New MG 3 will cost less than £10,000 - new pictures

The MG 3 is set to cost less than £10,000 and will be offered with “hundreds” of different styling and customisation options. The MG 3, showcased in the UK for the first time at an event at MG’s Longbridge plant in Birmingham today, will go on sale in the UK this autumn.

Initially, three trim levels and 10 exterior colours - with names such as 'Hello Yellow' - will be offered. The top two trim levels will come as standard with equipment that includes Bluetooth connectivity, air-con and DAB digital radio. Hill-start assist will be optional.

MG's new hatchback will also launch with the 'MG 3 Collection' offer. It allows buyers to personalise the car's bodywork with various patterns, decals and stripes, including large RAF roundels.

The European version of the MG 3 was first seen at the Shanghai motor show in April, complete with a more distinctive exterior and plusher interior than the car of the same name on sale in China.

It has been designed and engineered in the UK. Final assembly is taking place in the UK, with knocked-down kits being shipped to Longbridge from China.

The MG 3 is an important part of the brand’s rebirth in the UK. Sales of the MG 6 haven’t impressed, but a style-led supermini pitched into a growing segment should lift sales volumes.

The customisation packages will give owners “hundreds and hundreds” of different ways to spec their cars, according to a source. They’ll include myriad options for the exterior styling, interior trim and wheel designs.

MG is pitching the car at the likes of the Mini and Vauxhall Adam, but with prices set to start at less than £10,000, it could be marketed as offering the style of those rivals with the space of a car from the class above. The MG 3 is Ford Fiesta sized and a five-door only.

The MG 3 will be offered with a 104bhp 1.5-litre petrol engine mated to a five-speed manual as its sole initial powertrain choice. Exact pricing will be announced closer to its autumn on-sale date.