New generation of MG electric cars are coming to Europe
MG has been selling the ZS EV in Europe for a while now. The ZS EV belongs to the first generation of MG electric cars and honestly I never payed much attention to it.
As most first generation electric cars, the MG ZS EV isn’t very efficient and only gets a WLTP range of 263 km from a 44,5 kWh battery pack made with CATL cells. Its front grill makes it look like a gas car and suggests that GM didn’t care much about aerodynamics when designed it.
However, MG is about to bring its second generation of all-electric cars to Europe. They will be better looking, more efficient, charge faster and have longer range. Two models are already confirmed.
MG5 Electric
MG5 Electric
- Body design: Station Wagon
- Trunk Volume: > 1.400 liters
- WLTP range: >400 km
- Performance: 135 kW / 280 Nm
- Acceleration: 3,4 s – 0-50 km/h
- AC Fast Charging: 3-Phase 11 kW
- DC Rapid Charging: 30 min to 80 %
- Vehicle to Load: 2.500 W External Power Supply
- Towing weight: 500 kg
- Roof Load: 75 kg
- MG Pilot: Driver Assistance
MG MARVEL R Electric
MG MARVEL R Electric
Performance: 212 kW / 665 Nm
Acceleration: 1,8 s / 0-50 km/h
Acceleration: 4,9 s / 0-100 km/h
Drive: Tri-Motor – All-wheel drive
WLTP range: >400 km
Top speed: 200 km/h
AC Fast Charging: 3-Phase 11 kW
DC Rapid Charging: 30 min to 80 %
External power supply: V2L-System
Towing weight: 750 kg
Display: 19,4″ Floating Touchscreen
MG Pilot: Driver Assistance
Climate Control: SlimAir & Heat Pump
The two electric cars above look great, but there is another one that’ll be way more important in Europe, an electric supermini expected later this year to compete with the Renault ZOE. The new electric supermini could be named MG3 Electric.
It’s a well known fact that Europeans prefer compact hatchbacks. This is the type of car that leads the sales in Europe.
MG’s new electric supermini sketch by Autocar
If the new MG electric supermini looks like the sketch above I’m sure that most people in Europe will like it. What do you think?
Anyway, some of us are still waiting for BYD to arrive in full force to Europe with its electric cars and sometimes we forget that MG and Aiways are already here with big plans for the future.
More info:
https://mgmotor.eu/model/marvel-r
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/mg-poised-launch-compact-electric-hatchback
Good news and since MG prices their cars to sell in the mass market and are not looking to move upscale their passenger vehicles are probably much more relevant than BYD…
Are they CATL LFP packs??
BYD does confuse me with trying to go upscale with their dynasty series and down scale with their e series…
Sense to me that is what different brands are for and they are bringing the dynasty series to the EU…
I don’t know the chemistry of the batteries, hopefully they are LFP.
As consumers we want smaller and more affordable electric cars, as automakers they go where the money is (Tesla territory), which is understandable.
Wealthy buyers are also more likely to have a place to charge their EVs, while people looking for budget electric cars may have not.
SAIC has two battery joint ventures: Shanghai Jiexing (with Wanxiang/A123) and SAIC-CATL. Shanghai Jiexin is a pack maker and uses Wanxiang/A123 or LG cells (This info is a few years old, may have changed). SAIC-CATL is pack maker, but I think it also has cell making capablity (not sure though).
MG5: in China it’s called Roewe Ei5, available with either LFP (Shanghai Jiexin, ? kWh, also battery-swap version) or NCM (SAIC-CATL, 61 kWh).
Marvel R: In China it’s marketed under SAIC’s new “slightly premium” R-Brand, available with NCM (SAIC-CATL, 70 kWh) only.
While the Marvel R looks promising, don’t expect it to be super cheap: it seems to be from SAIC’s premium line, not a budget model…
Let’s see their landed cost – the Marvel is certainly impressive but it’s cost believe it will be on the higher side…let’s see….
In Portugal not yet available sales & repair/assistance network
The MG5 long range is now available. In the UK this 61kWh version is only £30k. It has 100kW charging. Still not quite price parity, but another step in the right direction.