Will Malaysia also get this budget friendly MG4 EV soon?
MG, a Chinese automaker under SAIC has just released a new budget friendly electric vehicle (EV) in the UK called the MG4 EV and it is priced cheaper than all its competitors at just £25,995(roughly RM141,420). Note that this is the exchange rate for today, 23 November 2022. So, will SAIC bring this EV to Malaysia?
So the ORA Good Cat needs no introduction, after all it has received over 100 bookings over its first weekend alone and it is shaping up to be the EV to go for because it is good looking, practical and fairly priced, so having a bigger car that offers a similar or cheaper price would practically sell itself.
Moreover, the MG4 EV is slightly larger, albeit slightly shorter, than the ORA Good Cat and measures 4,287mm long, 1,836mm wide and 1,504mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,705mm. These numbers mean that in all aspects except height, the MG4 EV is larger than the ORA Good Cat and would appeal to a broader audience.
On top of that, the MG4 EV being shorter than the ORA Good Cat means its centre of gravity is lower and thus is less likely to flip over in the event of an accident. What’s more, the car also has a perfect 50:50 weight distribution which, in theory, should make it more fun to drive.
Furthermore, the MG4 EV is covered by a seven-year warranty and comes in either a 41kWh or 64kWh battery pack. This means that the standard car will have a WLTP range of 351km while the long range SE model will cover 451km on a single charge and the slightly heavier Long Range Trophy model does 435km.
These numbers are lackluster compared to the ORA Good Cat which has a claimed range of 500km on a single charge however where the MG4 EV outshines the cat would be in its charging time as the long range car can be charged up from 10 to 80 percent in just 35 minutes where the Cat will take 45 minutes for the same result.
Additionally, the Long Range version of the MG4 EV also puts out about 201bhp, which is more power than the ORA Good Cat rated at 170hp but it is worth noting that the shorter range version of the MG4 EV has slightly less power at just 168bhp so if you really need that extra oomph, you’ll want the long range car.
Whether or not this car will be sold in Malaysia remains to be seen but I think it will be interesting to see which car Malaysian buyers gravitate towards more if they were both sold here. What do you guys think?
