MG HS 2024 News

As the top vehicle class for Australians for six of the last seven years, the medium SUV segment is our nation's most competitive.

Many so-called “all-new” models aren’t all that new. In fact, a sizeable chunk are reskinned versions of what came before, with fresh sheetmetal over the same general hard points.

We're lucky, us car journalists. We get to drive oodles of exciting new cars throughout the year — sometimes so many you start to forget your favourites — so making this list was a nice walk down medium-term memory loss lane.

MG already confirmed it’s working on a ute, but before that arrives the company will unleash a wave of new models in 2025. 

Australia’s independent assessor of vehicle safety, ANCAP, has awarded a maximum five star rating to the MG HS and electric Chery Omoda E5.ANCAP said the MG HS was tested according to the body’s latest safety protocols, while the five-star rating of the existing Chery Omoda 5 – which is according to 2022 Protocols – was extended to cover the electric variant.The MG HS’ strongest test results were found in the Adult Occupant Protection category, where it scored a 90 per cent rating. This was achieved by full points awarded in the side impact, oblique pole, whiplash protection and far-side impact tests.A score of 87 per cent was also achieved for Child Occupant Protection with protection of critical body regions rated as ‘Good’.The HS’ performance in Vulnerable Road User Protection also scored well, achieving an 83 per cent score that was backed up by well-performing advanced driver assistance systems in car-to-motorcycle crash scenarios, such as autonomous emergency braking (AEB).Having said that, the performance of AEB back over, the system that detects pedestrians when reversing, was rated as ‘Marginal’, with the 'Driver Assist' category delivering the HS' lowest score out of the four testing categories of 73 per cent.ANCAP’s CEO, Carla Hoorweg, said MG was continuing to showcase its safety credentials.“The previous generation MG HS achieved a five-star result against 2019 criteria. Our protocols have been upgraded twice since then, so it is positive to see MG continue to invest in the safety of the HS”, said Hoorweg.While carrying over the petrol Omoda 5’s five-star rating, the Chery Omoda E5 stood up under some additional testing – such as front offset and oblique pole crash tests – to confirm its safety performance as well as the integrity of its high-voltage battery in a crash scenario.“This five-star rating for the Omoda E5 will be a welcome addition to the shopping lists of consumers and fleets in the market for a five-star EV,” said Hoorweg.Interested buyers can check out the full details of the safety report on the MG HS and Chery Omoda E5 at ANCAP’s website here.

A little known plug-in hybrid has set a new Guinness World Record for the longest distance covered on a single tank of fuel and battery charge.

Despite offering nearly its entire range as electric or hybrids, MG will keep combustion versions of its cars around.

MG is staging a run-out sale of its MG HS mid-size SUV, with prices slashed by up to nearly $16,000 at the top end of the range.

A new version of the MG HS mid-size SUV has appeared in Australian government approval documents.We have been expecting a replacement for the existing 'AS23' launched here in 2019, providing a much-needed freshen up for MG's rival in Australia's most competitive segment.There is no word on a new MG HS hybrid yet. Instead, a turbocharged 1.5-litre with a dual-clutch auto and 2.0-litre with a regular nine-speed automatic are complied.“With new products coming through, especially really important products such as new HS and ZS, we definitely focused on providing those great offerings to the market," Senior Product and Strategy Manager Akshat Ahuja told CarsGuide.The new MG HS coming to Australia is distinct from the deep facelift revealed for the Thai market late last year.Expect the coming 'AS33' MG HS to be a re-engineered version of the China-market Roewe RX5 – launched in August 2022 – with a visual make-over tying it into the MG3 hatch's new look.A patent image lodged in China gives a pretty clear look at the new HS. A similar, but larger grille filters the air with headlights linked by a single bar in the middle.The rear end has a full-width LED light bar while the sloping roofline gives the China-made SUV a slicker look than the car it replaces.Inside, expect a new architecture based around a generously-sized touchscreen. Familial design details, including the MG4's hexagonal wheel and thin indicators, are expected to appear.The China-market Roewe RX5's 1.5-litre turbo-petrol develops 138kW and 300Nm and is paired-with a seven-speed dual-clutch auto transmission.The 2.0-litre turbo is yet to be detailed, but around 160kW will be needed to be competitive.It looks like the new plug-in hybrid system will have similar outputs, with 180kW rated in China's eRX5. A bump to 570Nm (over the MG HS+'s 370Nm figure) is likely, too.The eRX5 features a 21.4kWh battery for a 135km NEDC electric driving range rating. The plug-in hybrid HS is expected to arrive in Australia after the petrol-only models.Currently, there are three trim levels – COM, DEL, LUX – with the 1.5-litre complied for all three and the 2.0-litre reserved for DEL and LUX.The HS range currently starts at $29,990 drive-away, though expect the new model to follow the MG3's lead and jump significantly.A starting price around $35,000 would keep it under key rivals and give MG the ability to fit crucial safety technology for a respectable ANCAP score.MG's HS mid-size SUV needs a sales boost, with sales sitting at less than half of last year's result (1404 vs 3807). It was the brand's lowest selling model last month (279 registrations) a long way shy of segment leaders like the Toyota RAV4 (5517) and Mitsubishi Outlander (2500).A local release of the new MG HS is expected before the end of 2024 followed by a new ZS small SUV. The brand is also investigating a larger seven-seat Kia Sorento rival.

MG has good news for Australian new car buyers, but bad news for its market rivals - it won’t be quitting on offering affordable cars anytime soon.