Three-star safety no hindrance for MG

MG Australia believes style and brand strength can overrule safety in the case of its newly-introduced MG3 small car, which arrives in local showrooms with the lowest crash rating of any new passenger vehicle in the country.

The MG3 city-car and larger MG6 small car are the focal point of the Chinese-owned car-maker’s second-attempt re-launch in Australia. The vehicles will eventually be accompanied by the marque’s first SUV, the GS.

MG’s eagerness to re-enter the Australian market comes with the unwanted expense of a three-star Euro NCAP rating in the case of the MG3, and a four-star rating for the MG6 – a factor that could deter many Australian buyers.

MG’s parent company, Shanghai Automotive Industrial Corporation (SAIC), said it sought third-party advice before pushing ahead with both model rollouts and opted not to have the cars’ safety credentials upgraded and re-assessed before launch.

According to MG Australia senior business development manager, Andrew Huenerbein, many prospective MG3 buyers will look beyond the sub-standard safety rating.

“SAIC takes safety very seriously and the business internally is working very hard to build that to a point where it’s acceptable for everybody,” Huenerbein said.

“In terms of the three-star rating, if you look at the nuances of where that let us down, I think they are nuances…

“To some consumers the three-star rating will be a driving factor, but not all consumers [think like that], otherwise Mahindra wouldn’t be selling any cars at all.”

Huenerbein continued: “[The MG3] represents value for money. You can see there are few cars where you can absolutely pay only $15,000.

“The design of the MG3, the face of the MG3, it’s a beautiful car. It’s UK-designed and I think on all of those points it creates good value. Six-year warranty, six-year roadside assistance, these are all compelling arguments to convince someone.”

The MG3 will be priced from $13,990 (plus on-road costs), pitting it directly against the Holden Spark, Kia Picanto, Mitsubishi Mirage and Skoda Fabia, among others. As detailed in our pricing story, its 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine is tied exclusively to a five-speed manual transmission and there is no availability of smartphone mirroring or safety features such as autonomous emergency braking or even a reversing camera.

Senior representatives from MG’s parent company, SAIC, are confident of complying with Australian safety standards in the future but first wanted to get its cars out to market.

“This car is safe,” a spokesman said of the MG3. “Firstly if you look at the weight of the steel we have compared to other auto manufacturers, you will that the door is very strong instead of other competitors.

“This is safety, but it depends on how you view safety. In China we are five-star, Australia follows Europe and this is the different aspects of safety.”

Nonetheless, SAIC intends to use the MG3/MG6 launch as platform for complying with future European and Australian safety standards

“We are investigating the requirements. From what we understand the move from four-star to five-star (in the case of the MG6) is just adding more electronic functions. We think we are OK to add these functions, but because we are new here the cost to add these functions [would increase the price of the car]," said SAIC.

“The smart way for us is we focus on the price value, but for sure this is a safe car. Gradually we will find a way to meet the customer requirements and to understand how much the customer wants to pay for this extra safety.”