A few weeks ago I wrote on the alliance being formed by Chinese conglomerate Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) and the CP Group (which also owns 7-eleven) to build MG in Thailand.
However, pre-empting the Thai-made MG’s, SAIC is saying it will launch MG in Australia around Easter 2013. Spokesman for SAIC, Xiaomin Xi, head of right-hand-drive markets for SAIC, said that the brand will launch over the Easter weekend. Xi says the distributors and the head office are working closely with existing owners and enthusiasts via the MG car club, stating the launch event will take place on the back of the club’s national meeting in Toowoomba, Queensland, on the last weekend of March. It will be interesting to see just how well a Chinese MG will be accepted by the MG enthusiasts.
MG6.
Xi says the company is working to add dealers in Brisbane and Newcastle, and confirmed that the brand will initially only offer the MG6 sedan and hatchback, with power coming from a turbocharged 1.8 liter engine producing 118 kW of power and 215 Nm of torque. Hardly enough to blow your flat cap off.
According to the MG UK website, the 6 can lumber from 0-100 km/h in 8.4 seconds, and return consumption figure of 7.5 L/100 km.
The MG6 is about the size of a Mazda3 sedan at just over 4.6 meters long and 1.8 m wide, and has a class-competitive boot size of 498 liters.
It is not clear what safety equipment will be standard on the MG6 destined for Down-under. The MG UK site suggests all models have six airbags (dual front, front-side and full-length curtains), as well as stability control.
There is no indication yet what price the MG6 will be offered, but the car was recently launched in New Zealand significantly cheaper than the Toyota Corolla.
