MG3 at the Geneva Motor Show

The British-Chinese car manufacturer MG Motor is also bringing the new generation of its England bestseller to mainland Europe.

The MG3 small car, which was now presented at the Geneva Motor Show (until March 3rd), will be available at German dealers from April and will compete with Toyota Yaris, Renault Clio and VW Polo with its full hybrid drive.

For Germany, the smallest MG is a complete new starter; in Asia there have already been two previous generations since 2008. In the United Kingdom, the second edition was recently the most successful Chinese car ever. Number three now wants to do the same on the continent. The design should also help: With a dynamically cut front and bold rear sweep, the small car adapts to the brand’s current appearance, for example adopting elements from the MG4, which is one class larger.

Space available: In the upper midfield

Inside, the MG3 combines classic switches and buttons with a comparatively small touchscreen in the center console, and another display behind the steering wheel shows the instruments digitally. In the rear there are the usual two outer seats with shaped benches and a slightly narrower one in the middle. The trunk has a normal capacity of 293 liters and is therefore in the upper range compared to the competition.

No pure electric drive

When it comes to drive, MG3 Hybrid Plus, as the model is called in its entirety, does without the electric drive familiar from its larger models. Instead, there is initially a full hybrid consisting of a 1.5-liter gasoline engine with 75 kW/102 hp and a 100 kW/136 hp electric motor, which can also provide propulsion alone over short distances. However, the 1.83 kWh battery should only be enough for a few kilometers of purely electric travel.

The main task, however, is that of a savings aid for the combustion engine – and that of a performance booster: after all, in combination there is a very generous 143 kW/194 hp available for a small car. Around 8 seconds should pass when accelerating from a standstill until 100 km/h is reached. Five seconds are required for the intermediate sprint from 80 to 120 km/h, which is important when overtaking. The power transmission is controlled by an automatic transmission with three stages. In addition to the hybrid, there will also be a pure gasoline engine later.

Three equipment lines, lots of equipment

SAIC subsidiary MG Motor is not yet providing any information on prices. In Great Britain, the predecessor was recently clearly positioned as the “Best Value Hatch” and, at just under 17,000 euros, cheaper than the competition. The new edition with hybrid drive should no longer be available for this low price, but the manufacturer is adding a lot of equipment to compensate. Standard features include the 10.25-inch infotainment system with navigation, the reversing camera and Apple Car Play or Android Auto integration. Three equipment lines are planned, which will be called “Standard”, “Comfort” and “Luxury”.

With the three-piece, MG has its sights set on the mass market; In the Chinese portfolio, the new one will be the entry-level model below the compact models MG4 and MG5. At the other end of the product portfolio is the Cyberster, also presented in Geneva, a spectacular electric roadster with gullwing doors, which is also scheduled to come onto the market in 2024. The brand’s range in Germany then includes a total of seven models.