China's Kia Stinger? New-generation MG6 leaked with sporty fastback design, but will it ever return to take on the Toyota Camry in Australia?

The new-generation MG6 has been leaked in China thanks to new design patent filings.

The MG6 is the brand's mid-size sedan offering, sitting above the MG3 and ZS in its domestic Chinese line-up, however it has not been seen in Australia since 2017, before the brand successfully re-booted itself (for a second time) with the MG3 hatch and ZS small SUV.

Like the MG3, the current MG6 is a heavy facelift of the unsuccessful-in-Australia model which came before it, but this new-generation version looks to be a different beast entirely.

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Forgoing the current car's classic sedan lines and familiar MG face, the design filings show the new MG6 adopting the brand's next-generation swoopy design language and a hatch tail which is very reminiscent of Kia's Stinger.

Even the window-line, rear light fittings, and quad-exhaust design all bring the Stinger to mind, although the MG6 has traditionally been front-wheel drive and a class size down from the Kia.

The upcoming MG6 clearly also shares its overall design queues with other upcoming MG models, like the MG Mulan (likely to be called the MG4 in Australia), a Nissan-Leaf rivalling fully electric hatch which will sit above the MG3 in its line-up, or the MG5 small sedan, which has been part of the brand's plans for Australia for some time.

MG will debut its new design direction in Australia with the updated MG ZS EV later this year, which has a further evolved design from the ZST which launched in 2021.

Chinese media is speculating the new-generation MG6 will continue to be powered by either 1.5-litre or 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine. A powerful 224kW/480Nm PHEV version of the current model also exists in China.

The official line from MG's Australian division is that it isn't looking at importing the MG6 as it flags limited sales opportunities in the sedan space. The MG6 also isn't currently built in right-hand drive, although the global aspirations of its SAIC parent company and MG's newfound positioning as a top-10 automaker in Australia could change these factors.