Shanghai LIVE: 2015 MG GS
The crossover rides on a modified Ssangyong Korando platform.
Chinese-owned MG has fully introduced the 2015 GS, its first-ever crossover, at the Shanghai Motor Show.
The compact soft-roader was designed to substantially increase MG's share of the Chinese new car market. As expected, the GS bears more than a passing resemblance to the CS concept that debuted at last year's Shanghai Motor Show but its front end is closer to that of the Golf-sized MG5 hatchback and its overhangs are longer. The concept has lost several inches of ground clearance, its LED headlights and its oversized rims in its transition to a regular-production vehicle.
Power for the crossover comes from a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that sends 200 horsepower and 258 lb-ft. of torque to all four wheels via a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. It is capable of accelerating from zero to 62 mph in about eight seconds. Additional engines will be added later in the production run, including a three-cylinder 1.0-liter and a 1.5-liter four-banger that is currently found under the hood of the aforementioned MG5.
MG's first crossover is on sale now across China, and it will be added to the automaker's lineup in England in the next couple of months. Details about England-bound models are vague, but the crossover will likely be assembled from complete knock-down (CKD) kits in MG's historic Longbridge factory.
Live images by Ronan Glon.
