MG has revealed a new HS that’s bigger and more modern-looking, inside and out, and it’s coming here soon.
The next-generation HS is due in Australia in the second half of 2024, bringing the curtain down on the current car which was only launched here early in 2020.
Measuring 4636mm long (+26mm) and 1890mm wide (+14mm) on a 2750mm wheelbase (+26mm), the HS has grown in almost every direction.
It is, however, 30mm lower than the outgoing car, which MG attributes to its sleeker profile.
Inside, there are dual 12.3-inch screens – one a digital instrument cluster, the other an infotainment touchscreen – situated in the same assembly.
MG Motor Australia has revealed little in the way of information about the new car, which is debuting at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
It marries a version of MG’s new corporate face, as seen on vehicles like the latest MG 3, to the body of the RX5 from fellow SAIC Motor brand Roewe.
This model debuted in China during 2022.
Powertrain details have yet to be announced for the local-spec HS, though it’s expected to be launching first with petrol power with a plug-in hybrid following.
The new HS has already been spied testing locally, with petrol models showing up in government approval documents.
Government approval documents note the petrol MG HS range will be offered in five variants: three listed as having a 1.5-litre turbocharged engine and a dual-clutch automatic transmission, and two with a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine and a nine-speed torque-converter automatic.
In China, the RX5’s turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine produces 138kW of power and 300Nm of torque – 19kW and 50Nm more than the outgoing HS 1.5T – and is mated to a seven-speed wet dual-clutch automatic transmission.
There’s no 2.0-litre turbo currently available in the Chinese RX5 lineup, though SAIC Motor offers such an engine – complete with a nine-speed auto – in other products like the MG 7 sedan that’s also set for an Australian launch.
The MG 7’s 2.0-litre produces 192kW of power and 405Nm of torque, up 24kW and 45Nm on the 2.0-litre in the outgoing HS.
The RX5 is offered with a choice of two 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder plug-in hybrid powertrains in China, one with 135km of range on the CLTC cycle and the other with 61km of range on the NEDC cycle. It’s unclear which will come here.
It’s also unclear how much of a price rise will come with the larger, more powerful new-generation model.
Outgoing MG HS 
Presently, the MG HS starts from $29,990 before on-road costs, while the HS Plus EV is priced from $49,690 drive-away.
The HS is the least popular member of the current MG lineup in Australia, despite the mid-sized SUV segment being Australia’s largest by volume.
MG sold 1618 examples during the first half of 2024, down 65.3 per cent on the same period last year.
SAIC Motor often rebadges Roewe and LDV/Maxus products as MGs in markets like Southeast Asia and the Middle East, though Australia has until now missed out on such vehicles.
Roewe RX5 
The HS has received more of a restyling than those vehicles to make it better fit with MG’s lineup aesthetically.
In addition to the RX5-based HS, the larger Roewe RX9 is looking likely as the donor vehicle for MG’s first three-row SUV in Australia.
MORE: Everything MG HS
