By now, you’ve probably heard that MG Philippines will now be directly under the wing of its mother company, SAIC. SAIC Motor Philippines recently held a dealer conference and said it was planning to introduce a trio of electric vehicles to the local market.
However, that got us thinking. What other MG products from abroad could be a good match for the Philippine market? After scouring MG websites worldwide, we came up with five models that we think are well suited for the country.
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Comet
Also known as the Wuling Air EV, the MG Comet is a city EV we think would be a great addition to the local MG lineup. The small EV market isn’t too big at the moment, but there is potential in it, nonetheless. Besides, there has been a fair bit of interest in these kinds of vehicles lately. At the moment, there’s the Wuling Mini EV sold through the gray market, along with the Jetour Ice Cream which has been raking in orders. As for specs, the Comet uses a single electric motor that’s good for 42hp and has a projected range of up to 230km. Should be enough for inner city drives, then.
Hector
If there’s one kind of car that MG Philippines needs, it’s an MPV. So far, the company doesn’t have a single seven-seater model to offer in the country. But that should change if it decides to bring in the Hector. In other markets, it’s also known as the Chevrolet Captiva, the Wuling Almaz, and Baojun 530. While technically a crossover, the Hector is about the same size as the Toyota Innova and Zenix. Like the latter, it’s also front-wheel drive with an option of a gas engine or a hybrid. However, the Hector can also be specified with a diesel which could be a plus for local customers.
MG7
Yes, the midsize sedan market has shrunk dramatically over the years thanks to crossovers, SUVs, and MPVs. But that’s not stopping us from suggesting the MG7 for the local market. It’s a sharp looking executive sedan with coupe-like styling with two turbocharged engine options. The first is a 1.5-liter with 185hp and 300Nm, while the more powerful version packs a 2.0-liter making 257hp and 405Nm. Think of this then as an alternative to the serious and buttoned-down Toyota Camry.
Gloster
Does MG have a product that can take on the likes of the Ford Everest, Mitsubishi Montero Sport, and Toyota Fortuner? If we were in India, that would be a yes thanks to something called the Gloster. The Gloster is essentially a rebadged Maxus D90, but it follows the basic formula of other midsize SUV. It has a fairly sizable body, a truck-based chassis, and of course, a diesel engine. The engine specs sound competitive too, with its 2.0-liter mill making 215hp and 480Nm of torque. Sounds promising, we say.
Maxus 9
If SAIC is dead serious on bringing in more EVs for MG Philippines, perhaps it can consider the Maxus 9. Okay, it’s really a Maxus product but it does wear an MG badge over in Thailand. The Maxus 9 is an electric luxury minivan that looks futuristic from the outside and plus on the inside. Mind you, the minivan classification is a bit of a misnomer as it’s well over five meters long. However, we reckon it has potential to attract luxury van customers looking to cut down on their carbon footprint with its 90 kWh battery and electric motor that doles out 241hp.
