MG shines at the Shanghai Motor Show

Nowadays, the question one should be asking about Chinese auto brands isn’t “should I?” but rather “which one?” The most logical and convenient criteria to land a choice for that question would be, that it should hail from the largest and leading auto manufacturer in all of China- SAIC Motor, which actually carries three formidable brands: Roewe, Maxus, and the one most Gen X’ers should be quite familiar with: MG. It also happens to be the only brand among the three that’s officially available in the Philippines.

Under The Covenant Car Company, Inc., MG has only been officially launched and distributed in the Philippines for less than a year- yet they’ve made quite an impact. Three nameplates make up their current lineup: the MG RX 5 compact SUV, the MG ZS Crossover, and the latest which has just been launched at the recently concluded Manila International Auto Show, the particularly handsome MG 6 Fastback sedan. My first experience behind the wheel of a modern MG is with the ZS (Alpha Edition), and I must say I didn’t have very high expectations beforehand. Which is why after the first day of driving it, they were blown out of the water- in the most positive way. In a capsule, it felt good, performed well, and most importantly (to me at least), it looked hella great. That decidedly set the tone for my Shanghai Motor Show journey with MG.

Honoring heritage

No, MG doesn’t stand for Macho Guapito (sigh, sorry for the Gen X reference)- the Brits would cry blasphemy! MG stands for Morris Garages, the iconic British marque with over 95 illustrious years of fine motoring heritage under its drive belt; makers of exceptional sports cars that were on par with the best of them, but accessible to most Gentlemen (and Women) who craved for bloody good performance and craftsmanship with their automotive predilections (you read that with a fake accent, didn’t you?). So fast-forward to being on the center stage of one of the most important International Auto Shows, I was excited to see what MG will surprise me with this time.

Just to put things in perspective, MG has been acquired by SAIC Motor Corporation Limited, the largest auto company in China, in what they call the A-share market, with a total equity of 11 billion shares. SAIC Motor’s too-extensive-to-mention business coverage focuses on technology and innovation, and virtually everything that’s engulfed by that grid- including the propagation and improvement of artificial intelligence, commercialization of new energy, interconnectivity, and big industrial data, that are all harnessed and taken advantage of by their automotive aspect. So basically, their brand lineup’s future is not about “ifs” but “whens”. And jumping a few slots just last year to 36th in the Fortune Global 500 Companies list, with a consolidated sales revenue of $128.82 billion, it’s practically guaranteed.

So I, bewildered with all those corporate statistics and money talk, zoomed-out on the macro view to ultra-wide, to what would be more physically tangible at that moment- MG’s new model launches. What caught my eye (setting the Roewe Marvel X aside, more on that later) was the plug-in full EV version of the ZS I was so impressed with. The E ZS, which is the standard ZS’ indentical twin save for its internal combustion engine. In true Bond-like British fashion, access to its electrical charging sockets is via a secret hatch on its grille, activated by a firm push on the octagonal MG emblem. Sorry, no guided rocket launchers and high intensity lasers concealed under there. There was the MG HS, more of a medium-sized SUV that looks like a more reserved yet sportily curvaceous larger sibling of the ZS. It comes equipped with a 2.0-liter Turbocharged Gasoline engine mated to a 6-speed A/T, with an output of 170hp and 360Nm of Torque. It’s an upgrade from the ZS (albeit a totally different gorgeous beast), so the prospect of it being made available locally is just delish. The new models with their great looks and specs, no matter how captivating, are expected from a leviathan such as SAIC Motor. What was jaw-dropping was the one many of us didn’t expect.

Carry on chap, and peel some asphalt

As the executives of SAIC Motor casually mentioned, they can’t go full steam towards the future without giving a nod to MG’s legacy of speed and spirited motoring. So, they unveiled the MG 6 XPower TCR amidst oohs and aahs all through the MG hall. With an output 350hp and 460 Nm of Torque from its 2.0-liter Turbocharged Gasoline engine mated to a 6-speed sequential shift transmission, all housed in an ultra-light body with aggressive aerodynamics, this MG 6-based track-only weapon hits 100 km/h, from a standstill in only 4 seconds, and will be made available to anyone with a thirst for it, for 100,000 Euros (roughly P5,814,000).

The highlight of this Shanghai immersion with MG wasn’t the launches in the Auto Show, for me at least- for this trip with MG Philippines to the brand’s mother ship was a total revelation for me. You must remember when Korean cars had it bad just over 2 decades ago, and taking that as reference to where they are now globally, it’s an overwhelming success story. It’s now the time of the Chinese cars through SAIC Motor and their brands like Roewe, Maxus, and of course MG leading the way.

Walking the talk

We were brought to the Guangde Proving Grounds to give their brands the opportunity to do just that; to prove via tactile language what the spec sheets and press info have been saying about their automobiles. I’d save the gritty details for the next article, but suffice to say that we were made to take the cars through a semi-gauntlet, through a battery of tests. The MGs held out just fine- performed exceptionally actually. I can hardly wait for their EVs to make it to our shores, and for the annoyingly handsome and premium Roewe Marvel X (AWD, EV) to be rebadged as an MG, to be included. I got to drive it, and I must say I was smitten. Bloody bitten, even. There’s a whole lot to look forward to from MG Philippines in the coming years, and to that, I say cheers!