Earlier this week, Dave and I attended the New Zealand launch of the new MG ZS Hybrid+, the day being split into two distinct components. You would have no doubt read Dave’s report of the first portion of the day, not to mention, have watched our video already!
While Dave might switch off after lunch, I in turn, wake up after a meal. And it was following our hearty meal that we got to hear from the bigwigs of MG Australia New Zealand on their plans for the brand’s future in this part of the world.
Harrie Yan, COO of MG New Zealand took to the stage first, introducing himself and the new ZS Hybrid+ as well as providing us with a foreword of what was to come which included a brand update from Peter Ciao himself and a product deep dive from AK later on.
Peter is the CEO of MG Australia New Zealand and has overseen the brand for the entire 7 or so years that it has been present in New Zealand, at least in its latest iteration. He began his speech by saying how pivotal the ZS has been both for him and for MG’s presence in this part of the world. The ZS EV after all was partially responsible for electrifying the masses and was a big driver in attracting further investment into the New Zealand market.
Investing is certainly what MG are doing, the ZS Hybrid+ being their fourth new car this year, with another new vehicle on the way next year! That’s five new models across a 12-18 month period. The MG3, HS, Cyberster and ZS have been launched this year with a new fully electric crossover to add to this lineup in 2026. Furthermore, the brand are investing in their local team, dealer network and have even put $3m towards a new IT system. Peter’s goal for the MG brand is to “look after every single MG car and customer.”
By the end of next year, the MG range would begin at $25,000 with the MG3 and top out at $150,000 with the Cyberster, the aim is to have a vehicle or trim level available within $10,000 of the next. And it’s not just a particular powertrain that MG will be focusing on, they will put out BEVs, PHEVs and ICE vehicles too, ranging from affordable to luxurious. Underpinning the affordable side, Peter promises “good enough technology”, he understands that affordable cars come with compromises and while he cannot promise the best of technology at those prices, he can promise tech that does the job.
From there, Peter spoke about the new ZS Hybrid+’ powertrain, describing it as “much much better than a normal hybrid”, we would be hearing more about that later from AK. The Hybrid+ technology is now available in the MG3 and ZS with the HS next on the list. However, Peter has willfully delayed the launch of the HS Hybrid+ to ensure that the car scores strongly at ANCAP, such is his focus on family safety being a part of the MG brand. Being a family man himself, his desire is for MG to provide “a family solution” through their range of cars. To further tease the new HS Hybrid+, he told us that one had even achieved 2,000km on one tank and one charge during testing so it’s safe to say that this will be a highly anticipated vehicle!
Peter then concluded his time at the podium by leaving us with his wish for MG to become “a friend of New Zealand and a brand that can be trusted”.
Next up on stage was Akshat or ‘AK, the Head of Product for MG Australia and New Zealand. AK would focus more on the new ZS Hybrid+ and there was a lot to go through with AK even saying that the badge was the only thing carried over from the previous car. Now 107mm longer and 9mm wider, the ZS isn’t just larger but sports a fresh design to make it identifiable as part of the MG family.
Hexagonal design cues featured strongly across the vehicle, both inside and out with MG’s ISMART connected vehicle technology also taking centre stage. Through the app, the owner can remotely control the car’s air conditioning, view its location and status too!
While the above was certainly a talking point, we were all waiting to hear about the new hybrid system which Peter has praised earlier. Carrying a 1.83kWhr battery which powers a motor that’s combined with a 1.5L petrol engine via a three-speed gearbox to deliver a claimed WLTP4 figure of 5.2L/100km. The Hybrid+ powertrain performs its magic via an engine that delivers a thermal efficiency figure of 41%, meaning that more of the energy being produced is actually usable.
The compression ratio of the engine has also been upped to 16:1 while the electric motor’s efficiency is 96.5% and the gearbox also sports a similar thermally efficient figure of 96.7%, incredible stuff! The battery has a smartly designed cooling system which has also been tested in Dubai in temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius!
Efficiency wasn’t the only focus of the new ZS said AK as he went on to describe the improvements to the NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) as well as the MG Pilot safety suite. The car also offers more customization options now with 7 colours available including an Emerald Green, a white and black accented interior option is also available now.
When you consider that the new ZS Hybrid+ Excite begins at $36,990 and tops out with the Essence at $39,990, that’s pretty amazing value and shows that the new vehicle stays true to MG’s slogan.
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Words and photos by Matthew D’Souza.
