MG's latest EV news leaves more questions than answers
Thursday, 6 April 2023
MG Motor New Zealand has confirmed some of the pricing and spec of its upcoming and much anticipated MG4 fully electric hatchback via an announcement that features one big surprise and a host of unanswered questions.
The brand has confirmed that the larger battery 64kWh MG4 Essence will be priced from $54,990, meaning an effective price of $46,365 plus on-road costs once the Clean Car Discount rebate has been redeemed.
The model’s online order book will open next week on Tuesday, April 11.
The price news came as a surprise to Stuff. A source close to MG Motor New Zealand had confirmed late last week that the model would be priced at $54,990. It was thought that this price would apply to the entry-level 51kWh grade, not the more coveted 64kWh model.
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This means that the MG4’s full local line-up is likely to start at less than $50,000 once the 51kWh model lands – reigniting the potential for the plug-in hatch to undercut its MG ZS EV sibling and GWM’s Ora Cat to become the country’s cheapest BEV.
The MG4 could also potentially launch with no 51kWh variant in the line-up. The more affordable model was not mentioned in today’s press release despite being referenced at the MG4’s launch at Fully Charged in Sydney last month.
The all-wheel drive ‘hot hatch’ MG4 variant and long-range 77kWh variant also didn’t make it into today’s press release.
Stuff asked an MG Motor New Zealand representative for additional information about the 51kWh and all-wheel drive MG4 grades, with the representative stating that “this is all we're announcing at the moment”.
To put the 64kWh MG4’s price in context, the next cheapest model with a battery that’s 60kWh or larger is the $59,990 62kWh SsangYong Korando E-Motion. This is followed by the $62,490 60kWh BYD Atto 3 Extended Range and the $64,990 64kWh ZS EV Long Range.
This local announcement coincides with a similar pricing announcement over the ditch in Australia, with the 51kWh model also not featuring. Drive reports that the 51kWh is “under strong consideration” for Australia.
The MG4 Essence comes loaded with MG’s Pilot active and passive safety suite (including adaptive cruise control), LED headlights and tail lights, rear parking sensors, 18-inch wheels, 360-degree camera, wireless phone charging, and more.
The 64kWh battery comes paired to a rear-mounted 150kW/250Nm electric motor, with range rated at 450km per charge on the WLTP cycle. It measures in at 4287mm long, 1836mm wide and 1504mm tall.