MG, a British automotive marquee owned by Chinese manufacturer SAIC Motor, has introduced the world to its newly developed MG4 Electric – a potential competitor to the Volkswagen ID.3 in the European markets.

The MG4 Electric is in fact a rebadged version of the MG Mulan that was unveiled in China just a few weeks ago. It is the first MG model that has been underpinned by parent firm SAIC Motor's flexible pure electric vehicle (EV) architecture, called Modular Scalable Platform (MSP).

The MG4 Electric is a rear-wheel-drive (RWD) compact hatchback that promises optimum driving pleasure, thanks to its characteristics like 50:50 weight distribution.

In size, the five-door MG4 Electric hatchback is similar to the Volkswagen ID.3, measuring 4,287 mm (168.8 inches) in length, 1,835 mm (72.2 in) in width, and 1,504 mm (59.2 in) in height. According to MG, the EV offers a comfortable as well as spacious cabin with sufficient space for a family of five.

It is its flat battery pack that allowed the manufacturer to keep the height of the vehicle low. In fact, with a height of merely 110 mm (4.3 inches), the so-called One Pack battery is the flattest battery pack developed by SAIC Motor and the thinnest in its class. With its horizontally arranged cells, it is believed to be the best in terms of interior space, weight and safety.

SAIC Motor’s Deputy Chief Engineer, Zhu Jun, explained, “Under this design concept, theoretically, batteries ranging from 40 kWh to 150 kWh can be easily achieved. It can meet the energy requirements of the A0 to D class models, providing users with flexible and diverse choices.”

A small battery can be replaced with a bigger battery when a longer range is needed. Initially, the battery will be offered in 51 kWh and 64 kWh configurations, powering 125-kW (168-hp) and 150-kW (201-hp) motors, and offering a range of up to 217 miles (350 km) and 280 miles (450 km) in the WLTP cycle, respectively. The more powerful variant takes less than 8 seconds to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph), while the top speed has been reported at 160 km/h (99 mph).

The MG4 Electric RWD is currently undergoing a 74,500-mile (roughly 120,000 km) endurance test under various conditions in Europe. Pricing details will be released ahead of its official launch, which is scheduled for the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2022.