CAN MG BECOME THE NEXT HYUNDAI OR KIA?
IS THERE A car brand in the UK right now going about its business more impressively than MG? It’s 11 years since the storied marque relaunched under Chinese ownership here with the 6, and for most of that time it has felt like a bit-part player.
Then the electric car era started and MG now finds itself making the right products at the right time for the right price and – crucially in the current market – able to quickly fulfil orders to keep up with rising demand for EVS.
In 2021, it was the UK’S fastestgrowing mainstream brand, with sales up more than 60%. MG added over 40 new dealers, with plenty more planned.
For inspiration on where it goes next, MG need only look at Kia and Hyundai, brands that felt similar a decade ago to where MG is now. They navigated the tricky path from fastgrowing upstarts to established players by adding in other qualities such as bolder design, more sophisticated dynamics and big leaps in perceived quality to ever more desirable products without abandoning their value roots.
They started to build performance models, too. That’s something MG already has in the pipeline, with a new sports car due in 2024 (see p4). While MG’S progress has been under the radar to date, that will soon change with what it has in store next.
mark.tisshaw@haymarket.com @mtisshaw