The new 2025 MG HS will debut with a plug-in version set to offer more than 110 km of EV range, and Australia is confirmed
It’s almost time for the all-new 2025 MG HS to step out from the shadows, as the brand has confirmed the next iteration of its popular mid-size SUV will be unveiled on 11 July at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed.
MG has also released a brief teaser video for the second-generation HS, giving us our first glimpse of its response to the facelifted Hyundai Tucson and new BYD Seal U.
The video suggests the front end of the HS will feature an enormous grille and air intakes – similar to those on the new MG3 supermini – along with a sharp set of LED headlights connected by a chrome strip, like the MG5 EV’s.
The only other details we can pick out at this point are the rear light bar that incorporates a geometric tail-light signature, pronounced rear haunches and large octagonal MG badges at both ends.
But, as the rendered image at the bottom of this story shows, earlier patent design images have revealed just about all there is to know about the new SUV’s styling.
We don’t get a look inside, however, MG is promising “an interior with enhanced space and an array of new, driver-focused technology.”
The new MG HS will be available from launch with a choice of petrol and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrains, it’s been confirmed, but a full-hybrid version is expected to join them early next year.
The plug-in hybrid version is probably going to steal the show, as MG UK’s head of product and planning, David Allison, told Auto Daily partner Auto Express in May: “We’re going to disrupt the market with that car.”
It’s tipped to use a larger battery than any competitor, allowing an official pure-electric range of around 70 miles (112 km).
This, in turn, should mean big benefits for company car drivers, as it will attract a Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) tax rating of just five per cent.
For context, the current HS Plug-in Hybrid offers a 32-mile (51 km) electric-only range and falls into the 12 per cent BiK bracket.
Meanwhile, the plug-in hybrid Tucson and Seal U can cover up to 38 miles (61 km) and 50 miles (80 km) respectively on a single charge.
The new MG HS might not be typical Festival of Speed fodder, compared with cars like the Land Rover Defender Octa or Red Bull RB17 hypercar which we know will also be in attendance this year. However, MG is celebrating its centenary at the event, as well as the launch of the highly anticipated MG Cyberster electric sports car.
Ellis Hyde & Automotive Daily
When will the new 2025 MG HS come to Australia?
Full local details on the new MG HS – and the new compact ZS – are still to be revealed, although the brand has confirmed we can expect both in Australia before the end of 2024.
Speaking with Australian publisher Wheels, MG Motor Australia senior product and strategy manager Akshat Ahuja said: “[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.”
Ahuja confirmed the HS will launch first with a petrol engine, while the plug-in hybrid and hybrid models “will come, but timing is still to be confirmed”.