MG4, a VW ID3 challenger, leads SAIC's Europe offensive

Chinese brand MG Motor will expand its range in Europe to 10 models by 2025, including a two-door electric convertible. The European head of MG’s parent company, SAIC Motor, revealed the plan at the launch of the brand’s newest model, the MG4 electric compact, earlier this month.

The arrival of the MG4, a rival to the Volkswagen ID3, increases the brand’s European lineup to five models: four are full electric and one is a plug-in hybrid.

“We want to make electric mobility accessible for all,” SAIC Motor Europe CEO Xinyu Liu said during the online launch of the MG4, which has a starting price well below the ID3’s.

MG sells vehicles in 26 European countries and plans to expand its dealer network in the region to 840 retailers by year-end from 686 now.

It also has 172 dealers in the UK, which it operates separately from the rest of Europe.

MG sold a combined 53,033 vehicles in Europe and the UK through July, which was a 110 percent increase on the same period last year, according to figures from market researcher Dataforce. SAIC has targeted 100,000 sales in Europe for 2022.

MG, which now outsells Honda in the region, is led in Europe by the ZS small SUV, which accounted for 21,291 sales after seven months, of which nearly half were the full-electric version.
 
The UK is the only market where MG sells non-electrified models, but it is weighing whether to sell combustion-powered variants in Eastern Europe, a source told Automotive News Europe.

Undercuts the ID3

The MG4 starts at 28,990 euros in Europe, the company said without giving precise figures for individual markets. By comparison the base ID3, with a 58-kilowatt-hour battery, starts at 38,060 euros.

The entry MG4, which has 51-kWh battery, has an estimated range of 350 km range, while the ID3 range is 347 km. The cars promise the same power output and efficiency: 204 hp and 16 kWh per 100 km, respectively.

The MG4 will also be offered with a 64-kWh pack, with a claimed range of up to 450 km, while an even longer range version, with 77-kWh, will arrive later, the company said without providing range or launch details.

The MG4 is powered by phosphate iron lithium batteries supplied by Chinese battery giant CATL.

The automaker said it also plans to offer a sportier variant of the MG4, which will add an electric motor to the front axle to complement the unit on the rear axle. This addition is expected to result in a 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) time of less than 4 seconds.

SAIC Europe’s Xinyu said the two-door electric roadster, which will be called Cyberster, is the next model MG will launch in Europe. The car’s arrival will coincide with the brand’s 100-year anniversary next year.

New platform

The MG4 is the first model to use the brand’s new electric Modular Scalable Platform (MSP). The platform can be used to create everything from small cars to midsize SUVs, MG said, touting that MSP frees up space by fixing the cells directly to the battery pack, rather than creating separate modules.

The company said this helped reduce pack thickness to 110 mm, helping lower the roofline and increase cabin space.

Also helping free up space inside the MG4 is the compact’s 2705 mm wheelbase, MG said. The car measures 4287 mm long overall and is 1504 mm tall. Trunk space is 363 liters.

The car allows charging speeds of up to 135 kilowatts with DC rapid charging and has an 11-kW on-board AC-DC charger to replenish the battery at home.

A heat pump that improves battery efficiency on cold days is standard on the MG4’s top-end Luxury trim level.

Standard equipment on all models includes active safety technology such as adaptive cruise control as well two digital screens, LED headlights and keyless entry.

The MG4 is available to order now in European Union countries. The car is already on sale in the UK.

SAIC launched MG in mainland Europe in 2019. It has already re-established the brand in its former homeland of the UK in 2011 with the launch of Chinese-built models there.

SAIC acquired MG in 2007 after taking over Nanjing Automobile, which bought MG Rover in 2005.