MG Motor will reveal its next-generation MG 3 hatchback at the 2024 Geneva motor show in February.
The reveal will take place on February 26.
MG has teased the front end of the new hatchback, but the car’s exterior design has already been leaked by Spanish site Coche Spias.
The MG 3 will benefit from a more aggressive and curvaceous design with similarities to the larger MG 5 sedan.
The new generation of the MG 3 will be the first to offer a hybrid powertrain.
Like the Toyota Yaris, it’ll be offered with both petrol and hybrid options. But while it’ll offer more safety equipment than the current model, MG Motor Australia CEO Peter Ciao told CarExpert in 2023 the new model is unlikely to earn a five-star ANCAP safety rating like the Yaris.
“It will definitely be a hybrid and it will have a lot more safety equipment, too, but it won’t get a five-star safety rating,” Mr Ciao told CarExpert.
“It’s important that MG Australia offers some of the most affordable cars in the segments we compete in and we want to continue that with the new MG 3,” he added.
MG hasn’t confirmed specifications for the new model, but it offers a four-cylinder hybrid powertrain in the ZS-based VS crossover in Thailand.
-
MG 3 patent images
The VS marries a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine making 80kW and 142Nm with a 70kW/200Nm electric motor and a 2.1kWh lithium-ion battery.
The hybrid crossover has a combined power output of 130kW, with claimed fuel consumption as low as 5.8L per 100km.
The 2024 MG 3 will now offer autonomous emergency braking, which is mandatory on all newly introduced models in Australia from March 2023. The current model doesn’t have this feature.
-
MG 3 patent images
Other new safety technology we are likely to see on the next MG 3 include traffic sign recognition, lane-keep assist, and tyre-pressure monitoring.
The current MG 3 has an expired three-star safety rating from Euro NCAP based on testing conducted in 2014.
While the current MG 3 is one of MG’s lower-volume models in Europe and the UK and is no longer sold in China, it remains extremely popular in Australia.
-
MG 3 patent images
Despite its age, the MG 3 has grown in popularity and held a whopping 43.3 per cent share of its segment in 2023.
MG Motor Australia sold 15,430 examples of its compact hatchback in 2023. It outsold the Suzuki Swift (6914), Mazda 2 (5181) and Kia Rio (4067).
The MG 3 is currently the cheapest model in Australia since Kia increased the pricing of its recently facelifted Picanto. It’s the only car in Australia to sit underneath a $20,000 price tag, with the base Core currently available at $19,990 drive-away.
MORE: Everything MG 3
MORE: MG 3 review
MORE: Here’s the new MG 3 hatch before you’re supposed to see it
