MG says sales of full battery electric car to begin in September

MG has just announced that the all-electric version of its ZS SUV/crossover will go on sale in the UK in September this year, with an on-the-road starting price of £28,495 (around $A50,500 plus the usual Australian mark-ups).

After deducting the UK Government’s low emission vehicle grant of £3500 (plus a matching discount from MG), that price reduces to £21,495 (AU$38,000). PLUS, for the first 1000 orders, MG will also throw in a Mode 2 wall charger with basic installation costs covered.

So what will UK buyers get for their money?

The drive train comprises a 44.5kWh battery and a 105kW motor (for comparison, the Kona electric in Australia has a 64kW battery/150kW motor and the Zoe currently sold here is 41kWh/66kW).

The interior and safety offerings are also industry standard (i.e. lots) with the interior featuring an 8” colour touchscreen incorporating satellite navigation, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth phone connectivity, audio streaming and DAB radio.

Safety systems include Advanced Emergency Braking (AEB), blindspot monitoring, lane keep assist and adaptive cruise control.

MG is quoting a WLTP test cycle rating of 260km for the ZS.  (By the way, WLTP is the new European test cycle that gives closer to real-world ranges than their previous – and notorious – NEDC test cycle.) Given WLTP is still around 10-12% over-optimistic, the real-world range of the ZS is likely to be around 230km.

MG is also stressing in itspress release the ZS battery has a water cooling system to “.. allow frequent rapid charging and optimum range whatever the weather.” (Presumably to differentiate it from the only new BEV on the market still to have passive air cooling: i.e. the most popular selling EV in Europe and the UK: the Nissan Leaf).

The EV driving features of the ZS all appear to match the best of the current BEVs on the market, including three driving modes and three levels of regenerative braking. Size-wise, at 4314mm long it is very close to the Kona electric (4180mm) and the Nissan Leaf (4480mm).

Putting all these together, the overall package will make it an attractive competitor in both price and specifications to the base Kona electric sold in Europe (but not offered here) that has a 39kWh battery and 100kW motor as well as the 40kWh battery/110kW motor Nissan Leaf.

However, unlike the Kona electric – which is severely supply constrained due to an inability to build enough batteries to keep up with demand – MG is stating its battery ‘Gigafactory’ is capable of building 300,000 EV batteries a year.

The important part of this announcement is that the ZS for the UK will be right-hand drive, making it a potential import option for Australia.

Some noises have been heard from MG about bringing the ZS to Australia – but nothing official … yet.