Cupra Born-rivalling MG4 electric hatchback teased

A YouTube video showing a “brand new 100% electric vehicle” has been teased by MG Motor Europe.

Widely expected to be called the MG4, the Chinese-owned company revealed the car is 4300mm long – about the same as a Volkswagen Golf – and developed with the European consumer in mind.

The video says the model will premiere (we assume this means be fully revealed) in the fourth quarter of this year.

Budget Cupra Born EV rival

With its size confirmed and from what we see in the teaser video, it’ll be a sharply-styled hatchback that would serve as a potentially cheaper rival to the Cupra Born EV, due on sale in Australia later this year at a mooted price in the low $50,000s.

The Cupra Born all-electric hatchback is based on the Volkswagen ID.3. This Golf-sized EV is already on sale in Europe, but its arrival in Australia has yet to be confirmed.

MG Australia has remained tight-lipped on MG4 details, but a spokesperson told EVCentral: “By 2024 MG Australia plans for half of our model range to be electrified in some way.”

With MG Australia already offering the cheapest EV on our market – the $44,990 ZS EV SUV – bolstering its pure EV line-up with a potentially cheaper small hatchback would align with the brand’s electrification goals.

“MG Motor is thrilled with the success of the first version of the ZS EV and we plan to continue offering Australians an easy way into EV ownership,” the spokesperson said.

MG EV sales success

The MG ZS was second only to the Tesla Model 3 for Australian electric car sales in 2021. We bought 1,388 of the Chinese electric SUVs last year, well ahead of the Porsche Taycan in third place (531) sales and closer rival Hyundai Kona Electric (505 sales).

An MG4 would fit the brand’s portfolio between the MG3 city car and the electric MG5 EV; the latter on sale in the UK as the country’s first all-electric wagon (or estate car, as they like to call it).

And unlike the ZS SUV which serves as both an internal combustion offering and an EV, this new MG hatchback will be exclusively electric, as we reported back in 2020.

What can we learn about the MG4 from the video? Not much beyond its hatchback shape, it runs on 17-inch alloys and features LED lights – that wouldn’t look out of place on a Kia EV6 – running almost the length of its rump.

MG’s electric plans

Although specification details haven’t been revealed it’s fair to assume the MG4 will share motors and batteries with the facelift ZS EV arriving here in July 2022.

With a 51kWh battery, the revised 2022 ZS EV increases its WLTP range from 263km to 320km. A larger 72kWh battery ups EV range to 440km, while DC charging is done at up to 76kW (previously 50kW), which allows for a 30-80 percent charge in as little as 30 minutes for the 51kWh battery.

Such range and charge times would likely be very similar in the MG4.

MG Australia’s spokesperson also updated EVCentral about the brand’s roll out of “up to 3,000” AC “Charge Hub” electric vehicle chargers at selected hotels, resorts and Airbnbs.

“We’re offering these free of charge, with up to three chargers per premises,” he said. “They are 7kW single phase or 11kW three phase wallboxes and are agnostic so any Type 2 electric vehicle can use them. The first one has gone to the historic Carrington Hotel in the Blue Mountains.

“We want to expand the charging footprint for Australia, and the Charge Hub rollout is the first step.”

Interested parties can apply at MG’s Charge Hub website.