MG MOTOR says a brand new higher mid-grade variant of its fashionable HS SUV will arrive in native dealerships from the center of this 12 months.
The brand new variant, dubbed Excite, will slot beneath the present Essence (from $47,990 drive-away) variant within the MG HS Plus EV vary, MG Motor public relations and communications supervisor, Tim Robson, telling GoAuto Information that the brand new mannequin will broaden the product providing of the model’s mid-size plug-in hybrid SUV vary.
“We wish to roll-out the subsequent chapter of the HS Plus EV story quickly. It’s prone to be referred to as the ‘Excite’, due to the extent of spec supplied and the place it sits throughout the lineup, and it’ll sit beneath the Essence which is our top-spec mannequin,” Mr Robson stated.
“It will likely be a extra value-focused model of the HS Plus EV, however it’ll retain the identical driveline as discovered within the Essence that means it’ll provide the identical 189kW mechanical package deal out there now.”
Full specs and pricing for the MG HS Plus EV Excite will likely be introduced subsequent month.
The mannequin is predicted to retain all the protection options discovered within the top-shelf Essence, together with adaptive cruise management, AEB, auto high-beam, blind-spot monitoring, lane maintain help, visitors signal recognition and rear cross-traffic alert.
As famous by Mr Robson, the upcoming HS Plus EV Excite will characteristic the identical powertrain because the top-tier Essence. Which means the pairing of a 119kW/250Nm 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol with a 90kW electrical motor providing a mixed system output of 189kW and 370Nm. The front-wheel drive mannequin is supplied as normal with a 10-speed automated transmission (with six ratios for the petrol engine and 4 for the electrical motor).
MG quotes a 0-100km/h acceleration time of 6.9 seconds for its HS Plus EV vary, the mannequin’s electrical motor drawing energy from a liquid-cooled 16.6kWh battery which permits as much as 52km of all-electric driving (WLTP). The mannequin’s claimed mixed cycle gas economic system determine is simply 1.7 litres per 100km.
Essence variants of the MG HS Plus EV provide a powerful gear record together with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster with built-in satellite tv for pc navigation, 10.1-inch infotainment touchscreen, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, heated sports activities entrance seats, six-way energy adjustable driver’s seat (four-way passenger), steel pedal trim, dual-zone local weather management, keyless entry and begin, 360-degree digital camera, automated LED headlights, LED tail-lights, ambient lighting, rain-sensing wipers, heated energy door mirrors, electrical tailgate, panoramic sunroof and a six-speaker audio system.
All MG passenger fashions are supplied with a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre guarantee in Australia.
To the tip of January, MG offered 3538 items nationally. Its MG 3 topped the Mild Automobile section with 1551 unit gross sales (or a 38.7% share of the section), its mid-sized HS SUV 399 items (3.2%), and the strong-selling ZS SUV 1588 items (16.4%).
