SAIC Motor-owned MG brand plans to expand from the UK into mainland Europe with the GS crossover, which debuted last week at the Shanghai Auto Show.
The MG GS will arrive in the UK in 2016 and will compete in the highly-disputed compact SUV segment. Howewer, the brand reportedly has bigger ambitions with the new model.
According to MG Motor product manager Andrew Lowerson, the automaker will consider expanding into other European markets following the UK rollout of the GS, its first SUV.
“The SUV brings something new to the brand,” Lowerson told Autonews Europe. With the GS, MG’s UK lineup will grow to three models: the MG3 subcompact hatchback, MG6 midsize model and the GS compact SUV. The latter will likely be offered with a diesel and a petrol unit in Europe, MG said.
The SUV will first go on sale in China shortly after the Shanghai Auto Show with two turbocharged gasoline engines: a 1.5-liter and a 2.0-liter. The model will offer all-wheel drive capability, with the AWD system being supplied by UK-based GKN Driveline.
Porsche Engineering is responsible for improving the SUV’s driving performance, which will be built in China. European models will be assembled from imported kits in the former MG Rover Group factory in Longbridge, central England. UK pricing is not yet available, but Lowerson said the GS will be “as affordable as possible.”
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