MG in Russia: liftbacks, sedan and many crossovers

More than 20,000 cars are planned to be sold on the Russian market under the once British brand.

The Chinese concern SAIC is not going to enter our market, but the MG brand it owns is still present in the Russian Federation. So, last year, the Yekaterinburg company “Mir-Distributor” undertook to represent the interests of the brand: as it was reported then, the company “works directly with the SAIC plant and is responsible for all the cars that arrive at dealer centers.” In September 2023, sales of the MG 5 sedan started in Russia, and now a large-scale expansion of the model range has been announced. Meanwhile, last summer another company, InTelGo, which also sells cars of other brands, announced the supply of MG cars to the Russian Federation. She even exhibited several models at the Moscow MIMS Automobility Show, after which she announced plans to open brand showrooms throughout the country. Today the company operates a dealership in Moscow.

However, “Mir-Distributor” calls itself the official distributor of MG. This company already has a dealer network, currently it includes more than 30 showrooms in 18 cities: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Yoshkar-Ola, Kazan, Krasnoyarsk, Naberezhnye Chelny, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Orenburg, Penza, Petrozavodsk, Smolensk, Sevastopol, Surgut, Tambov, Tyumen and Ulyanovsk. In addition, there is a “constantly replenished central warehouse” of spare parts in Moscow, and two more work in the Ural Federal Authority. In the future, the company plans to open new showrooms and warehouses. But let's return to the MG models.

MG 5 sedan presented in Russia 1/3 MG 5 sedan presented in Russia 2/3 MG 5 sedan presented in Russia 3/3

Today we sell a four-door under the name MG 5, which is a clone of the “Chinese” Roewe i5 (the Roewe brand is also owned by SAIC). Let us note that a completely different MG “five” is available in China – this is an original model, with a coupe-like body, it is also presented in other countries, and in some places such a sedan is called MG GT. The length of our version is 4601 mm, the wheelbase is 2680 mm, and the trunk volume is 512 liters. In the Russian Federation, the sedan is offered with a gasoline aspirated 1.5 (114 hp) and a CVT.

MG interior 5, available in the Russian Federation

The Russian MG 5 has two trim levels. The base includes 16-inch wheels, a leather interior, an electric sunroof, air conditioning, a multimedia system with a 10-inch screen, a rear view camera, ESP, front and side airbags, and cruise control. The more expensive version also includes LED optics, an electric parking brake with the AutoHold function, heated front seats and all-round cameras. There are no prices on the distributor’s website; at one of the Moscow dealers, the MG 5 sedan costs from 2,239,000 rubles (excluding shares).

By the end of the first half of the year, sales of three more models should begin in Russia — liftback MG 6, crossovers MG HS and MG ZS. At the same time, the “six” and MG HS were announced in their pre-reform form.

MG 6 liftback announced for Russia 1/3 MG 6 liftback, announced for Russia 2/3 MG 6 liftback, announced for Russia 3/3

The liftback is comparable in size to the current Skoda Octavia; in the Russian Federation, the MG 6 will be available with a 1.5 petrol turbo-four (148 hp) and a seven-speed robotic gearbox with two clutches. The list of equipment includes dual-zone climate control, a rear view camera and cruise control.

MG HS, announced for Russia 1/3 MG HS announced for Russia 2/3 MG HS announced for Russia 3/3

The MG HS SUV is a classmate of the Toyota RAV4. On the distributor's website for the MG crossover, petrol turbo-fours 1.5 (148 hp) and 2.0 (229 hp) are announced, the first engine is equipped with 7DCT, the second is equipped with a six-speed “robot”. The MG HS with the base turbo engine is exclusively front-wheel drive, the 2.0T model is all-wheel drive. The model's arsenal includes a virtual tidy and a panoramic roof. Finally, the MG ZS is close in size to the Hyundai Creta; this crossover is equipped with a 114-horsepower naturally aspirated 1.5 and a CVT, front-wheel drive only.

MG ZS 1/2 MG ZS 2/2

Later, they are going to bring to Russia a fresh MG 7 liftback, MG RX5 crossovers (a clone of Roewe RX5) and RX9, a rechargeable hybrid SUV MG HS PHEV and three more models, the names of which have not yet been disclosed. By the way, in the current global MG line there is no car with the index RX9 yet: either the Roewe RX9 will receive a different emblem, or there is an inaccuracy in the release, and the frame SUV MG RX8 (a copy of the Roewe RX8) was meant.

MG 7 1/7 MG 7 2/7 MG 7 3/7 MG 7 4/7 Current MG RX5 5/7 Current MG RX5 6/7 Current MG RX5 7/7

More details about new MG products for Russia , including configurations and prices, are promised to be revealed closer to the start date of sales. It is also noted that the distributor intends to reach sales volumes of more than 20,000 MG cars in the Russian Federation.