Second-gen, hybrid MG HS boasts long range, five-star safety ratings

IT WOULD BE no exaggeration to say that, as the initial hype over battery electric vehicles (BEVs) is plateauing for a number of reasons, hybrid powertrains are becoming sort of the de facto poster child for electrification.

- By Kap Maceda Aguila

This is, of course, helped along by friendlier government policy, such as zero import duty on hybrids.

Then there's that niggling concern of range anxiety for BEVs - largely wrought by a public charging infrastructure that honestly leaves much to be desired. If charging points cannot be ubiquitous, then many car buyers will remain on the fence when mulling over a BEV purchase - even with the declared range of newer models on the uptrend.

Last weekend, MG Motor Philippines added to the growing local selection of traditional hybrid options with the unveiling of the MG HS, which comes in a sole Hybrid+ variant. A larger sibling of the highly successful MG ZS, the five-seater first arrived in the Philippines in Q1 of 2022 - back when the Morris Garages brand was still administered locally by The Covenant Car Company, Inc. (TCCCI).

The HS nameplate was first revealed globally in 2018, with the second generation presented last year. Interestingly, it's a rebadged, redesigned version of the Roewe RX5. If you recall, the MG RX5 also made it to the Philippines. Roewe, of course, is another brand of China-headquartered Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. (SAIC), along with, yes, MG. In a previous interview with this writer, SAIC Motor Philippines President Felix Jiang had intimated that MG is able to bring in a wider mix of vehicles because of its membership in the SAIC family of brands. For example, the multipurpose vehicle Maxus G50 was reincarnated as the MG G50 Plus.