Morris Garages reveals its first SUV

THE MG GS is the British car manufacturer’s first SUV.

Morris Garages (MG) is a revered British brand best known for its sports cars, but last Wednesday it came up with something totally different: a sport utility vehicle (SUV).

The MG GS was revealed by Morris Garages Philippines (MG PH), the importer and distributor of MG automobiles, at Fashion Walk, Greenbelt 5, Makati.

Morgan Say, the youthful CEO of MG PH, said: “The cover has been lifted on what an extraordinary package this new vehicle is presenting. We are proud to announce that MG’s new SUV is no exception to being affordable, fun and comfortable with the price starting from only P1.25 million for the fully loaded luxury deluxe option.”

Say told Inquirer Motoring that he is targeting to sell five units a month or even 100 units a year.

Initially, MG PH is offering only one variant, the GS De Luxe AWD, while the other variants, a 1.5-liter front wheel drive (FWD) with 6-speed manual transmission, a 1.5-liter FWD with 7-speed TST dry dual clutch and the top-of-the-line 2.0-liter with 6-speed wet dual clutch transmission, may follow soon depending on market acceptance of the GS De Luxe AWD.

Octagon badge

Sporting the MG octagon badge up front, the GS De Luxe AWD variant is powered by MG’s SGE 1.5-liter TGI direct-injection turbocharged engine mated to the MG TST 7-speed dry dual clutch transmission.

Its max output is 168 hp/5600 rpm and max torque is 250 Nm/1700-4400 rpm with top speed claimed to be 190 kilometers per hour.

The Intelligent All-Wheel-Drive can adjust torque distribution in 0.1 second to easily tackle any kind of weather or road conditions, MG PH avers.  The 18-inch alloy wheels are equipped with front and rear disc brakes.

The GS’ safety features include an ultra-high tensile strength integrated body structure that forms a 360 degree safety net, dual front and side airbags, ABS with EBD, emergency brake assist, electronic stability control, curve brake control, hill start assist, hill descent control, active anti-rolling program, reverse parking camera and sensors, tire pressure monitoring system, electric parking brake with auto hold and ISOFIX. Together, these form the GS’ “Fifteen-in-One Flagship Legal Protection.”

PMS for the GS

Morgan Say says that the service center of MG PH behind its showroom at the ground floor of the Midway Court building at 241 Edsa Greenhills, Mandaluyong City, will take care of preventive maintenance service of customers’ GS units.

Aside from the GS, MG PH sells the MG 3 hatchback, MG 350 sedan and MG 5 hatchback, each of which is priced below P800,000.

MG cars are affordably priced now because they are made in China using the latest MG technology from England.

Founded in 1924, MG gained fame as a British sports car brand over the years. Eventually, the brand changed ownership several times: first to the Rover Group, then to British Aerospace, then to BMW in 1994, and back to Rover in 2000.

In July 2005, the state-owned Nanjing Automobile Group of China acquired the rights to the MG Rover brand and the assets it came with for 53 million pounds.

Production continued in Longbridge, Birmingham, but a new plant was built in China.

SAIC infusion

In 2007, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. (SAIC), the biggest car manufacturer in China that is also state-owned, bought Nanjing Auto and with it, MG Rover.

With capital infusion from SAIC, Morris Garages, also known as MG Rover, continues to fast-track its technology in Birmingham and produces MG-branded vehicles in China for export to Europe and other markets.

MG’s marketing strategy is based on the perception that since Hyundai and Kia have gone upmarket, there is a gap in the market for low-priced, decent compact vehicles now.

So MG PH has brought in the GS De Luxe AWD variant to grab market share from similarly priced compact SUVs like the Hyundai Tucson, Toyota RAV4, Ford Escape, and Honda HR-V.

Offering the standard MG GS FWD variants with either 6-speed manual tranny or 7-speed dual clutch should shake up the compact SUV segment even more, especially if these are priced below P1 million.

MORRIS Garages Philippines CEO Morgan Say (left) and his brother MG PH CFO Solomon Say beside an MG GS at the launch.