2 weeks ago
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Australia's top-selling Chinese car brand has announced a bold plan to break into the Top Five within three years – and Top Three in 2030 – with a wave of new models.
MG has set its sights on overtaking the likes of Hyundai, Kia and Mitsubishi in Australia to rank among Australia's Top Three best-selling brands in 2030.
If it can achieve its goal, MG would be the first Chinese automotive brand to rank above its current position of seventh on the sales charts – and behind only Toyota and one other brand.
It would require MG to boost its sales from about 58,000 last year – and an estimated 50,000 this year – to 80,000 or 90,000 if it is to beat established marques.
Ahead of its Top Three goal – which it aims to reach by the end of 2030 – it aims to break into the Top Five by the end of 2027, after finishing 2023 about 5000 sales behind sixth-placed Mitsubishi.
It is already the top-selling automaker from its country of origin, ahead of GWM in 10th, BYD in 16th, LDV in 18th and Chery in 22nd.
A broad range of new models due in the next two years – including a ute, seven-seat family SUV, and more hybrid and electric cars – are planned to help the brand reach its target.
MG CEO Peter Ciao said the company wants to move from offering the cheapest cars in every market segment, to more expensive – but still affordable cars – with technology comparable to established brands.
"If you ask me what is our keyword in the past seven years, my answer is MG is based on the best price," Ciao said.
"We have good quality, and the best price – that's it. Like the [old] MG 3 – under 20 grand [for a] new car, [a] seven or 10-year warranty ... Based on the best price, we get fast growth.
"We will turn to best value. Best value means best price [is] still there, but we will [add] tech."
MG sales in Australia have slumped by 16 per cent so far this year – in a market slightly up year-on-year – as it winds down old models ahead of new versions.
But it has ramped up significantly from 600 deliveries in 2017, its first full year in Australia under its current ownership, to 3000 cars in 2018, 8300 cars in 2019, 15,000 in 2020, 39,000 in 2021 and close to 50,000 in 2022 (rounded figures).
After launching new generations of the MG 3 city hatch and HS family SUV earlier this year, an all-new ZS small SUV – the company's top seller, recording 25,000 deliveries last year – is due this month in hybrid form.
Due next year are hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions of the HS, as well as regular petrol versions of the ZS that are likely to bring entry prices closer to the current line-up.
Also coming in 2025 is the MG ES5 – the successor to the ZS EV electric SUV – as well as a larger mid-size electric SUV, the MG 7 sedan, and two models from MG parent SAIC's IM Motors luxury electric-car brand.
In the medium term, it will field seven pure petrol or diesel models, five hybrids or plug-in hybrids, and seven fully-electric cars.
It currently offers four petrols (MG 3, MG 5, ZS and HS), two hybrids (MG 3 hybrid, ZS hybrid and HS plug-in hybrid) and three electric cars (MG 4, ZS EV and Cyberster).
The plans it has confirmed will see it grow its range to six petrol models (adding MG 7 and a seven-seater), four hybrids (adding HS hybrid) and six electric cars (adding the mid-size SUV and two IM models, while replacing the ZS EV with the ES5).
It remains to be seen what will fill the gaps – one petrol or diesel, one hybrid and one electric car – but a diesel MG ute is one possibility, as well as a hybrid version of the seven-seater.
"If you look at around at the whole of Australia [and its car] brands, you will find only MG ... provides all the solutions," Ciao said.
If you want a good-priced car – ICE [pure petrol or diesel] – MG will have seven models based on ICE. If you love hybrid or plug-in hybrid, we will have five models. If you want EV, we will have seven models."
"MG is the only brand with everything – every technology we provide lots of options."
| Petrol or diesel (non-hybrid) | Hybrid or plug-in hybrid | Battery-electric |
| MG 3 – on sale now MG 5 – update due early 2025 MG 7 – due 2025 MG ZS – due early 2025 MG HS – on sale now MG seven-seater – due 2025, likely named QS One more model to be confirmed. | MG 3 hybrid – on sale now MG ZS hybrid – arriving now MG HS hybrid – due mid-2025 MG HS plug-in hybrid – new model due mid-2025 One more model to be confirmed. | MG 4 – on sale now MG Cyberster – on sale now MG small SUV – due by mid-2025, based on ES5 MG mid-size SUV – due 2025 IM luxury sedan – due 2025 IM luxury SUV – due 2025 One more model to be confirmed. |
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family.
