Australia’s cheapest PHEV? MG HS plug-in hybrid to launch in Q1 next year
Australia could soon have a new plug-in hybrid entry point, with Chinese brand MG confirming it will launch the PHEV version of its HS SUV in the first three months of 2021.
While pricing is yet to be confirmed, it is expected the MG eHS will be among the cheapest plug-in hybrid vehicles in the country, and will potentially undercut vehicles like the Hyundai Ioniq PHEV (from $42,410) and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV – which is due to be replaced next year – (from $47,390).
The MG eHS will be the brand’s first PHEV in our market, and is fitted with a 16.6kWh battery pack that will deliver a claimed range 75 kilometres in EV mode. Under the bonnet is a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, which combines with an electric motor for total outputs of 214kW and 480Nm.
“We have a PHEV version of the HS mid-size SUV in the first quarter of next year, that will be a plug-in hybrid, so we’re moving forward, and we’ve got really good products coming beyond that,” MG Australia’s Danny Lenartic confirmed to media.
The MG eHS will be preceded by the MG ZS EV, which will launch in Australia in November, and could itself form the cheapest way into a BEV in our market.
The MG ZS EV will be equipped with a 44.5kWh water-cooled battery pack, delivering a 262km driving range, while its electric motor will serve up 105kW and 353Nm. The offical price point is yet to be confirmed, but the ZS was offered as a pre-sale price of at $46,990, which undercuts the Hyundai Ioniq, which lists at $48,970 plus on-roads.
