New electric car from MG spotted testing and charging in Sydney

The new MG ZS EV electric SUV has been spotted being tested “in the wild” in Sydney, prior to its release on to the Australian car market in late 2020.

The MG ZS EV, an electric version of the MG ZS compact SUV, which was announced for the Australian market in November 2019, is one of a number of new electric vehicles to be released in the fledgling local market in 2020.

It will be introduced at from $46,990 drive-away for the first 100 orders, making it one of just a handful of electric vehicles available in Australia for under $50,000.

It was spotted charging in a carpark in Sydney’s inner east.  The MG ZS EV carries the famous, originally British and now Chinese owned MG badge, which cleverly pops up to reveal the vehicle’s charging point, as shown in the image below.

According to a note attached to its windscreen, the vehicle in question is “registered for ‘Engineering Evaluation’ purposes only. Use of this vehicle on public roads is strictly limited to the evaluation and development of vehicle components and systems”.

The MG ZS EV will initially available from the car-maker’s Sydney showroom, and is expected to roll out to pre-order customers in the third quarter of 2020.

It has a 44.5kWh battery and 262km driving range based on the European WLTP driving cycle, and a 105kW single motor offers 105kW maximum power with 353Nm torque.

That puts the ZS EV just below the latest model Hyundai Ioniq with 311km range in terms of driving distance, and just below its stablemate Kona Electric in terms of torque.

While MG has not yet announced standard pricing for the MG ZS EV, its introductory pricing makes this a very competitive contender in the limited Australian EV market (the Ioniq starts at $48,490 before on roads costs and the Kona EV goes from $59,990 before on roads).

It can be recharged – from empty to full – at a top rate of 50kW in 40 minutes, or in 6.5 hours using a 7kW AC charger that can be installed at home.