The iconic British car brand is back and their first model for Malaysia will be the MG4
For the past few months this MG4 electric car has been spotted on test around Klang Valley. Even our reader sent us a picture of a red MG4 with no camouflage being driven along Federal Highway.
We highlighted the MG4 spotting in an article and got the attention of the official MG principal in Malaysia (we met with them to get a full insight on their plans). Yes, SAIC Motor International from China who is the owner of Morris Garage (MG) has set up operations in Bangsar South and will be officially launching the MG4 range of electric cars in Malaysia in the first quarter of 2024.
It was also shared with us that there are already 16 new MG Malaysian showrooms ready for vehicle delivery and also after-sales. This move puts pressure on the current segment rivals and it is all good news for Malaysian EV buyers as a price war will start by the 2nd quarter of 2024. You heard it here first!
The MG4 EV is a C-segment hatchback that is built on SAIC’s Nebula Modular Scalable Platform with European ambitions. SAIC says that the primary focus of the MG4 EV was the European market and in fact it has been on sale there since last year.
This award winning electric car has an 800V architecture, allowing for very quick charging times. 200km of range can be recovered in just 5 minutes with a 150kW DC charger.
The battery pack ranges from 51 to 64 to 77 kWh depending on specification. With the smaller battery packs, top speed it limited to 160km/h, but the largest battery pack enables it to drive to 180km/h.
So, what will its selling price be? Well, our guesstimate for the MG4 (which can drive up to 320 kilometers on one full charge) will be from RM109,000 to RM139,000 for the very quick MG4 xPOWER (which can drive up to 425 kilometers on one full charge).
Both variants are selling very well in Thailand since its introduction in March 2022 with asking prices that start from a low RM105,000 to a sensible RM135,000.
Meanwhile, did you know that the older model MG Trophy and ZS SUV’s have been in Malaysia (in three different colours) on test and market tease for about 3 to 4 years and at the time it was rumored that Berjaya Automotive (MG Berjaya Sdn Bhd) was going to be the distributor. The SUV’s were registered and seen being driven around the city, but there was no communication on its launch date, selling price and even variants.
Then a few years ago, a new taxi operator (MySuri) made an announcement that they will be introducing a fleet of MG battery powered station wagons for Klang Valley. Pushing the agenda of being the first emission free taxi operator in the country, the media buzz was strong and soon faded as there was just ONE car on display and no launch date.
Interestingly, last year a few PEKAMA AP holders imported in the MG ZS electric SUV when the market got all excited about electric vehicles and PEKEMA made a strong promise to have a minimum of 100 charging stations setup in months around the country (which didn’t happen).
This private import MG EV was priced at a super high RM240-260k and was sold side by side with the popular Tesla EV’s which had sticker prices in excess of RM300k.
Now, with the Malaysian EV market open to import duty free vehicles, the remaining stock of MG EV and Tesla selling prices have dropped by more than 50 percent as they do not have after sales and factory warranty available. Very risky to purchase.
