MG continues to filter out additional info about its new electric.

ADDITONAL variant and pricing detail in respect to the new MG4 has been announced by the British-born, China-based brand.

Having previously announced an Essence, at $54,990, it has now said it will sell an the entry Excite with the same 64kWh battery as the base model, and also have a $63,990 Essence with a 77kWh battery.

Models with the smaller battery have a 150kW/250Nm motor with cited range of 450km for the base car, dropping to 435km for the heavier Essence. The 77kWh battery Essence, called the Long Range, has a motor with the same torque but more power, 180kW, and cited range of 530km. The range estimates are factory-gauged to the WLTP scale.

In comment to media, MG Motor New Zealand indicates it is also considering additional variants, a 51kWh budget edition and the performance 77kWh dual-motor ‘X-Power’. It suggests these might join the local family in the second half of 2023. On that timetable, more might be known within seven weeks.

All announced editions are eligible for the Clean Car rebate, which presently stands at $8625 but will reduce to $7015 after July 1.

Patrick Bourke, the make’s country manager based in Auckland, has expressed confidence the car “will be the reason for many more people to make the switch to fully electric vehicle.”

MG’s position as the dominant brand at the cost-sensitive end of the electric zone, established by the ZS EV, has severely eroded since BYD released the Atto 3, so MG4 will be tasked with snaring significant market growth. BYD is expected to release another cheapie, the Dolphin, soon.

The ZS entry level Excite model is priced at $49,990 drive away, while the upscale Essence model is offered at $53,990 drive away.

MG4 is the first MG built on a new bespoke electric Modular Scalable Platform (MSP), which will be used as the basis for a whole future line-up of EVs ranging from hatchbacks to medium sports utilities provisioned by Shanghai Automotive (SAIC), the parent of the MG brand.

In China the car is known as the MG Mulan, in honour of the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan. That name is used in China because four is considered an unlucky number.