2023 MG4: First local details released

The all-new 2023 MG4 has officially landed in Australia ahead of its arrival in dealerships in the second half of the year.

Making its Australian public debut at the Fully Charged LIVE home energy and electric vehicle show in Sydney, where MG also presented the incoming long-range version of its MG ZS EV, the MG4 was originally slated to launch Down Under before July.

However, first customer deliveries of the electric hatch have been delayed until October 2023, with local pricing to be revealed closer to launch.

MG Australia’s general manager for marketing Rick Whaite stopped short of confirming the MG4 would arrive as the cheapest electric car in Australia, undercutting its larger ZS EV sibling that’s priced from $46,195 drive-away, depending on the state or territory.

“Cheapest is not necessarily our appetite. It’s basically always about value [and] we will do our very best to make sure it’s an incredibly compelling proposition to the market,” he said.

“It’s lovely to have sibling rivalry, but it’s important for us to understand what the entire model composition is.

“I think the thing that’s most exciting for us is cars like this which are going to be transformational in terms of the way in which people think and feel about the brand.

“We obviously have a very strong reputation for value and now it’s about making sure we add far more dimension to that as well – and cars like this will certainly do that for us.

“Whilst we will never walk away from value, it is not the basis of our platform any further.”

Despite saying final specs are still to be locked in, MG reps confirmed two model grades will be available from launch, along with the option of two battery packs: 51kWh with up to 350km of driving range, and 64kWh battery with a claimed 450km range.

Both models use a single-motor/rear-wheel drive layout, but two power outputs will be offered – 125kW with the 51kWh battery, and 150kW with the 64kWh power supply.

What’s more, the high-performance 330kW dual-motor/all-wheel drive MG4 Mulan (as it’s known in China) is also under consideration.

The MG4 will be the Chinese car-maker’s first EV in Australia to be built on dedicated EV architecture, which brings interior packaging benefits and higher-level safety and technology.

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