The original MG company is one of the oldest manufacturers in Europe. Its history dates back to 1924, when it was founded by William Morris under the initials Morris Garage.
Over the last century, the company developed cars aimed primarily at the English market, where they represented a cheap alternative to sportiness, and even went so far as to market such popular models outside the British Isles as the 1995 MG F two-seater convertible that became a true classic and a symbol.
Sportiness at a good price
At the end of the century, the company fell into crisis due to high manufacturing costs in the United Kingdom, which led to its permanent closure in 2005 after producing sports versions of its models for sale.
In 2007, the Chinese company SAIC took over the brand and resumed production of certain models on the island. This activity ceased in 2016, the year all production moved to China. In fact, 100% of the cars coming to Europe by ship are currently 100% Chinese.
Made in China only
There are few sales offices in the UK and little else. Hand in hand with MG, whose image is still well known on the Old Continent, the Chinese giant SAIC, which produced more than seven million cars last year, has found its special Trojan horse to enter the European market.
All cars are manufactured entirely at the brand’s factory in Shanghai, China and arrive in Europe via Holland.
The MG ZS is a compact petrol SUV that has become its star model, a car with only 106 hp that has made its low price its main advantage and has hit the market like a howitzer thanks to an official retail price of 17,190 euros on the website has come, which remains at 13,990 euros if we finance through Santander Finance.
You have to realize that for that money in Spain you would only have access to a Dacia Sandero, a far less attractive car, although of significantly higher quality.
It is true that in Europe both the ZS and its older brother HS properly meet the homologation requirements, with slightly high emissions of 149 grams of CO2 per kilometer in the case of the ZS, a garbage pass Euroncap safety tests (three stars) and an average consumption that According to the owners, it is around 9 liters per 100 kilometers.
It doesn’t seem like a low-cost
We are dealing with a vehicle that could be described as a regular budget vehicle, but it doesn’t seem like that. As can be seen from social networks, buyers are dissatisfied with the after-sales service, which is not up to par and the cars take months to repair. However, satisfaction with use is higher.
This is logical considering that the brand’s infrastructure is very new and based mainly on dealers from other companies who were attracted by the high sales volumes of the MGs.
It is worth mentioning that the MG ZS was the best-selling model in Spain in August, with almost 2,000 units sold, and 10,300 so far this year.
The MG ZS is a striking car in its presentation and equipment, as it is in no way inferior to its European counterparts (it is just inferior in quality), a model that has been able to take advantage of the price difference between the general brands that they have increased their rate over the last three years by around 20%.
If the European companies had maintained their price rates and even increased them according to the CPI, we would not be talking about ZS as the main competitor. But with a Dacia Duster price equivalent to 21,000 euros, it is reasonable that the market predominantly chooses this Chinese “gem”.
Something similar happens when you eat in a traditional Chinese restaurant: you don’t eat the same as in a Spanish one, but you eat for half the price.
