Expect sharp pricing for new MG5 and MG4 EV

MG Motor Australia says it remains committed to offering the best-value model in every auto segment it’s present in.

That will soon include the small-car class dominated by the Toyota Corolla and the affordable EV space to be pioneered by the BYD Dolphin, via the upcoming MG5 sedan and MG4 electric hatch .

After unveiling the Chinese car-maker’s new ‘take charge’ slogan at the launch of the facelifted MG ZS EV at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art last week, MG Motor Australia CEO Peter Ciao confirmed that value for money remains the top priority for the fast-growing brand.

“In every segment we want to be [the] best value model.” said Ciao.

MG’s aggressive pricing strategy was evidenced most recently by the last-minute price cut for the updated ZS EV, which now retains its predecessor’s starting price of $43,990 plus on-road costs and narrowly undercuts that of another small Chinese electric SUV, the new BYD Atto 3, to remain Australia’s cheapest EV.

The same budget-focussed proposition has helped MG find 30,600 Aussie customers to August this year (up more than 18% on 2021 levels), making it the nation’s seventh most popular auto brand ahead of Nissan, Subaru and Volkswagen.

And it will also apply to both the MG4 and MG5 when they arrive here next year (see below), followed by the MG Cyberster electric roadster in 2024.

Ciao said future MG products would be “better models, higher technology, better materials… a more premium car” and added that, in contrast with almost every other car-maker, supplies for the Australian market won’t be an issue going forward.

“For MG in general… in Australia, we are running our business very good. [Parent company] SAIC Motor have a focus on this market. They give me more support. Priority market. It’s an important market [for MG],” he said.

Sales and marketing director Giles Belcher told carsales that MG Motor Australia remains committed to its bricks-and-mortar retail network and providing consumers with dealers, servicing and parts availability in all states and territories.

“The relationship with our dealer network is fantastic,” he said. “We talk often about the future and our plans and they’re all on board.

“The new corporate identity program that we’ve launched – there’s a fair bit of investment required from the dealers but also we’re supporting that with probably the strongest support any OEM has ever provided a dealer network to help go through that change.”

Belcher said the local MG dealer network would grow only incrementally beyond its current size of 83 outlets.

“It will grow but not massively,” he said. “We want our dealers to be strong and profitable, so we’ll limit the number of MG dealers around.”

MG Motor Australia executives confirmed the MG4 small electric hatch remains due to hit Aussie showrooms in the first half of 2023.

As we’ve previously reported, it’s expected to arrive here in two variants – the entry-level MG4 SE with a 51kWh battery powering a 125kW electric motor and offering a 350km range and the MG4 Trophy with a 64kWh battery powering a 150kW motor and offering a 450km range.

Hopes to see the 330kW dual-motor all-wheel drive MG4 flagship in Australia remain just that.

It’s our best guess that the entry-level MG4 should present as a sub-$40,000 vehicle, given that’s BYD’s target for the Dolphin (which will receive a new name when it launches here in coming months) and MG will have the luxury of hindsight.

So you can expect the 2023 MG4 to set a new EV price benchmark when it lands here before the middle of next year, unless the GWM Ora Good Cat does so when it arrives around April, which now appears unlikely.

When pushed on whether the MG4 will in fact have a three in front of its local price tag, Belcher said “it’s too soon to have any real comment on pricing strategy for MG4” and Ciao added that this strategy would be revealed before the end of this year.

Also confirmed for Australia in 2023 is the MG5 – a petrol-powered small sedan that’s not to be confused with the MG 5 electric wagon currently only available in the UK market and under consideration Down Under.

Despite MG’s focus on electrification, it has no firm date to move exclusively to EV production and says it will continue to offer combustion-powered vehicles as long as the market and consumers demand them.

Furthermore, Ciao said the Corolla-sized MG5 four-door would represent an opportunity for MG even in the SUV-obsessed Aussie market, where small hatchbacks also outsell sedans, citing the gap in the affordable small sedan segment. 

“We think we use the different sedan style and it gives a different driving experience… but [yes] Australians love SUVs. We [still] thought we’d try a different style,” he said.

“In this whole market for [a] sedan there’s not too many choices – most sedans are luxury [offerings] so [we bring] a normal priced car/sedan – it’s a modern design sedan. I want to try to give people different options.”

According to Belcher, it remains unlikely that Australians will be offered the MG5 electric wagon, despite its release in the right-hand drive UK market.

“We have no plans at the moment. Things can change, but I’m not saying they will. The wagon segment is difficult in Australia,” he said.

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