2024 MG 3: Full reveal set for Geneva Motor Show

Update: The MG 3 will be unveiled in full at this year's Geneva Motor Show.

MG has locked in a reveal date for the new MG 3, with a teaser image accompanying the announcement revealing the 3's crisp new headlights and modernised front bumper design, but nothing more.

Hybrid power is expected on the new small car, as well as enhanced safety technology, refreshed petrol engines, and a new tech-oriented interior.

Luckily, we have a pretty good idea of the MG 3's looks thanks to leaks and patent images – read on to find out more about the marque's new most affordable model.

Our original story, below, continues unchanged

January 2024: MG 3 revealed without camouflage

Forget the patent application images and our (very accurate) speculative renderings – here's the new MG 3, revealed at last.

This image comes thanks to a member of the Spanish online community Cochespias, although it's unclear from where the photo was sourced.

As expected, the new MG 3 will walk the line between ZS and MG 4 styling, albeit without the completely new-look design of the latter.

What do you think of the look? Continue reading below for more details.

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December: new-gen MG 3 to offer petrol and hybrid power

Australia’s cheapest car, the MG 3, will add a hybrid powertrain to its model range when the new generation arrives next year.

The news, confirmed by MG Australia, means the MG 3 will become the second vehicle in the budget-focused, city-car segment to include the option of a fuel-saving hybrid engine. Currently only the Toyota Yaris is available as a hybrid.

The arrival of the MG 3 hybrid will coincide with the introduction of a new-generation model which will usher in a fresh look, updated safety and infotainment tech, and roll on a new “scalable platform”.

It’s hoped the updated safety suite, which includes autonomous emergency braking, will improve the new model’s crash rating – though whether it achieves a five star ANCAP score remains to be seen.

The new model is also likely to usher in price rises that will push the MG 3 into the $20,000 bracket. Currently the MG 3 is Australia’s cheapest new car thanks to drive-away price of $19,990.

Camouflaged test mules of the new-gen MG 3 have recently been photographed in Sydney, suggesting a launch can’t be that far away.

Details around what hybrid powertrain the new MG 3 will use are yet to be confirmed, though it’s possible the new model will combine a 70kW/200Nm electric motor and 2.1kWh lithium-ion battery with an updated version of MG’s 1.5L four-cylinder petrol engine.

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September: Our exclusive renders show the new MG 3's final design

Here it is.

Thanks to the detailed patent images published in early August, our mate Theo has crafted what should be a near pixel-perfect look at the new 2024 MG 3 hatch in its showroom form.

What do you think of the look? Tell us in the comments, and catch up on the story below.

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August 8: New MG3 revealed in patent images

A replacement for the popular MG 3 light hatch appears closer than ever, with new patent images revealing what is believed to be the new model.

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The next-generation 2024 MG 3 will sport a modern design similar to the MG 4, MG 5 and updated HS if design patents submitted to the European Union Intellectual Property Office prove accurate.

However, a recent report suggests it won't be called 'MG 3', at least overseas.

“MG 3 will effectively be the first [new product]. That’s long overdue a replacement, that will happen springtime [autumn for Australia] next year,” said MG UK product planning boss David Allison in an interview with Auto Express in June.

“MG 3 will continue for another 12 to 18 months, before it’s replaced. But we won’t call it MG 3," he added.

To keep it affordable, the new model is unlikely to feature any form of electrification.

It is believed the new model is around the corner, with its development said to have commenced more than three years ago using a “scalable platform” seen on current MG vehicles.

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A local launch is expected later in 2024 to replace the current MG 3, Australia’s top-selling light car.

Speaking to Wheels from parent company SAIC's global headquarters in Shanghai, MG global chief designer, Oleg Son, said: "This car [the new MG 3]… will be launched next year."

"I came to this company in 2020 and this car was already well on its way. It’s a different platform [to MG 4], but we have a scalable platform, so we choose the platform depending on the cost. Not every platform is suitable for every car."

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The new MG 3 has a lower front grille and slimmer headlights reminiscent of the MG 5, while it features horizontal tail-lights similar to the ZS small SUV – with LED technology likely on flagship variants – rather than the current vertical units.

A larger front overhang would likely assist in meeting more-stringent safety testing, with the current MG 3 untested by ANCAP – but it received a now-expired three-star Euro NCAP rating in 2014.

A five-stud wheel pattern suggests it will be underpinned by a new platform, potentially sharing components with the one-size-up MG 5 small sedan.

Expect autonomous emergency braking – required for all vehicles introduced in Australia after March 1, 2023 – and other active safety tech to become available.

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However, while autonomous emergency braking is almost certain, other safety features could be absent in Australia.

For instance, local examples of the MG 5 lack lane-keep assist, lane departure warning, blind-spot and rear cross-traffic alerts, and speed recognition or driver monitoring systems, and the entry-level variant is not fitted with rear seatbelt reminders.

ANCAP assesses active safety equipment in its ‘safety assist’ and ‘vulnerable road user’ categories, with minimum scores of 70 per cent required to achieve a five-star rating or 60 per cent for a four-star rating.

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The interior of the new hatch has not been revealed, but recent MG products suggest a modernised look with a larger, floating infotainment system, a semi-digital instrument cluster, and an electronic handbrake.

Under the bonnet, a familiar 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine is likely, with circa-85kW and 150Nm and efficiency improvements.

It could switch to a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), replacing the current four-speed torque-converter unit, in line with the MG 5.

The current MG 3 hatch dates back to 2011, with a facelift and automatic introduced in mid-2018.

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Above: the MG 5's interior is a likely preview for the new MG 3 hatch

It is now priced from $19,990 drive-away – one of two new cars below $20,000 – up from $15,990 when the automatic version launched in 2018.

With other light hatch rivals such as the Mazda 2, Toyota Yaris and Suzuki Swift dearer than ever, and the recent discontinuation of the Kia Rio, the MG 3 faces little competition at the bottom end of the Australian new-car market – apart from the one-size-smaller Kia Picanto micro hatch.

But price rises are still likely, with the new MG 3 likely to rise to around $22,000 drive-away – compared to $23,990 drive-away for the base ZS small SUV and $24,990 drive-away for the MG 5 petrol sedan.

Earlier, we imagined the new MG 3 might look a little like this...

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2025 MG 3 hatch rendering | Theottle [↗], © Wheels Media.

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2025 MG 3 hatch rendering | Theottle [↗], © Wheels Media.

Speculative renderings, above – commissioned by Wheels Media prior to the emergence of the patent images – show a similar, but more upmarket, design for the next-generation MG 3.

Below: The current 2023 MG 3 hatch

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