Cheapest MG HS Core dropped from local range

MG Motor Australia has axed the most affordable version of the 2022 MG HS, the Core, from its local line-up, with no trace of the entry-level mid-size SUV to be found anywhere on the brand’s website.

A quick scour through industry pricing guides reveals the decision came into effect sometime last month, when the sub-$30,000 MG HA variant was scratched from some price lists.

Given MG’s core principal of offering almost unbeatable value, it’s perhaps not surprising the Chinese marque hasn’t openly announced the HS Core’s discontinuation, which has bumped the model’s starting price up to $31,990 drive-away (from $29,990).

With the Core gone, the Vibe reclaims its original status as the cheapest HS variant, although it itself is now $1000 more expensive than when it launched here in early 2020.

The Core arrived Down Under in the early stages of 2021 as an even cheaper offering and as such went without a few of the model range’s otherwise standard niceties, including leather-accented upholstery, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and power-adjustable front seats.

Evidently sales of the base model were slow, but carsales has contacted MG Australia for confirmation as to why the Core only had an 18-month stint in local showrooms.

Like all front-wheel drive HS variants – besides the PHEV – the Core was powered by a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine (119kW/250Nm) paired exclusively to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

The Core’s departure leaves just two sub-$30K medium SUVs available in Australia – the Mahindra XUV 500 W6 ($27,990 drive-away) and the SsangYong Korando EX ($29,990 drive-away)

Join the conversation at 

our Facebook page

Or email us at 

editor@carsales.com.au