Chinese MG3

The Chinese MG3 is getting the Euro-spec nose and DRLs - will it also be getting the rest of the tweaks such as suspension and steering etc?

I ask because, as is pointed out in some of the reviews, it was designed in the UK for China, then reworked for the UK. If the Chinese are now being weened onto UK-spec tastes then hopefully MG's design process will be quicker, cheaper and less convoluted.

They have indicated that the CS will get a simultaneous global launch which implies a single spec - is that the way forward? Surely the BEST way to design a car is to use the BEST design in all markets.

Also - a thought - this maybe looking ahead too far, but what replaces the MG3? There will have to be at least a second engine option in the interim - a 1.5T I should think, and that should have a more 'extreme' interior/bodykit/wheel combo. But, based on MG's current staffing levels and historic ability to deliver, I think we'll have to wait at least a year. But the MG3 is already 2 years old which would mean that the 'hot' version would be out mid-way through the car's life span.

Will SAIC/MG take the MG-Rover route and just facelift like they did with the R200/25/ZR/Streetwise? That car ended up with a 10 year UK life plus the Chinese afterlife - the market won't stand for that. If they had their own distinct 'design language' they could have a longer shelf life - look at the Megane. The MG6 and MG3 are relatively conventional and so will age quicker.

MG's design team is fairly small and we know Uhlerik (sp?) has stated he is massively busy, can they get a new 6, 3, 5, CS and a sports coupe/roadster out in the next 5 years? The MG3 can't have more than a 5 year life span in the UK in it's current form. I expect the next generation to be much more striking. Hopefully they'll already be working away on it.

Morris Motors wrote:The Chinese MG3 is getting the Euro-spec nose and DRLs - will it also be getting the rest of the tweaks such as suspension and steering etc?

Some of the Chinese press have suggested that they will get the Euro changes, but it's an easy rumour to write, I don't think there is anything from MG themselves.  

I imagine that they will get the new nose as a facelift.  There is a reason they have softer suspension so I don't expect them to get that.

I don't know how well a turbo would sell there, if they do get it then presumably it will be styled with red trim like the MG5 Turbo:

The nose of the MG5 is the best thing about it.

I think we need the '5 here - it cant be that bad can it?

With the UK team working their magic with the suspension and a the new range of turbo engines available it would really help to bolster the range.

snifferdog1 wrote:I think we need the '5 here - it cant be that bad can it?

With the UK team working their magic with the suspension and a the new range of turbo engines available it would really help to bolster the range.

But it needs an SGE engine for anything but the base model and that is not available yet.

The CS comes first because that can launch with the 2.0 NLE which will be available first.

The 5 will come when the engines are available and I'm sure it wont be bad, a quick look at the sales in China confirms that!

It depends on the MG CS - I think initial reports suggested the CS was based on MG5 underpinnings, and that would have made it easier to justify bringing the MG5 over. As it is, the CS is Ssanyong-based so the MG5 would be a stand-alone model with fewer shared components. If the CS takes off and demand for the MG brand rises, then naturally the gap in the range will be asking to be filled.

What's to say that the MG5 is not related to the SsangYong Korando as well? The principle dimensions are similar between the MG5 and Korando with the wheelbases being identical. The 350, Korando and 5 all emerged around the same time. Considering the development cycle length all three were probably in development when SAIC held a majority stake in SsangYong. And also lets not forget that SMTC's website says that the vehicle engineering for the 350 (the base for the MG5) was done by a team at SsangYong.

It makes sense for there to be some kind of platform sharing in that scenario. Just look at how Volkswagen operate in terms of sharing platforms across myriad different products.

Jobbybob wrote:What's to say that the MG5 is not related to the SsangYong Korando as well? ...

I suspect the MG5 is a lot closer to the Korando than the MG CS is, the CS is the next generation of the platform, derived from the MG5.