SHANGHAI MOTOR SHOW: MG joins TCR fray

Another new entrant will shortly join the global TCR motorsport category following MG's official unveiling of the company's 2.0-litre turbocharged MG6 XPOWER in Shanghai yesterday.

Driving through a six-speed sequential gearbox with shift paddles to a locking front differential and developing engine outputs of about 260kW and 400Nm, the new race car is priced at 100,000 Euros (or 10 million yuan).

Although the TCR Series is quickly gathering momentum Australia, where the first season takes place this year, there's no certainty that MG will campaign its car on local tracks, according to MG Australia product manager Pavel Meck.

“TCR needs much more internal discussion before we enter the realm of motorsport,” Meck told carsales.com.au at the Shanghai show.

James Brock campaigned a race-prepped MG6 PLUS in the five-round 2018 Australian Production Car Series, as part of an ambassadorial deal struck between the son of the late Peter Brock and the Chinese brand when it relaunched here in 2016.

On the stand alongside the race car was a standard MG6 in a high-spec configuration. Meck said the new MG6 revealed in 2017 remains a left-hand drive proposition exclusively, although the importer hasn't closed the door on the small hatch making a return to Australia.

“We're currently studying MG6,” he said, but also suggested that it might mean waiting until the next-generation model before it would be available to Australian buyers."

The MG6 XPOWER will make its competition debut in China at Shanghai