Strong presence of Chinese car manufacturers at the Geneva Motor Show

Two Chinese carmakers dominated the rest of the Geneva Motor Show.

Once upon a time, British-owned MG launched its new second-generation MG3 hatchback with the company’s first fully hybrid powertrain.

Sprinting from a standstill to 100 km/h in eight seconds, accelerating to highway speeds – from 80-120 km/h – takes five seconds.

MG expects it will be able to deliver up to 64mpg with CO2 emissions of 100g/km – filling the vacuum left by Ford when production of the Fiesta ceased.

Expect prices from £18,000 for the hybrid and £16,000 for the pure petrol version with manual transmission.

On display: MG launched its new second-generation MG3 hatchback with the company’s first fully hybrid powertrain

It was also the European debut for BYD’s Seal U DM-i SUV, which will go on sale this spring exclusively as a plug-in hybrid.

Powered by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and a single electric motor, you can expect prices under £40,000.