Class Supermini (B) | ||
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Manufacturer MG Motor (Nanjing/SAIC) Layout Front-engine, front-wheel-drive | ||
The MG 3 is a budget supermini car produced by the Chinese automotive company SAIC. The first generation, marketed as the MG 3 SW, is based on the British-made Rover Streetwise, which itself was similar to the Rover 25, while the second generation introduced in 2011 is marketed simply as the MG 3 and is based on a new platform. It is the most popular Chinese car currently on sale in the UK.
Contents
About
The first generation MG 3 SW is essentially a rebadged version of the Rover Streetwise, which had ceased production in April 2005 after the bankruptcy of predecessor organisation MG Rover. It started production in 2008 at SAIC's Chinese factory in Pukou, Nanjing.
The MG 3 SW is only on sale in the Chinese market and cannot be exported by SAIC.
Second generation
The new MG 3 was showcased at the 2010 Beijing Auto Show in the form of the MG Zero concept car. The new model uses an all-new automotive platform with a wheelbase of 2.5 m, featuring MacPherson strut front suspension and a torsion beam rear axle. The development work took place in the United Kingdom, with production initially in China. The car went on sale in China in the spring of 2011. Engine options at launch consist of a choice of 1.3 (1343 cc) and 1.5-litre (1498 cc), rated at 68 kW (91 bhp) and 80 kW (107 bhp) respectively, with either a five-speed manual transmission or an Italian AMT transmission called e-shift. The MG3 supermini has a low insurance (group 4E) and over a million personalisation options.
A promised 1.5-litre Turbo petrol engine producing 165 hp (123 kW) has yet to be launched.
In Thailand, MG3 and Xross were launched 18 March 2015. It has lower price than other cars in same segment but equipped with more features such as Moonroof and ESP.
MG 3 Xross
The second generation MG 3 is also available in a crossover-style variant (similar to the Rover Streetwise and MG 3 SW), known as the MG 3 Xross. The Xross is only available with the 80 kW (107 hp) 1.5-litre engine.
EU MG 3
A facelifted version of the MG 3, with a revised front design, was announced in the spring of 2013, with sales in the UK commencing in September 2013, but only with the 1.5-litre 105 hp (78 kW) engine option. It was claimed that it would be built for Europe at the Longbridge plant in Birmingham alongside the larger MG6, however it is unclear whether any cars were ever assembled there.
2016 MG3
For 2016, the MG3 received several upgrades to improve the refinement of the MG3 and also meet several requirements. One of the upgrades is the installation of a EU 6 derivative of the standard 1.5L engine, Developed by SAIC Motor UK. Also on the EU 6 MG3 engine, stop-start has also been fitted to update the MG3. Another upgrade is the addition of two tone colour schemes, primarily on the red and yellow MG3's which can be equipped with either a black or white roof, similar to the much more upmarket Skoda Fabia.
Popular Culture
The MG3 has featured in a series of advertisements for the popular supermarket Tienda Inglesa, where a protagonist is chased across a supermarket by a policeman to the Benny Hill theme tune, before driving away in a blue MG3 with a union jack roof.
Engines
The MG 3 is only available with a 1.5L Engine, which has received a EU 6 upgrade to reduce emissions and also the addition of stop-start.