MG4 EV SPARKS LINKS WITH ICONS OF THE PAST

While MG (Morris Garages), the iconic post-war British sports car maker, may have been mopped up by SAIC, China’s largest automobile manufacturer, it has not completely severed ties with the Old Country. The latest MG offering to come from SAIC, formerly the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, the MG4 all-electric hatchback, was designed at the company’s London studio in Marylebone. Furthermore, the vehicle sparks technological innovation traditionally found in sports cars from the early days. These include multi-mode driving and braking, as well as MG Pilot Driver Safety Technology and vehicle-to-load… Read more

IN ESSENCE, MORE STAYING POWER FOR MG EV

Car companies continue to make strides in the electrification of their vehicles. One manufacturer to step up its power play is MG Motors (for Morris Garages), the Chinese owned former British auto industry mainstay. Already the fully electric compact sports utility vehicle has made its presence felt on the EV world with the Excite and Essence models, the latter chipping in with a claimed maximum range of 320 kilometres. Now this has been stretched to 440 kilometres with a new variant, loosely tagged Long Range, with the added plus over… Read more

MG HS +EV REVIEW

The MG HS +EV is a mid-sized SUV from the Chinese manufacturer that is making such an impact on the Australian market. The name can be a little misleading because it’s not fully-electric but rather a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and so comes with a petrol engine together with a battery that can be charged in the same manner as an EV. Plug-in hybrids are an excellent concept but in practice, at least at this stage of their development, they don’t make a lot of sense. Firstly, they are typically at… Read more

MG4 SETS A NEW STANDARD FOR AFFORDABLE EVS

The rapid growth of Chinese vehicles in Australia continues apace with the arrival of MG’s second fully-electric vehicle, the MG4 hatchback. It joins the MG ZS EV compact SUV which has been here since late-2020. A third electrified vehicle, the HS+EV plug-in hybrid provides another option. MG4 comes in four variants with two equipment levels, Excite and Essence, and three battery options, 51kWh, 64kWh and 77kWh. The entry-level Excite 51kWh, priced at $38,990 plus on-road costs joins two Oof its Chinese rivals, the new BYD Dolphin $38,890 +ORC) and GWM… Read more

MG MOTORS ADDS A NEW SMALL SEDAN TO ITS GROWING RANGE

Chinese manufacturer MG Motors has continued to expand its vehicle range in Australia with the launch of the MG5, a small-medium four-door sedan. Although new to Australia the MG5 has been on sale overseas since 2012, often badged as the MG GT. We’re getting the second-generation model released in 2020. MG5 comes with the choice of two variants, Vibe and Essence with driveaway prices of $24,990 and $28,990 respectively. Not surprisingly this will make MG5 the cheapest model in our large and highly-competitive small sedan segment undercutting the Hyundai i30… Read more

MG4 – HERE’S THE PRICE (FINALLY)

MG has finally revealed the price of its newest addition, the MG4 EV five-door hatchback. It joins the small MG ZS EV SUV and will be available initially in high grade Essence form, priced from $47,990 plus on-roads. The 150kW rear-drive hatch has a claimed range of 435km. With a 64kWh battery, it can be charged to 80 per cent capacity in 60 minutes using a commercial 50kW DC rapid charger. A dual-motor, all-wheel drive model with 330kW of power is expected to follow, with a claimed 0-100 km/h acceleration… Read more

MG ZS EV LONG RANGE

Australia’s fastest growing carmaker, MG Motor, recently launched an extended range version of its ZS EV small-medium SUV at the FullyCharged event in Sydney. Named ZS EV Long Range it will be on sale from early April alongside the current ZS EV Excite and MG ZS EV Essence models both of which come with a 51.2 kWh battery and 330 km range on the WLTP testing cycle. The Long Range gets a 72.6 kWh battery and 440 km range. The ZS Long Range will come with the same equipment level… Read more

NEW MG 4 SET TO SHAKE-UP THE AUSTRALIAN EV MARKET

MG Motor will be giving Australian EV buyers their first look at its new MG4 hatchback/SUV cross when it’s revealed at the Fully Charged LIVE event to held at Sydney’s International Convention Centre on the weekend of 11/12 March this year. Billed as ‘The World’s No 1 Home Energy and Electric Vehicle Show’ the Fully Charged LIVE event was first held in the UK in 2018. Subsequent events were held in the UK and USA – the Sydney event will be first to be held in Australia. Fully Charged, aka… Read more

CHINESE CHECKERS – THE PLAYERS AND STAYERS

It’s been more than a decade since the launch of the first Chinese-branded car in Australia. That vehicle was of course the first Great Wall ute way back in 2009, pitched at bang-for-your-buck tradies. Since then, a number of Chinese brands have come and gone, but three manufacturers stand out as the stickarounds. They are the aforementioned Great Wall, as well as LDV which launched here in 2014 and MG which joined the fray quite late in proceedings in 2017. Last year 1,049,831 new vehicles were sold in Australia. With… Read more

MG ZS PURE ELECTRIC VEHICLE

  We really do enjoy driving pure electric cars, that is ones without any assistance from other power sources such as petrol or diesel. So, when the MG ZS EV was updated in September with increased driving range and a few minor changes, it was a good excuse to borrow one for a week. Our test vehicle was the entry level ZS EV Excite, priced from $44,990 driveaway. The premium Essence model is $48,990 driveaway. These prices are pretty low for pure electric vehicles, but that’s because they have smaller… Read more