2024-04-13 12:28:43
A grandiose and at the same time rather strange presentation of the new Chinese brand MG took place in Moscow, the cars of which will be sold in Russia by the official supplier, Mir-Distributor. The event was organized by this Russian company, but Chinese representatives closely watched everything that happened. There were a lot of them in the hall.
The presentation was strange because four out of five MG cars can already be bought in Russia. They are abundantly represented by both in-stock and custom-made machines. As for the fifth model – the MG Cyberster electric roadster – literally the day before the World Distributor, it was presented by MG Motor Rus LLC, which also calls itself the official distributor of the MG brand in Russia. Like many other Chinese cars, you can order the Cyberster from unofficial sellers now; there are plenty of offers online. To be fair, it must be said that the presentation of “Mir” was supposed to take place back in March, but it was postponed after the terrorist attack at Crocus.
The MG 5 sedan is already on sale in Russia
As the CEO of Mir-Distributor Yuriy Afanasyev made it clear, it is his company that is a real distributor with all that it entails, which I will talk about later. As for private imports, they say they only help popularize the brand in Russia.
It was quite strange to watch how one of the cars in the line was presented to us, and then the owners of such a car appeared on stage, who had been driving it for a long time across the expanses of our vast Motherland.
MG brand: British or Chinese?
Liftback MG 6
One more point needs to be made clear. The MG brand appears to be British, but is actually owned by the giant SAIC. Chinese state-owned automobile company SAIC Motor Corporation is the country’s largest automobile manufacturer and exporter. It accounts for a quarter of all car sales in China and approximately the same share of all Chinese car exports.
Liftback MG 6
As for the once glorious British brand MG, at some point it changed hands and at various times belonged to the Rover Group, BMW and even the British aerospace corporation, until it became the property of SAIC in 2007, after which it began to develop steadily. But shortly before this, it came to the introduction of external management at the factories of the Rover Group, which at that time included MG.
Official or not: what’s the difference?
Liftback MG 7
Now about why it is important to figure out who you are buying a car from. According to Yuri Afanasyev, Mir-Distributor has the right to apply for OTTS, will supply original cars and spare parts with a warranty from the manufacturer (in the case of cars, this is 3 years or 100 thousand km), develop a dealer network in Russia, can train staff at SAIC facilities in China and has access to manufacturer online resources. At the same time, you won’t even be able to pick up spare parts for third-party machines; the system simply won’t “see” them.
Liftback MG 7
Buyers of many Chinese cars suffer from a lack of spare parts for them. I asked Yuri Afanasyev about what would happen in the case of MG. The answer was surprising. According to him, SAIC demanded that warehouses with everything necessary be created before the first official MG car was delivered to Russia, and this was done. The list and number of necessary components and assemblies were also established by the Chinese concern.
Crossover MG ZS
Yuriy Afanasyev also stated that the brand’s cars are distinguished by unusual reliability and can easily travel 100 thousand km without any breakdowns at all, and their paintwork layer is much thicker than that of competitors. In response to a clarifying question about the thickness of this layer, Afanasyev suggested that I measure it myself. I confess, until this day I did not take a thickness gauge to the presentation, but I will definitely compare this indicator for MG with the thickness of the paintwork on cars of other brands during the test of one of the brand’s cars.
Crossover MG ZS
Mir-Distributor plans to achieve a market share of 1.5% in 2024 and 5% in 2030. In the future, it is planned to sell all models of the MG export line in our country. The cars supplied by Mir will be distinguished by mandatory certification, Russification, enhanced anti-corrosion treatment and a “winter package”. Already this year, they want to increase the model range presented in Russia to 10 models.
MG 5 and others: model range in Russia
MG Cyberstar Roadster
After the press conference, the MG 5 sedan with a 1.5-liter engine, which is positioned as a car for business and taxis, and the MG 6 liftback with a 1.5-liter engine producing 168 hp were presented. for those who want to stand out, the MG ZS family crossover with a 1.5-liter engine producing 114 hp, the MG 7 sports liftback with a 2-liter engine producing 261 hp. and finally, the MG Cyberster electric roadster, which is worth a closer look.
MG Cyberstar Roadster
It is clear that this is a car for pleasure, and not for some utilitarian purposes, an adult toy. The Roadster is truly beautiful. The soft roof can be folded or unfolded in just 10 seconds, not only while standing still, but also while moving at speeds of up to 50 km/h. The length of the car is 4.5 meters, the wheelbase is 2 meters 69 centimeters. In Russia, the MG Cyberster will be sold with a 544 hp power plant. and a torque of a gigantic 725 Nm! According to the passport, the battery provides a power reserve of 580 km, in fact it will be 350-400 km. The front and rear suspensions are completely independent. In the cabin, a potential buyer will find sports seats, three screens and an expensive music system.
Approximate model plan for the MG brand in Russia
Sales of MG 5 have already started, the rest of the cars will appear on the market within a year.
Alexander ANDREEV (@Self-Portrait), photo by the author
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