MG Motor Australia says it has “drastically reduced” the number of all-wheel drive HS mid-sized SUVs it’s bringing to Australia – pointing to an uncertain future for the powertrain option locally.
CarExpert understands MG has imported zero examples of its all-wheel drive HS so far this year.
It uses a larger turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine producing 168kW of power and 360Nm of torque, and is available in Excite X and Essence X trims.
“We are evaluating and considering all variants of the facelifted HS range for Australia and hope to see them arrive in H2 this year (2023),” a spokesperson for MG Motor Australia told CarExpert.
Current HS Essence X
“As part of the evaluation and move toward the updated range, we have drastically reduced the volume of HS 2.0 AWD coming into the MY23 line-up.
“Any additional updates to this will be made in due course as to whether this variant continues.”
Turbo 2.0-litre models are still available to order, but MG warns buyers will face a longer wait to take delivery of one compared with the turbo 1.5-litre and plug-in hybrid powertrains, both of which are front-wheel drive.
It’s unclear if the all-wheel drive model will return with the upcoming facelift, with MG Australia yet to detail the updated line-up.
The refreshed styling has already been revealed in overseas markets like China, Thailand and more recently the UK.
The update features a more aggressive-looking front end, tweaked tail lights, dual exhaust outlets, and new wheel designs.
According to MG Motor UK there are no major changes to the interior besides an updated 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system said to provide “smoother functionality”.
The updated styling first debuted in China in 2020.
In Australia, MG sold 10,948 HS models in 2022. It was behind the Hyundai Tucson (17,870), the Kia Sportage (18,792), and the Mitsubishi Outlander (19,546).
The MG HS range only just outsold the Subaru Forester (10,637), but held a comfortable lead over the Nissan X-Trail (7943), and the GWM Haval H6 (7009).
MORE: Everything MG HS
