MG Motor UK Limited (MG Motor), is a UK headquartered British automotive manufacturer, now owned by the Chinese automotive company, SAIC Motor (December 2007). SAIC is owned by the Chinese government and headquartered in Shanghai. MG was owned by MG Rover up to 2005, before the collapse of the company. The history of the company can be traced back to 1924 to its founding in Oxford (UK). MG was founded by Cecil Kimber, a motor car designer.
MG cars are no longer manufactured at the historic Longbridge plant in the UK. Instead, production takes place in China and other international markets (China, India, Thailand, Indonesia and Taiwan). MG vehicles are now designed and developed by SAIC (SAIC owns a number of brands, to include: IM, Maxus, Rising Auto, Baojun, Roewe, Wuling, Hongyan and Sunwin. The MG brand is known as ‘Míngjué‘ in China. MG continues to grow in strength, and in 2023 sold over 840,000 vehicles globally. The automotive company currently has the following battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs):
For those of you new to zero-emission electric driving, we recommend a read of the following articles:
The pure electric MG4 EV was released in China in June 2022 (MG Mulan), and in Europe in July 2022. The EV is built on the SAIC’s battery-electric Modular Scalable Platform. It is the first all-electric hatchback from MG (C-segment). For families and company-car drivers keen to migrate to affordable zero-emission electric driving, the MG4 EV is worth consideration.
MG Motor is not the only Chinese owned automotive brand competing for a slice of the fast growing UK market. Other notable Chinese automotive manufacturers include, BYD, Genesis and GWM Ora. The all-electric BYD Dolphin hatchback is competing head-on with the MG4 EV!
The MG4 EV is available in two EV battery sizes: 51 kWh and 64 kWh (Long Range). The choice of two EV battery sizes increases the potential customer base, as not every EV driver needs a large onboard EV battery and long electric range. Both battery sizes offer a useful and practical pure electric range.
The 51 kWh has a range up to 218 miles (WLTP), while the 64 kWh offers a range up to 281 miles (WLTP). Even adjusting for real-world driving conditions, both options remain useful! For the 51 kWh expect a real-world emission-free e-range closer to 185 miles, while for the larger battery, 240 miles will be more realistic.
The MG4 EV electric car incorporates a single-phase (7 KW AC) onboard charger. More than adequate for EV home charging in the UK, given that the majority of homes have single-phase power supply. The 51 kWh EV can be fully charged in 7 hours and 30 minutes using a dedicated residential EV charger like easee. The MG4 EV Long Range can be full charged in 9 hours.
We at e-zoomed recommend charging overnight when the electricity prices are lower. We also recommend charging on a regular basis. This way charging times are reduced and regular charging is good for the long-term maintenance of the onboard EV battery. MG offers a 7 years or 80,000 miles EV battery warranty. Reasonable, but not class-leading.
The MG 4 EV also offers DC charging capability. Using a 150 kW DC rapid charger, the 51 kWh EV can be charged from 10%-80% in 39 minutes. The 64 kWh can be charged up to 80% in 35 minutes. Of course, a 50 kW DC charger will be slower: the 51 kWh can be charged up to 80% in 52 minutes, while the Long Range battery will take 60 minutes.
MG offers a host of safety features (MG Pilot Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) and technology, to include: active emergency braking with pedestrian and bicycle detection, lane keep assist with lane departure warning system, traffic jam assist, intelligent speed limit assist, blind spot detection with lane change assist and door opening warning.
The fully-electric MG4 has been awarded a 5 Star Euro NCAP rating. Other technology includes: 10.25″ colour touchscreen, 7″ driver information display, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, 360° parking camera and more.
The EV incorporates vehicle-to-load (V2L) charging as standard for all variants. V2L charging is a bidirectional functionality allowing an electric vehicle (EV) to use its onboard high-voltage EV battery to charge or power devices/ appliances. It is also sometimes referred to as Vehicle-to-Device (V2D).
In terms of practicality, despite the compact size of the electric vehicle (EV), the interior cabin space, to include, headroom and legroom is reasonable. Of course, getting three taller adults on the rear seats will be a squeeze. The available boot space is 363 L, which expands to 1,177 L with seats folded (60:40 split). The rear-view visibility is restricted.
In terms of performance, the rear-wheel drive MG4 EV achieves 0-60 mph in 7.5 seconds for the standard EV battery. The Long Range is a little slower and achieves 0-60 mph in 7.7 seconds. The EV delivers a maximum power up to 203 PS (torque: 250 Nm). The top speed is 100 mph. The electric car has 5 driving modes: eco, sport, snow, custom and standard. It also incorporates 4 regenerative braking modes: Auto, 1, 2, 3.
Company-car drivers can take advantage of the lower Benefit-in-Kind (BiK-2%) tax charge for pure electric cars. Bottom-line, electric driving is good for the environment and the wallet. You can lease electric vehicles (EVs) via e-zoomed at very competitive prices!
The All-Electric MG4 EV Hatchback (credit: MG)
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