MG guides · Model names

MG model names in Europe, China and the Gulf — where one badge means three cars

If you order MG-compatible parts for markets outside China, there is a naming problem. With MG, the same badge is used for cars that share nothing — and it is not only a Europe-versus-China problem. The Gulf, Thailand, the Philippines and Latin America each carry their own version of the map.

The clearest case is MG5. A buyer asking for "an MG5 bumper" may mean a Chinese petrol saloon, a Gulf-market MG GT that is the same car, a Philippine MG 5 that is a different car, or a European electric estate. Four enquiries, one badge, no shared body panels.

MG3 and MG6 fail the same way, but for different reasons. MG3 has carried three cars over eighteen years, and its SW suffix does not mean what it looks like. MG6 was two cars with two names in Britain at the same time, and has since had two more generations in China that Britain never saw.

This page maps the nameplates across those markets, sets out where MG changed a badge for export, and what to confirm before you quote.

1. The name map

Where the badge changed on the way out

HS and ZS keep their names in most markets, which makes them the easy part of the range.

Where one badge covers more than one car

2. The one that actually costs money: MG5

This is the most expensive naming trap in the MG range, and it is not a single rename — it is one badge carrying three different cars.

The Chinese MG5. A four-door petrol saloon, launched in 2020, 4,675 mm long on a 2,680 mm wheelbase, with 1.5-litre naturally aspirated and 1.5-litre turbo engines [8][9].

MG GT. That same Chinese saloon, sold in the Gulf, the Philippines and Latin America under the GT badge. The dimensions settle it: 4,675 × 1,842 × 1,480 mm, wheelbase 2,680 mm — identical to the Chinese MG5 [8][9][10]. Thailand went further and simply kept the MG 5 name for it [9].

The Philippine MG 5. Here the badge means something else. In the Philippines, MG 5 is a rebadged Roewe i5: 4,601 × 1,818 × 1,489 mm. Same 2,680 mm wheelbase, but 74 mm shorter and a different body [5].

The European MG5 EV. A battery-electric estate based on the Roewe Ei5, launched in the UK in September 2020, with a 2,665 mm wheelbase. In Thailand the same electric estate has been sold as the MG EP and MG ES [3].

So "MG5" resolves to three cars, and "MG GT" resolves back to one of them:

An enquiry that says only "MG5" is not enough to quote from. What resolves it is the body — saloon or estate — plus the market, the model year and the VIN. Where the buyer does not know the market name, overall length is the fastest filter: 4,675 and 4,601 are different cars.

3. Badge changes on the way out: MULAN, EZS and eHS

MULAN → MG4 Electric. SAIC's announcement of July 2022 states that the model sold in China as MG MULAN carries the name MG4 Electric overseas [1]. MG Motor Europe confirmed a European launch for autumn 2022 on the Modular Scalable Platform [2]. If a listing, a manual or a supplier quotation says "MULAN", it is the car European buyers know as the MG4 Electric.

EZS → MG ZS EV. The electric ZS carries the EZS badge in China; in Europe it is the MG ZS EV. Chinese reporting on the model's export roll-out uses EZS for the domestic car [6].

eHS → MG EHS Plug-in Hybrid. MG Motor Europe launched the plug-in hybrid SUV under the name MG EHS Plug-in Hybrid, with the European launch in December 2020 [4]. The later HS plug-in hybrid is a different generation and is sold in Europe under the HS name — see section 4. Confirm the model year rather than relying on the badge.

4. Names that exist only in Chinese: Linghang, Ruiteng, Ruixing

Three nameplates exist only in Chinese. There is no Latin-script version to search for, which makes them harder to resolve than a rename — a buyer holding a Chinese service record has nothing to type into a search box.

Linghang (Linghang) → HS. In September 2020 the HS received its mid-life facelift, and in China that facelifted car was given the name Linghang — often translated as Pilot. Outside China the same car continued to be sold as the HS, and the plug-in version as the HS Plug-in Hybrid [11]. This is the single most useful mapping on this page: a Chinese Linghang part enquiry is an HS enquiry, and LinghangPHEV is HS Plug-in Hybrid.

Ruiteng (Ruiteng) → MG GS. MG's first SUV, launched at Auto Shanghai in April 2015. In China the badge reads GS Ruiteng; in the United Kingdom it was sold simply as the MG GS, from 2016 until 2019 [12]. Two details are worth keeping: the car was first announced as the GTS and renamed GS almost immediately [12], and cars for the UK market were assembled in England as well as China until September 2016 [12].

Ruixing (Ruixing) → MG GT. The 2014 saloon, developed from the MG5 hatchback as its three-door-box version. It was built for China, sold in Thailand from 2015 under the MG 5 name, and exported to Chile from 2016 [9]. The GT badge was then reused in 2021 for the second-generation MG5 in the Gulf — which is why "MG GT" covers two unrelated cars separated by a generation.

5. MG3: one badge, three cars, and an SW that is not a wagon

MG3 is the second-most misleading badge in the range, and it fails in a different way from MG5. With MG5 the same name covers three cars sold side by side in different markets. With MG3 the name has been reused for eighteen years, and one of its suffixes does not mean what it looks like.

2008–2011: MG3 SW, a rebadged Rover. The first car to wear the badge was the MG3 SW, built from 2008 at Nanjing. It is essentially the Rover Streetwise — the raised, body-kitted version of the Rover 25 that MG Rover stopped building in 2005 — re-trimmed and re-badged. It measures 3,980 × 1,736 × 1,495 mm on a 2,500 mm wheelbase, and it was never offered outside China [14][15].

2011–2024: MG3, the ZP11. The second generation is a new design rather than a rebadge: a five-door hatchback on a 2,520 mm wheelbase, sold in China from 2011, in Britain from 2013, and in Thailand from 2015. British cars received limited final assembly at Longbridge until 2016 [15].

2011–2012, then 2015–2018: Xross, and then 3SW again. A crossover-bodied version of the ZP11 was launched in 2011 as the MG3 Xross — 10 mm more ride height than the MG3, black cladding and roof rails. It was withdrawn after roughly a year. In 2015 the same body came back under the name MG 3SW: 4,079 × 1,739 × 1,528 mm on a 2,520 mm wheelbase, one 1.5-litre engine and an automated manual [16].

2024–: MG3, third generation. A full hybrid on a new platform, 194 PS combined, and the first MG3 sold across Europe rather than in Britain alone [6].

Three things follow, and each one causes mis-orders:

1. SW does not mean station wagon. Nothing sold as an MG3 has ever been an estate. The suffix described a crossover trim in 2008 and again in 2015. A buyer asking for MG3 SW estate parts is describing a car that does not exist.
2. "MG3 SW" is two different cars. A 2008 SW is 3,980 mm on a 2,500 mm wheelbase and descends from the Rover Streetwise. A 2015 3SW is 4,079 mm on a 2,520 mm wheelbase and is the crossover version of the 2011 hatchback. The model year, not the badge, decides which one is in front of you.
3. Xross and 3SW are one body. Three labels — MG3 Xross, MG 3SW and "the crossover MG3" — describe the same shell with different wheels and trim.

The 2008 car and the 2011 car sit within about 120 mm of each other in length, so length alone will not separate them either. The 2,500 mm wheelbase is the quickest filter for the Streetwise-derived car, and the 2015 3SW can be told from the 2011 Xross mainly by its wheels and interior.

6. MG6: two names in Britain, three generations in China

MG6 has the opposite problem to MG3. In Britain it had two names at the same time, and in China it has since had three generations, of which Britain saw one.

The first generation, 2010–2016. Announced as a five-door fastback at Auto Shanghai in April 2009, with the saloon following in October 2010. It is derived from the Roewe 550, which makes it a distant relative of the Rover 75: 4,651 × 1,830 × 1,472 mm on a 2,705 mm wheelbase [17].

In Britain it was two cars with two names. The fastback went on sale in May 2011 as the MG6 GT; the four-door saloon with a boot went on sale on 16 July 2011 as the MG6 Magnette — a name MG had used for its saloons in the 1950s and 1960s. At launch the range was simply announced as the MG6, and the body names arrived with the showroom cars. MG withdrew the model from the British market in 2016 [17].

In Thailand it was a third name. From 4 June 2014 the saloon was assembled at Laem Chabang and sold as the MG6 Sedan [17].

Second generation, 2017. Launched in China on 3 November 2017: 4,695 × 1,848 × 1,462 mm, still on a 2,715 mm wheelbase, a five-door liftback with a 1.5-litre turbo. There is no saloon in this generation, so the Magnette name has no successor. The plug-in hybrid is badged eMG6, and the cars carry a 45T PHEV badge [18].

Third generation, 2020. On sale from 10 July 2020: 4,704 × 1,848 × 1,466 mm, a 1.5-litre turbo with 181 PS, on the same 2,715 mm wheelbase [19].

What matters for a parts enquiry:

• "Magnette" is not a separate model. It is the saloon body of the first-generation MG6. A Magnette enquiry is a first-generation MG6 enquiry.
• Order body panels by body, not by badge. The GT is a five-door fastback and the Magnette is a four-door saloon; the body behind the front doors differs — a hatchback tailgate against a boot.
• A Chinese MG6 from 2017 onwards is a car Britain never had. The second and third generations share the 2,715 mm wheelbase, so a wheelbase figure will not tell you which one you are looking at; the front and rear styling changed in 2020.
• MG6 is not in the current Gulf line-up. The MG models listed for the Gulf today are the MG3, MG5, MG7, MG GT, HS, HS Hybrid, ZS, ONE and Cyberster [20]. An MG6 enquiry from that region is more likely a used import than a current model.

7. A name that was announced and then dropped: MG XS

Worth knowing for one reason only — it explains why older press coverage describes the ZS as a different car.

At the London motor show in May 2017, MG's UK operation announced that the ZS would be sold in Britain as the MG XS, with X for extra and S for SUV. When the car actually went on sale in the autumn of 2017, it did so as the MG ZS, from £12,495 [13].

So "MG XS" is a name that appeared in announcements and not on a tailgate. If a buyer cites a 2017 article and insists the ZS is called XS in the UK, the answer is that the plan changed before launch — and that both names point at the same car.

8. What to send when you enquire

Four items resolve most MG identification problems before they reach quotation:

1. Which body — saloon, estate, hatchback or SUV. On MG5 this alone decides which of three cars the enquiry is about; on MG6 it separates a GT from a Magnette.
2. The market the car was sold in — a Gulf MG GT, a Philippine MG 5 and a European MG5 EV are three different vehicles.
3. The VIN — the only identifier that pins model, market version and build.
4. A photo of the old part, including its label — the label carries the number that actually matters, and it settles left or right and variant without guesswork.

If you do not have the number, send the VIN and a photo of the label, and we will check whether we can source it.

9. Where GNSGO stands on MG

We publish an index of MG references covering body panels, bumpers, exterior wheel arch, lighting, suspension and chassis, braking, cooling and HVAC, engine and transmission, filters, glass and wipers, electrical and sensors, and interior trim. Every reference is checked against the VIN before a price is quoted. Pricing is on request.

Parts are supplied by independent manufacturers. They are not supplied by, and are not licensed or endorsed by, the vehicle manufacturer, and country of origin is stated with the quotation.

Sources

1. [1] SAIC Motor — "SAIC MG 'global car' launches for Europe", 21 July 2022: the model sold in China as MG MULAN is named MG4 Electric for overseas markets. saicmotor.com
2. [2] MG Motor Europe — "Agile, dynamic, fresh – the exceptional design of the MG4 Electric in detail": European launch autumn 2022, first model on the Modular Scalable Platform. news.mgmotor.eu?p=1491531
3. [3] Wikipedia — "Roewe i5": the battery-electric estate (Roewe Ei5) is sold in Europe as MG5 EV and in Thailand as MG EP / MG ES; UK launch September 2020; wheelbase 2,665 mm. en.wikipedia.org
4. [4] MG Motor Europe — "MG EHS Plug-in Hybrid: the ideal beginning of an electric lifestyle", 30 November 2020: European market launch 7 December 2020. news.mgmotor.eu
5. [5] BusinessWorld — MG GT Philippines launch coverage, 6 February 2023: the Philippine MG 5 is a rebadged Roewe i5 at 4,601 × 1,818 × 1,489 mm; the MG GT is 4,675 × 1,842 × 1,480 mm on the same 2,680 mm wheelbase. bworldonline.com
6. [6] Paul Tan's Automotive News — "2024 MG3 Hybrid+ debuts", 5 March 2024: third-generation MG3 shown at Geneva, full hybrid, first MG3 sold across Europe rather than the UK alone. paultan.org
7. [7] Inovev — market analysis, 7 August 2024: the previous MG3 was marketed from 2013 and sold in China and the United Kingdom. inovev.com
8. [8] Philkotse — MG GT Philippine launch coverage, 2023: the MG GT is the second-generation MG 5 in China and Thailand; dimensions 4,675 × 1,842 mm on a 2,680 mm wheelbase, height 1,473 / 1,480 mm; sold alongside a Philippine MG 5 that is a rebadged Roewe i5. philkotse.com
9. [9] AutoIndustriya — "First units of MG GT already in PH": in Thailand the same car is called the MG 5; 4,675 × 1,842 × 1,480 mm, 2,680 mm wheelbase. autoindustriya.com
10. [10] Dunes Magazine — "MG GT": the car debuted in China in late 2020 as the second-generation MG 5, and is marketed in the Middle East under the GT name; 4,675 × 1,842 × 1,480 mm, 2,680 mm wheelbase. dunesmagazine.com
11. [11] Autocade — "MG Pilot": the Linghang is the facelifted HS, first SAIC MG model given a model name, exported as HS. autocade.net
12. [12] Just-Auto — analysis of SAIC's MG, Roewe and Maxus plans: the GS is also known as the Rui Teng, UK sales from June 2016, assembled in England until September 2016, and was announced as the GTS before being renamed GS. just-auto.com
13. [13] Sina Auto / Sohu Auto — London motor show coverage, May 2017: the ZS was announced for the UK as the MG XS; follow-up launch coverage, October–November 2017: the car went on sale in the UK as the MG ZS from £12,495. auto.sina.com.cn
14. [14] China News Service — MGMG3 SW road test, 16 July 2008: 3,980 × 1,736 × 1,495 mm, 2,500 mm wheelbase, 1.8-litre CVT version; the car is described as derived from the MG ZR, which shared the Rover 25 platform. chinanews.com.cn
15. [15] Wikipedia — "MG3 (automobile)": the first generation was marketed as the MG3 SW, essentially a rebadged Rover Streetwise, produced 2008–2011 at Nanjing and sold only in China; the second generation (ZP11) ran 2011–2024 on a 2,520 mm wheelbase, assembled in Nanjing, at Longbridge until 2016 and at Laem Chabang; the crossover variant was the MG3 Xross. Also its sales table: Thailand 3,183 (2015), 5,427 (2016), 6,565 (2017), 5,908 (2018); the facelifted car launched in Thailand on 21 June 2018. en.wikipedia.org
16. [16] Autohome — "Another name change MG 3SW the outlook for the MG 3SW?", 2015: the 2015 MG 3SW is the 2011 MG3 Xross renamed; 4,079 × 1,739 × 1,528 mm, 2,520 mm wheelbase, 10 mm more ride height than the MG3. chejiahao.autohome.com.cn
17. [17] Wikipedia — "MG 6": also called MG6 GT (hatchback), MG6 Magnette (saloon) and MG6 Sedan (Thailand); derived from the Roewe 550; 4,651 × 1,830 × 1,472 mm on a 2,705 mm wheelbase; UK sale from May and 16 July 2011; Thai assembly from 4 June 2014; UK range discontinued in 2016. en.wikipedia.org
18. [18] Sohu Auto — second-generation MG6 launch, 11 October 2017: 4,695 × 1,848 × 1,462 mm, 2,715 mm wheelbase, 1.5-litre turbo, on sale 3 November 2017; the plug-in is badged 45T PHEV. auto.sohu.com
19. [19] SAIC MG — third-generation MG6 specification sheet: 4,704 × 1,848 × 1,466 mm, 2,715 mm wheelbase, 181 PS and 285 N·m. saicmg.com
20. [20] MG Motor Middle East — current model line-up: MG3, MG5, MG7, MG GT, MG HS, MG HS Hybrid, MG ZS, MG ONE, MG Cyberster. mgmotor.me

Not sure which car the badge refers to? Send the VIN and a photo of the old part's label — get in touch and we will confirm the reference that fits.