GOING GREEN

MG Philippines executives President Felix Jiang (second from left), Vice President for Operations Karl Magsuci (second from right), Director for Sales Jun Cajayon (extreme left) and Director for Bank Relations Jojo Victor pose beside the MG ZS Sport. —PHOTO BY VJ BACUNGAN

Amid the tsunami of Chinese car brands that has hit the Philippines over the last decade, one has reigned supreme – MG.

Since coming under the management of mother company SAIC Motor in July 2023, MG Philippines had a record year in 2024 with 9,016 unit sales, according to data from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. This not only made it the best-selling Chinese automaker in the country, but also the ninth top carmaker in terms of sales.

Besides the wisdom of local industry veterans like Karl Magsuci and Jun Cajayon, this immense feat by MG Philippines is thanks to hot-selling models like the ZS subcompact crossover. And now, there’s an all-new version that officially debuted on Thursday at Makati Shangri-La.

Four variants are available, namely the ZS Comfort, ZS Luxury, ZS Sport and ZS Hybrid+.

The Hybrid and Luxury variants of the MG ZS taking prominent space at the launch. —PHOTOS BY VJ BACUNGAN

Cleaner look

Although the 2025 MG ZS looks similar to the previous model, it sports an all-new body and styling.

All models get LED daytime running lights that run along the edge of the pointed automatic projector headlights (LED except for the Comfort variant). There’s also a more aggressive front grill, which is flanked on both side by faux air intakes.

Down the side, prominent character lines run along the bottom half of the door and beltline, the latter swooping up into the rear-quarter window. The Comfort variant gets 16-inch alloy wheels, while the Luxury gets 17-inch, two-tone alloy wheels – the top-spec Sport and Hybrid+ models get two-tone, 18-inch alloy wheels.

Out back is a more steeply raked rear windscreen compared to the previous model, combined with larger LED taillights. The license-plate holder has been moved up to the tailgate, while all models get a pert lower bumper.

Grown-up cabin

Inside, the all-new ZS has happily ditched the old model’s overly colorful cabin for one that features a more sophisticated aesthetic and nice soft-touch materials.

The cleaner dashboard layout neatly integrates a large central touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – it measures 10.25 inches in the Comfort and Luxury models, while the Sport and Hybrid+ variants get a 12.3-inch unit.

In addition, all models except for the Comfort come with a 7-inch digital gauge cluster, leather upholstery, 360-degree camera and split-folding rear seats. Features exclusive to the Sport and Hybrid+ variants include an electronic gear selector, automatic single-zone climate control and electrically adjustable and heated front seats.

MG Philippines Vice President for Operations Karl Magsuci talks about the features of the MG ZS Hybrid and ZS Sport at the grand model launch at Makati Shangri-La.

3 powerplants

Under the ZS’ traditionally low hood, you get a choice of three 1.5-liter, twin-cam, 16-valve gasoline engines.

The Comfort and Luxury models get the naturally aspirated version packing 108 horsepower and 142 Newton-meters of torque, mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT). Meanwhile, the Sport variant gets a turbocharger that hikes output to 168 horsepower and 270 Newton-meters of torque, likewise combined with a CVT.

Finally, the Hybrid+ is the most powerful of the group, thanks to its naturally aspirated engine, electric motor and 1.83 kWh battery pack – combined output is a stout 193 horsepower and 250 Newton-meters of torque, which are coursed through a 3-speed dedicated hybrid transmission.

MG Philippines Director for Sales Jun Cajayon

ADAS, at last

Another major innovation in this price bracket is the inclusion of the MG Pilot advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) in the Sport and Hybrid+ variants.

This life-saving system includes Adaptive Cruise Control, Active Emergency Braking with Pedestrian & Bicycle Detection, Traffic Jam Assist, Blind Spot Information System, Lane Change Assist, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Lane Departure Warning System and Lane Keeping Assist System.

Safety-wise, all models come with front airbags, ISOFIX child-restraint anchors, Electronic Stability Program, Hill Hold Assist and Active Rollover Protection. The Luxury variant adds side airbags, while the top models get curtain airbags, too.

Priced to kill

As before, the 2025 MG ZS is priced aggressively to woo away buyers of subcompact sedans like the Honda City and the Nissan Almera, as well as subcompact crossovers like the Honda HR-V and Toyota Yaris Cross.

The range starts at P948,888 for the ZS Comfort, followed by the ZS Luxury at P1,088,888 and the ZS Sport at P1,198,888. The top-of-the-line Hybrid+ comes in at P1,328,888, which means it goes head-to-head with the recently launched (and less well-equipped) BYD Sealion 5 DM-i.

MG Philippines also announced that it was offering special discounts until July 31, 2025 – P40,000 off for the Comfort and Luxury variants, P50,000 off for the Sport and P80,000 off for the Hybrid+. All-in, low-downpayment schemes are also available through the brand’s bank partners.

It looks like MG is set to— maintain its dominance in the Philippines as more and more Filipinos go for value-packed offerings from the People’s Republic. Read our full review of the 2025 MG ZS Hybrid+ soon on Inquirer Motoring.