Sub $50k price for MG electric SUV

MG has confirmed its new MG ZS electric SUV will be priced at $49,990 for the first 50 pre-orders, with the vehicles due to be delivered from mid 2020.

It is unclear what the price will be past the first 50 units – that will be confirmed closer to launch in a similar strategy to what MG is doing in the United Kingdom. For now, that makes it the cheapest new electric vehicle in the country – the LDV EV80 van is $57,488.50 while the Nissan Leaf and Hyundai Ioniq start at $59,990.

At 44.5kW the battery in the MG is 11.25% bigger than that of the Leaf, and unlike the Nissan’s is water cooled. MG says the WLTP rating for the car gives it a range of 262km, though they also note a somewhat ambitious ‘city range’ of 370kW. 

The MG is capable of DC charging at up to 50Kw, while the onboard AC charger is a 7kW unit. The charging port sits behind the front grille, and is a CCS2 Combo.

The electric motor drives the front wheels produces 105kW of power and 353Nm of torque.

Other specifications have yet to be confirmed, but the car will get a panoramic sunroof, 8-inch colour touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and satellite navigation. The EV features unique alloy wheels, a rotary drive selector and a range of drive modes.

The model will also benefit from an impressive 7-year / 130,000km new vehicle and battery warranty.

Peter Ciao, MG Motor Australia and New Zealand chief noted local testing is to be undertaken on the car before launch.

“We are both humbled and excited to be undertaking the final phase of local testing for the MG ZS EV, working with important partners in the New Zealand market to bring this exciting model to our customers.”

“We anticipate the MG ZS EV will draw strong interest from our customers and to satisfy this demand we will see a dealer present in each key metro area by the time the EV launches in 2020,” Ciao explains. “We are delighted to be offering another family friendly option, designed for our customers who want all the advantages of a zero emissions vehicle without compromising on practicality or style.”

Anthony MacLean, business manager, MG Motor New Zealand notes since relaunching five months ago the MG brand has been gaining strong momentum.

“The exploration of new and cleaner energy is particularly important to Kiwis and it has been pleasing to see the level of interest and investment the market has made in electrification of its transport infrastructure. New Zealand is an important market for MG Motor and we are delighted to offer our customers more choice and affordability with our new MG ZS EV

MG’s parent company, SAIC Motor, sold more than 140,000 New Energy Vehicles (NEV) in 2018, doubling the NEV sales of the previous year for the fifth consecutive year. SAIC Motor has continued this trend into 2019, with NEV sales reaching 82,000 units in the six months to 30 June 2019.