SAIC Motor Corp. plans to deliver a new plug-in hybrid car under its MG brand, the plug-in version of the MG HS compact crossover, in international markets.
After arriving the domestic market, the vehicle will be first exported to United Kingdom and Singapore, the state-owned automaker said last week. “It will join the EZS pure electric vehicle to speed up MG brand’s process to go global,” it added.
SAIC didn't provide more details on its export plan for the vehicle.
The plug-in MG HS went on sale in China at the Guangzhou auto show last week, with a starting price of 189,800 yuan ($26,960) after government subsidies.
The vehicle was built at SAIC’s newly constructed plant in Ningde, a city in the east China coastal province of Fujian. The factory, which opened in September, will serve as the company’s export center.
The plug-in hybrid is fitted with a 1.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine and SAIC’s second-generation transmission dedicated for plug-in hybrids.
The engine delivers maximum power of 430 hp and maximum torque of 480 Nm. That enables the vehicle to reach the speed of 100 kilometers (62 miles) per hour within 6.6 seconds, according to SAIC.
The plug-in HS is the third electrified vehicle model in MG’s product mix, following the plug-in variant of the MG6 compact sedan and the battery version of the EZS subcompact crossover.
In July, the electric EZS, MG’s first battery EV, arrived in UK and has since been also exported to the Netherland and Norway, according to SAIC.
In China, SAIC also assembles vehicles for its MG and Roewe brands in three other cities -- Shanghai, Nanjing and Zhengzhou.
Outside China, SAIC produces cars for MG in Thailand and India.
In 2005, Nanjing Auto, also a state-owned automaker in China, purchased the brand from bankrupt U.K. automaker MG Rover. Two years later, Nanjing Auto was acquired by SAIC.
