The CS Concept is not the MG brand’s only new car displayed in Shanghai, as the Chinese-owned British carmaker surprised us with a preview of its new MG3 supermini. Inspired by the MG Zero concept car, which was unveiled at the 2010 Beijing auto show, the MG3 is the work of the design and engineering team at the MG Birmingham site in Longbridge, UK.
The MG3’s transition from concept car to production vehicle has been done without major changes. The car’s rear end is almost identical with the concept, while at the front the headlights have been slightly changed, ditching the LED technology and the flashy concept car elements like the illuminated strip uniting the headlights. However, LED technology is still present in the “hockey stick” daytime running lights, offered on every trim level.
The MG3 has also retained the black A-pillars of the concept, which offer the impression of a wraparound windscreen. There are no photos of the car’s interior, but it will most likely be very different from the futuristic dashboard of the concept.
MG says the 4,015-mm (158 in) long hatchback offers enough room for four passengers measuring 6-ft (183 cm) each. On the technical side, the MG3 will be powered by a 4-cylinder VTi-TECH petrol engine producing 105PS (104hp), mated to a 5-speed manual transmission.
Following the MG6, the MG3 will be the second in a new generation of MG vehicles to be built at the Birmingham factory and will launch in the UK and Europe later this year.
By Dan Mihalascu
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