MG: We’re coming to Malaysia this year, MG HS and MG ZS to launch in 2022
Eric · Jan 19, 2022 10:43 AM
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2022 could very well be the year MG returns to Malaysia after a 17-year hiatus, as the British-Chinese marque has revealed plans to expand into Malaysia sometime this year.
During an online press conference earlier this week, Zhang Haibo, Managing Director of SAIC Motor CP Co. Ltd. and MG Sales (Thailand) confirmed MG’s re-entry into Malaysia later this year, as reported by our sister site Autofun.
According to him, Thai-assembled units of the MG HS and MG ZS will be exported within the ASEAN region, Malaysia included. These two models have found their way to Indonesia and Vietnam earlier this year.
This announcement curiously lacks the mention of local assembly (CKD), which is necessary to escape high taxes in Malaysia and essential for MG to price their models competitively here.
As a brief recap, the MG HS is a C-segment SUV that is aimed at established rivals like the Proton X50, Honda CR-V, and Mazda CX-5. This SUV is powered by a turbocharged 1.5-litre petrol engine that does 162 PS and 250 Nm, hooked up to a 7-speed DCT that drives the front wheels.
Then there’s the MG ZS. Over in Thailand, the B-segment MG ZS is available either as a battery electric vehicle (BEV) or a regular petrol variant. It remains to be seen which variant will be offered in Malaysia.
Elsewhere, MG has also added that they will increase the production of EV batteries in Thailand with a THB 2 billion investment, leading to a higher percentage of local content for its Thai-assembled models by 2023.
The Shanghai-based car company also added that they have plans to recycle and repurpose EV batteries as well.
Started from the IT industry but somehow managed to find his way into the automotive industry. If he’s not gaming, he’s constantly tinkering with his daily/weekend car.