All-new 2025 MG ZS & HS due in Australia within six months (2024)

The 2025 MG ZS small SUV and 2025 MG HS midsize SUV will arrive in Australia within six months, it has been confirmed.

MG Motor Australia said all-new ZS and HS models have been fast-tracked for our market, with both vehicles expected to land in local showrooms before the end of 2024.

Neither the ZS nor the HS have been officially revealed by the Chinese brand, though patent images for both vehicles emerged in late 2023.

The crucial new SUV models – the ZS was MG’s number-one seller in 2023 and the HS competes in Australia’s best-selling segment – will join the recently-launched all-new MG3 city launch, the $100,000 to $150,000 Cyberster halo electric convertible, and a crucial safety update for the zero-star ANCAP-rated MG5 sedan.

“[For HS], we are trying to bring things forward based on the feedback and market demand, our customers… we are also pushing to launch the new ZS within this year as well,” said MG Motor Australia senior product and strategy manager Akshat Ahuja.

MG has confirmed the new ZS and HS will offer the choice of value-focused petrol-only variants or more efficient petrol-electric options – the latter a first for both nameplates.

The new HS will also offer a plug-in hybrid option, as before.

“Hybrid for MG in the future is a standard spec [on] all models,” said MG Motor Australia CEO Peter Ciao.

As detailed here, the second-generation MG ZS will wear evolutionary styling that builds on the look of the facelifted ZST and ZS EV models launched in 2020 and 2022, respectively.

Under the bonnet, the ZS Hybrid will feature the same 1.5-litre non-turbo four-cylinder petrol-electric setup as the new MG3 Hybrid+, where it produces 155kW in total and is paired to a three-speed automatic transmission.

“This MG3 technology that we have done this huge investment on, we’ll also see that in the new ZS which is upcoming. The new ZS will mirror what MG3 has,” said Ahuja.

The 2025 MG ZS small SUV is due in Australia towards the very end of this year.

Meanwhile, MG Australia will skip a facelift for the current MG HS – which was unveiled in China four years ago but only reached overseas markets in late 2023 – and jump straight to a second-generation version set to debut in China imminently.

It will arrive in local showrooms in the next few months, first in turbo-petrol guise and later followed by a traditional hybrid to rival the Toyota RAV4 midsize SUV sales king, along with the next version of the Mitsubishi Outlander and BYD Sealion 6-rivalling MG HS Plus EV plug-in hybrid.

“We are only focusing on the ICE engine [at launch]. The other powertrains, bigger ICE engine, plug-in hybrid and hybrid… they will come definitely but timing is still to be confirmed. It will most likely be next year,” said Ahuja.

If the Roewe RX5’s powertrain line-up is a guide, expect the new MG HS to offer three versions centred around a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol: an ICE-only variant, a conventional hybrid, and a plug-in hybrid.

The 1.5-litre petrol produces 138kW and 300Nm, while the plug-in hybrid version adds a 180kW electric motor. It has a 570Nm total torque output and a 50-kilometre electric-only driving range.

Ahuja’s mention of a “bigger ICE engine” also suggests an updated version of the current 168kW/360Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol AWD powertrain could remain available in the new HS as another petrol-only option.

First revealed in patent images in December 2023, the second-generation MG HS will be a rebadged version of the Chinese-market Roewe RX5 available since 2022 – but with some minor differences including a more conventional grille and traditional door handles instead of pop-out units.

The MG 5 electric wagon – no relation to the MG5 petrol sedan sold in Australia – and MG Marvel R are existing rebadged Roewe vehicles, while the brand's IM LS6 electric SUV is expected to come to Australia as an MG around 2026 with a sub-$100,000 price tag.

Inside, expect the new HS to adopt a larger infotainment system and floating digital instrument cluster – potentially on the same panel – a new steering wheel, and a simplified centre console.

The Roewe RX5 measures 4655mm long, 1890mm wide and 1664mm tall, with a 2700mm wheelbase – 81mm longer and 14mm wider than the current HS, with an identical height and a 20mm shorter wheelbase.

The 2025 MG HS is due to be unveiled imminently ahead of its Australian launch in the next three to four months, pending any delays.