Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation has been reviving MG since it acquired the brand’s ex-parent company Nanjing Automobile Company in December of 2007. Its efforts have led to the creation of a compact hatchback called the 3, and a midsize sedan available as both a four-door and a five-door dubbed the 6.
To fill the gaping hole in between the 3 and the 6, SAIC developed a third model which it has christened the 5. It is a Golf-sized hatchback that is expected to increase MG’s annual sales to over 100,000 cars.
The 5′s exterior comes as no surprise as it was prefigured by a concept displayed at the 2011 Shanghai International Motor Show. The final product is a logical evolution of the concept, and it shares its angular design with other members of MG’s current lineup. Unfortunately, the low-resolution pictures sent out by MG do not show the rear of the car.
MG released precious few details about the interior, saying only that it had gone to great lengths to improve the quality of the materials used. According to rumors in the Chinese automotive press, the new hatchback will be equipped with an Android-powered GPS and infotainment unit.
The MG5 will be powered by a 109 horsepower 1.5 four-cylinder engine that will spin the front wheels. It will feature variable valve timing, a technology that is very popular among Chinese consumers. Later in the production run, the 5 will get a turbocharged version of the 1.5, and it will hopefully be fitted with the brand’s upcoming turbodiesel engine.
MG claims that the car was tested in the Mohe region of northern China where the temperature sometimes drops to -58 degrees Fahrenheit, and in the extreme heat of the Australian desert. The end product is a car that will boast a level of quality “comparable to BMW and other veteran luxury models.”
The MG5 will go on sale in China next March, though no pricing has been announced yet.
The company said that it will build and sell the 5 in the UK before the end of the year. Much like the 6, the cars assembled in Longbridge will probably be shipped from China as complete knock-down kits.
References
1.’MG5: les premières…’ view
