer base & offer a 7 year warranty, to compete against Kia & also give some confidence in their product.

    I really do hope MG do well in the UK & that we eventually start building them again in the UK…But since the brief launch of the old TF,back in 2009 (which didn’t sell that well as “original low mileage ones” were a lot cheaper!), it hasn’t gone as well as we all hoped.

  15. Just returned from a month working in China.

    The number of car brand choices available there is unbelievable.

    VAG owns the market with locally SAIC manufactured VW, Audi and Skoda, BMW does OK. SAIC manufactured General motors Buick, Chevrolet and Cadillac are pretty common Jaguar and Range Rover well represented also.The Koreans do well, all the taxis in Beijing are Hyundais. The Japanese brands are present but mostly lower end vehicles.

    Saw a lot of newer Roewes in including a plug-in hybrid. There were some older Longbridge designed 75s as well. Saw two Rover “streetwise” as well. How hid they get there?

    I saw just one MG3 and a brand new MG SUV, looked like it was being delivered. There was a large poster advertising the SUV in the Shanghai metro.

    The Chinese appear to have no idea what an MG is, certainly historically it means nothing since there is no classic car scene there.I showed our friends pictures of my Spitfire and they had never seen anything like it.

    SAIC could pull the plug on MG if the SUV doesn’t do well. However its priced well and the market is picking up for larger vehicles in China now the one child policy has been relaxed.

  16. It’s reassuring to know that because of the rigorous testing in extreme conditions, the MG GS could tackle a BBQ British Summer with temperatures of 28c & would also get me through a cold snap in early March.
    It won’t matter either if Fido accidentally leaves his wet dog toy in the boot, because I could still confidently demist the windows.
    Toyota, Honda, Nissan & Mini must all be quaking in their boots “Why don’t we test are cars this thoroughly?”

    Nothing wrong with the MG GS, but honestly the management & marketing people at MG Motors UK really need a reality check. Do they seriously think that us car buyers will be impressed by this marketing twaddle? We know that all modern cars are subjected to these tests, so they should focus more on something unique about the engineering of this car. I think they refer to it as its USP (Unique Selling Point).

  17. As usual a lot of tired old pot shots at MG based, it appears, on disnterest or disinformation.

    Just a few points of clarity from an existing UK MG3 owner (who is not elderly or wears a cloth cap!)

    – there are now 68 MG sales dealers and 4 ‘pending’ including Lodge Hill Garage in Oxford Road, Abingdon, they had about 45 dealers when the ‘3 was launched and aim for 90 by the end of 2016, i.e about the same as Subaru and SanngYong who sell in similar numbers.
    – the MG6 is on run out this year with none built since August 2015
    – The MG3 sold it’s 5000 th UK example in March 2016 (after 2 years on sale in UK)
    – Mazda only sold 7000 MX5’s in the whole of Europe in 2015, as open 2 seater sales continue to fall
    – since it’s launch in China in spring 2015 the GS has become MG’s best seller and is already available in many overseas markets. GS sales now represent about 75% of all new MG’s sold worldwide

    Just information, all available to those who want to look for it.

  18. I think comparing the MX 5 to an MG 3 is misleading.

    Not the same demographic at all. And volume 2 seater cars in general that are fading away.

    2500/ year is about one per car dealer/ week with 45 dealers. Assuming they don’t steal sales from each other they could end up with 4000 sales a year. About 3-5 days production at a modern car plant.

    That volume doesn’t keep the lights on at any dealer.

    Honestly it’s not a bad looking vehicle and having seen it close up I could see why it might be MG’s best seller. Just spent 4 weeks in China in six of the major cities. MG has no visibility or market share.

    MG has no brand cachet in China, they could have used the old Standard, Riley, Austin or Morris brands and the results would have been the same.

    • Isn’t the GS meant to be a CX-5 car for CX-3 money?

      The story about the wet cloths is still on the front page of MG UK’s website. Words fail me TBH.

      I just hope that the majority of jobs at Longbridge aren’t dependent on future UK sales, as I want to see that facility prosper and grow.

    • Just referring to your last paragraph, outside of this website, does the MG brand have any cachet inside the UK anymore? I’m 52 and I can’t remember a time when MG weren’t selling on the basis of faded glory.

      Apart from a very few bright points, like the MGT’s of the noughties, I can’t remember a time when they were building properly modern and competitive cars; even going back to the post war MGTF, which was a face lift too far on a car better suited to the 1920’s..

      To most car buyers in their 20’s,30’s & 40’s MG’s about as relevant as VCR’s, fax machines and ink stencil duplicators!

      • Can’t argue with you there.

        The MGB died off before you passed your driving test. With the rubber bumpers and increased ride height it was no longer viable. Abingdon was closed in 1980.

        Apart from a few badge engineered cars it’s been game over for a long time.

        What were SAIC thinking?

      • Strange, if your opinion is correct, that the MGA was the first sports car to sell 100,000 examples between 1956 and 1962, and the MGB was the first ( possibly the only ? ) sports car to sell 500,000 .

        • Which really supports my point.
          The MGB was in its prime in the mid to late 1960’s. This is 50 years ago and the only people, outside of a bunch of enthusiasts (too small to make any impression on sales volumes), who remember it are now too old to be buying new cars, if they are alive at all.
          Don’t get me wrong, I love these old British brands, but there are only so many times that you can use and re-use one without properly impressive hardware to back it up.
          Look at the re-birth of Triumph Motorcycles to see how it should be done!

  19. MG are launching the GS with no diesel option and a high Co2 emitting petrol variant. Its main competitor, the Ssangyong Tivoli offers this and at a cheap price. The 1.9D unit in the MG6 is not Euro 6 compliant and MG have been having to dump unsold stock of a very slow selling model on the UK market for a few months now.

    Talking of production figures, I believe the MG6 still lags behind the Austin 3 Litre for numbers built and sold here, the MG3 is selling well but MG desperately need to fit the 1.5 Turbo unit to bolster its appeal, though with GM three cylinder 998cc MG3’s being seen testing recently, lets hope a much needed new model will be launched soon.

    • “MG are launching the GS with no diesel option and a high Co2 emitting petrol variant.”

      As a marketing strategy, that’s perfectly ok. We really should stop passing them off as an irrelvance.

      I don’t know why as a brand stategy they seem determined to appeal to as tiny-as-possible demographic they can manage?

      • A diesel engine is a liability, the latest Europe 6 diesels, compliant as from emissio9ns standards commencing September 2015 have been tested and found wanting, emitting 6 to 12 times their limtis for toxic Nox equivalent to 8 to 14 petrol engined cars.

        Everyone mon this forum have heard of the VW dieselgate scandal, VW loaded their diesel cars ECUs with software which switched off Nox suppression other than when tested on a rolling road laboratory test.
        The diesel is dead, it was caught cheating and unable to meet emission standards.

        Expect to see big penalty taxes to drive a diesel into British towns and cities

        • Just becuase VW cheated, it does not mean that everyone else has…

          Quote: “[Cars] tested and found wanting, emitting 6 to 12 times their limtis for toxic Nox equivalent to 8 to 14 petrol engined cars”.

          What is the source of your facts?

          Plus if a diesel is emitting between 6x and 12x its stated NOx and
          a petrol is emitting betweem 8x and 14x, then my maths says that the petrol is belching out more?

          Plus what about the cancer-forming BENZINE that petrols emit and everyone conviniently forgets?

          • Following the VW dieselgate scandal UK Govt Minister ordered a test programme, the results were published in a Govt paper in April 2016

            If you follow the link, p24, figure 5.6 shows the exceedance of Euro 6 diesel cars over the compliance levels

            https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/518437/vehicle-emissions-testing-programme.pdf

            Of course one could question Nox limits for Petrol cars, but Nox from a petrol engine is very low to begin with on account of the very different combustion process in the petrol engine.

          • Plus if a diesel is emitting between 6x and 12x its stated NOx and
            a petrol is emitting betweem 8x and 14x, then my maths says that the petrol is belching out more?

            I shoud have posted that a single non compliant Euro 6 diesel emits more Nox than 8 to 14 petrol cars combined

  20. @ Matt H, nearly all cars have a diesel variant now, but with the introduction( or reintroudction) of the flat rate car tax for most cars, this will become irrelevant. Also with diesels generally costing more to buy, the old fuel price advantage being a thing of the past, and some nasty tales surrounding DPF failures, I wonder if MG have realised diesel’s days are numbered. I used to buy diesels in the old days, when they made economic sense and the old school non turbo engines lasted forever, but not now.

    • It’s not irrelevant, for two reasons:
      1. Car tax is still tiered. When it does change there will be a punitive tax regime for higher emission vehicles in year one and for some, the pain will remain until year five. But, of much more importance…
      2. Company car tax is still based on CO2 emissions and the difference in company car tax rates utterly dwarfs the difference between VED rates. To explain, if my own private car were a company car, the tax take would be in the region of £8-9,000 a year!

  21. On Sunday afternoon I saw a metallic gold/orange MG GS coming over the river bridge in Warwick. It looked good. We lots of strange vehicles around the Warwick area. There was once a Range Rover Sport in the customary zebra outfit parked in the car park at a local National Trust property.

  22. Could the MG chap have had his tongue in his cheek, harking back to the arduous testing stories of the 50s to 70s era?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.