MG will aim to offer one of the best value electric cars available with a new EV supermini; one of its two models expected to launch next year.
While the first – production version of the E-Motion – will increase the desirability factor and boost the brand’s image, MG will also stay true to its modern-day ethos with a low-cost, battery-powered rival to the Renault Zoe.
Due to be launched at the end of 2021, the compact EV will be similar in size to the current 3, Autocar understands, but won’t directly replace that car initially, as it remains a desirable, low-cost offering sought after by dealers and buyers alike.
As with the production E-Motion, MG has revealed few technical details, but we expect the new model to borrow battery and powertrain technology from MG’s other UK-market EVs. However, the battery capacity is likely to decrease from the ZS EV’s 44.5kWh in order to reduce both the new car’s cost and the impact on interior space.
That smaller battery should be counterbalanced by the reduced weight and improved aerodynamic properties of a supermini, so expect a range target of about 150 miles in order to be competitive. Power output is also expected to reduce from the ZS EV’s 141bhp, but should still be sprightly given the instant torque delivery of an electric motor and reduced weight over its SUV siblings.
The ZS EV, which starts from £25,495, offers £50kW DC rapid charging as standard. MG might elect to remove that capability on base models in order to bring the headline price down – a move which Skoda made on the entry-level Citigo e iV.
Given the value focus of the current MG line-up, the new small EV is likely to be offered at a price significantly lower than that of more design-led, premium cars such as the Honda E and Mini Electric, and possibly less than £20,000.
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