SPY PICS: MG5 spotted cruising Mornington Peninsula

A carsales reader has spied a camouflaged MG5 sedan pottering along a Mornington Peninsula freeway in Victoria as the small sedan continues its local evaluation and compliance testing.

Save for the black and white camo wrap, MG has done very little to disguise the compact sedan, which appears to be wearing all of its production-spec trimmings including its MG badging.

The MG5 sedan was confirmed for Australian release way back in 2020 and while a local launch was expected the following year for what would be a direct rival for the top-selling Toyota Corolla sedan, no concrete dates were ever locked in.

But this week’s sighting along with comments from the Chinese brand’s local division suggest the wait could soon be over and that an Aussie debut could now be on the horizon.

“MG Motor’s goal is to offer a variety of models and specifications for every Australian. As previously mentioned, we currently have a MG5 on our shores for local testing,” a local spokesperson told carsales.

“Local pricing and specifications for the MG5 will be detailed closer to launch.

“We are evaluating and considering all variants of the MG5 as there’s a comprehensive line-up of powertrains on offer that we will confirm closer to launch.”

The MG5 received Australian Design Rule compliance earlier this month, when initial details appeared on the federal government’s vehicle homologation database.

Overseas versions of the MG5 are powered by a pair of 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engines good for between 88kW/150Nm and 127kW/275Nm, the latter of which come courtesy of a turbocharger.

Transmission duties in both instances are handled by the same seven-speed dual-clutch automatic as seen in the MG HS medium SUV line-up, and power is sent exclusively to the front wheels.

Established rivals for what’s bound to be the very affordable MG5 include the Hyundai i30 Sedan, Kia Cerato sedan, Subaru Impreza sedan and Toyota Corolla sedan, only one of which will be able to match MG Australia’s portfolio-wide seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty.

At this stage the local business case for the all-electric but totally unrelated MG5 EV wagon is still looking weak, despite MG Australia’s aspiration to make electric vehicles available to every new-car buyer.

“We have no plans [for the MG5 electric wagon] at the moment. Things can change, but I’m not saying they will. The wagon segment is difficult in Australia,” MG Australia’s sales and marketing director Giles Belcher told carsales last year.

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