The new-generation MG HS has been spotted testing on Australian roads, little more than a month before covers come off the mid-sized SUV.
An image sent to us by a CarExpert reader (below) shows the new MG HS being driven in Brisbane, with New South Wales registration info revealing it’s an evaluation vehicle.
It’s also the first time we’ve seen the second-generation model in Australia, after a facelift of the SUV which is currently in local showrooms was delayed and eventually vetoed by MG for our market, in favour of a completely new version.
As previously reported, the new MG HS is understood to be a restyled version of the RX5 from Roewe – a sibling brand also owned by SAIC Motor – which is larger across all dimensions than the SUV it’ll replace.
An MG UK executive told Automotive News Europe the company will reveal the current-generation HS successor at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed (held between July 11 and 14) where the now Chinese-owned brand will celebrate its 100th anniversary.
Patent images of its exterior design have previously been shared however, and its drivetrain details are also known thanks to the Roewe RX5.
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 current HS 1.5T – and is mated to a seven-speed wet dual-clutch automatic transmission.
Roewe RX5 
MG Australia has previously confirmed the new HS is due here by the end of 2024, launching first with solely petrol power before a replacement for the current HS Plus EV plug-in hybrid (PHEV) is expected to follow.
PHEV versions of the Roewe eRX5 are powered by a turbocharged 1.5-litre petrol engine with an electric motor and a 10-speed automatic transmission, developing total system outputs of 183kW and 570Nm – down 6kW but up 200Nm on the HS Plus EV.
This electrified variant can achieve a claimed 61km of driving range on the lenient NEDC cycle from its 12.3kWh lithium iron phosphate battery.
MG HS patent images 
It’s unclear how much of a price rise will come with the new generation.
At present, the MG HS starts from $29,990 before on-road costs, while the HS Plus EV is priced from $49,690 drive-away.
The MG HS is the slowest-selling model in the brand’s Australian lineup, recording 1125 sales across the opening four months of 2024. By comparison, almost 8000 MG ZSs were sold in the same period.
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