MG has kicked off a new era in China – but it’s not guaranteed to get rolling in Australia just yet.
“We are in constant dialogue with our product planning teams, but at this stage there are no plans to bring the MG One to Australia,” said an MG Australia spokesperson.
The One debuts a new architecture for the MG brand, dubbed SAIC Intelligent Global Modular Architecture (or SIGMA).
It actually launched under a Roewe people mover in China in 2020.
It’s launching under a mid-sized SUV, but MG says it supports everything from small hatchbacks to supercars. Power will come from a choice of mild- and plug-in hybrid powertrains, along with a pure-electric setup.
The One is a crossover with a front-end that represents a further evolution of MG’s latest corporate “face”, which first appeared on the ZST.
That includes a gaping grille with intricate, 3D-effect mesh internals, somewhat similar in appearance to recent Lexus models’ spindle grilles. MG has already applied a similar front-end treatment to an updated, Chinese-market version of the HS.
There’s a sharp feature line running down the side of the One, with a distinctive upkick of the belt line aft of the C-pillar. MG refers to this motif as a “leopard jump”.
Geometric patterned trim can be found between the C- and D-pillars, bearing a resemblance to similar trim found on recent Hyundai Motor Group products like the Kia Carnival.
The overall shape of the tail lights is similar to current MG products, but the internals have an intriguing new look with prominent petal-shaped elements. And while the exhaust outlets appear fake, there’s a fairly aggressive-looking rear diffuser.
CarNewsChina reports the One should measure 4579mm long, 1866mm wide and 1609mm tall on a 2670mm wheelbase.
That makes this a sleeker alternative to MG’s existing HS, which measures 4574mm long, 1876mm wide and 1685mm tall on a 2720mm wheelbase.
Like the HS, the One’s base powertrain will reportedly be a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. In the HS, this produces 124kW of power and 250Nm of torque.
