Remember the MG 3 hatchback? While it started as a rebadged Rover Streetwise from the brand’s former owner (Nanjing Automobile), SAIC Motor engineered the second generation to be a subcompact five-door vehicle made with Chinese and European consumers in mind.

Since 2011, it has still been in production and sold in China, the UK, and Thailand. After 13 years, its third generation was finally unveiled at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, and in a mostly crossover-filled lineup, it’s refreshing to see a new supermini from MG.

The new MG 3 retains its supermini hatchback dimensions—slightly increasing its wheelbase to 2,570mm—to meet the demands of European consumers, which has become a rarity among Chinese manufacturers.

The brand’s current design language—as seen in the GT and the One—is carried over to give a loud and garish front end that might be too much for its size.

The model unveiled in Geneva is the Hybrid+ with a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine paired with a 1.83kWh electric motor that produces a combined power figure of 192hp. This combo is mated to a three-speed automatic transmission.

MG said that the 3 has a 0-100km/h time of eight seconds, seemingly the fastest among hybrid B-segment hatchbacks.

The interior is steps above its predecessors, providing a seven-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.25-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) are standard throughout its European-spec lineup, which includes lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, forward-collision warning, and traffic jam assist.

If you remember, back in 2015, the second-gen MG 3 was one of the first models to arrive in the Philippines under White Knight Automobiles (before The Covenant Car Company Inc. took over in 2018).

However, not many units still roam the streets of Metro Manila, unlike the ZS crossover. Could there still be a market for a subcompact hatchback in the Philippine market?