KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 28 — SAIC Motor Malaysia is introducing two new MG Electric Vehicles — the MG4 and the MG ZS EV, which will spur more competition in the sub RM150,000 category. These new EVs will take on the likes of the BYD Dolphin, BYD Atto 3 and GWM Ora Good Cat. Both MG EVs are now available for booking and will be making their public nationwide appearance in March 2024.
MG4 compact EV
The first offering is the MG4 which is a compact fully electric hatchback that comes with an estimated starting price of just RM104,000. There are a total of 3 standard variants that offer different motor performance output and battery sizes. The three MG4 models get a single motor at the rear which delivers 167hp and 250Nm of torque for the standard model, 201hp and 250Nm of torque for the Lux model and 241hp and 258Nm of torque for the Lux Extended Range model.
In terms of range, the standard has a 51kWh battery with 350km WLTP-rated range while the Lux gets a bigger 64kWh battery with a longer 435km WLTP-rated range. Meanwhile, the Lux Extended Range gets a much larger 77kWh battery, capable of pushing 520km of WLTP-rated range.
If you want an EV with more performance, SAIC Motor Malaysia is also bringing in the MG4 XPower which offers a dual-motor set-up that pushes a whopping 429hp and 600NM of torque. It can get from 0-100km/h in just 3.8 seconds, which is as quick as the BYD Seal Performance.
In terms of charging, the MG4 lineup supports up to 7kW of AC charging with its single-phase onboard charger which takes an estimated 8 hours for a full charge. If you need a quick top-up, the MG4 supports up to 150kW of DC fast charging which can get you from 10-80 per cent charge in just 38 minutes for the Lux Extended Range model, or 26 minutes for the MG4 Lux and XPower variants.
According to SAIC Motor Malaysia, the MG4’s 51kWh uses a Lithium Ion Phosphate Battery, while the larger 64kWh and 77kWh use Ternary Lithium Battery.
The MG4 being a hatchback gets a decent 363 litres of boot space which can be expanded to 1,177 litres with the rear seats folded. There’s not much underfloor storage considering this EV has a rear-motor and rear-wheel drive setup.
Here’s the estimated pricing for the MG4 lineup in Malaysia:
- MG4 Standard — RM104,000
- MG4 Lux — RM129,000
- MG4 Lux Extended Range — RM149,000
- MG4 XPOWER — RM159,000
MG ZS EV
If you’re looking for an EV with SUV proportions, the MG ZS EV is a slightly larger vehicle than the MG4. Unlike the MG4, the ZS EV is based on the petrol-powered ZS SUV and it is front-wheel drive.
The MG ZS EV for Malaysia comes in a single spec and the front motor produces 174hp and 280Nm of torque. The ZS EV gets a rather mid-range 51.1kWh battery with a WLTP-rated range of just 320km. In terms of charging, it supports up to 7kW of single-phase AC charging. For DC charging, it only supports up to 50kW which is underwhelming, taking 54 minutes to get from 10-80 per cent.
However, as a city runaround vehicle, the MG ZS is still quite decent as it offers more space than the MG4. The MG ZS offers a panoramic sunroof with a built-in sunshade. The boot has 448 litres of capacity which can be expanded up to 1,187 litres with the rear seats folded.
With an estimated price of RM129,000, the MG ZS undercuts the BYD Atto 3 which is priced at RM149,800 for the Standard Range model (345km WLTP-range) and RM167,800 for the Extended Range Model (420km WLTP-range).
MG Roadshow and Dealer events
If you want to check out the MG4 and MG ZS EV up close, you can visit their roadshows and dealers at the following events:
- Pavilion KL Main Concourse — February 29 to March 4
- MG Motor Melaka (Seong Hoe Motors) — March 4 to March 5
- MG Motor Plentong Johor (Ang Trading & Motor Credit) — March 7 to March 10
- MG Motor Muar (Ang Trading & Motor Credit) — March 12 to March 14
- MG Motor Seremban (SV Autohaus) — March 16 to March 18
For more details, you can visit the official MG Malaysia website. — SoyaCincau
