Most Chinese electric car manufacturers have come to Europe to offer high-end models to show that their build quality and reliability are not below European ones. In this strategy it is difficult to fit one of the qualities by which they want to distinguish themselves from traditional manufacturers: price. In this context, MG is an exception. Its electric range developed very quickly and has found its place in the market with the premise of offering the best value for money.
Its sales have increased by 66% so far this year and forecasts indicate that it will reach 120,000 units throughout Europe by the end of 2023. However, the British brand, now owned by the Chinese group SAIC, does not want to rest on its laurels and it already plans the complete reorganization of its range by the end of 2024, three years before going on to become a 100% electric brand in 2027.
The last one to arrive receives a new version
The MG4 is the most important electric car in the range and it has also been the last to arrive. Contrary to what other brands do, which offer the most powerful and expensive variants in the first place, MG decided to start with the cheapest to, 2024, launch the most high-performance (and expensive) variant in the catalog.
As Guy Pigounakis, commercial director of MG, explained in an interview with Autoexpress, “We are launching a high-performance version of the MG4 that gives us the option of betting on performance over the standard variants due to the use of two very high-performance engines . High power”.
Rumors suggest that this variant could offer up to 400 hp under the X-Power nomenclature that has already been used by the company in India to designate a limited edition of the MG6 in China. This version will play an important role in changing the image of the MG firm. “I would like to see the brand transition towards a sportier image,” says Pigounakis, mixing “sensible and fun cars”.
A smaller MG, but not electric
The manufacturer is also preparing a new entry model for the brand. David Allison, Head of Product and Planning at MG, ensures that “MG3 will indeed be the first. It’s a long overdue replacement that will finally happen in the spring of next year.”
Pigounakis explains that the MG3 “will continue on sale for another 12 to 18 months, before being replaced by a model that we will not call the MG3 .” In addition, he adds something that was already suspected and that is that it is “very unlikely to present some type of electrification, which could mean that its useful life will be relatively short.”
Renewal of the MG HS
The recent refresh of the MG HS serves only “to keep it running for the next 12 months until it is finally completely replaced,” Allison says. Currently, the HS is only available with a non-hybrid gasoline engine and a plug-in hybrid.
Curiously, the latter has not received the update that will come to the thermal variant, probably for a compelling reason. From MG they say that the next generation may also have a fully electric version that adds to the current ones.
The MG5 takes advantage of the MG4
After receiving a minor facelift, the MG5 is in for a near-total makeover. It will take advantage of the success of the MG4, as it will be completely inspired by it. So much so that it will have a practically identical design from the center to the front and also inside. The rear will be what makes it a family model derived from the MG4.
A total change of face for the MG ZS
The most compact SUV of the brand will receive a substantial revision in 2024, also adopting the lines and design language of the MG4, although the great novelty is that the platform on which it is built could change to make way for the modular and scalable MSP, specially developed for electric cars.
The use of this architecture would completely modify the current offer of this SUV. Its cheapest variant, the gasoline one, would disappear and, preparing for that electric future, it would be available in various electrical configurations. It would also give you access to two battery options and versions with rear or all-wheel drive, as well as improvements in technology and the quality of construction and materials.
The fancy sports car
The MG Cyberster is the latest model to hit MG’s offering. Recently presented to the public, its launch is also scheduled for 2024. It is an electric roadster that should contribute, to a large extent, to give the brand visibility. It is the first of the cars of its new era that is bought for pleasure and not for rational criteria.
