Sino-Brit brand’s next model here has a familiar name, but otherwise is all new.

AN MG designed to combat value-oriented competitors, also from China, in the electric car sphere seems set for introduction here.

Despite sharing its badge with the make’s already established battery-reliant compact, the MG4 Urban is actually a completely different car, sitting on an entirely different platform.

What’s under consideration has already signed off for interaction to Australia next month and has been communicated to the NZ network. The operations have a common distributor network.

Regional pricing has yet to be shared, but it seems highly likely positioned below the MG4 that has sold here since 2023 and is due a big refresh of its own, hence why the distributor is on a stock clearcut that places MG4 from $39,990, so $4000 below usual recommended retail.

The Urban is a five-door four-seater hatchback that is front-wheel drive, has lower power outputs and smaller battery packs than the MG4 (which is single motor rear or dual motor), but it is also slightly bigger in terms of its physical dimensions.

At 4395mm the Urban is actually 110mm longer and, with height of 1549mm, has a 33mm higher roof height. It is also 6mm wider, 33mm taller and 45mm longer between the wheels.

The exterior look steps away from low, lean and more squared-edged MG4 look.

Urban’s styling is claimed to have been influenced by MG's flagship product, the Cyberster roadster. Specific design inspirations from that two-seater are the split front bumper design, wide-set air intakes in the nose, swoopy headlights and a full-width light bar at the rear, complete with angled-in LED details.

The car is already in the United Kingdom, where commentators say the main strength is its practicality delivering a generous passenger cabin and a decent boot.

Cargo capacity with the seats in place comes to 577 litres. That includes 98 litres in an underfloor stowage area. It has an adjustable boot floor. In higher-spec editions, the boot capacity lessens a touch to 568 litres seats up, due to the stereo installation. The seats down capacity nonetheless grows to 1362 litres in those climbing to 1364L with the base car.

Standard technology ingredients run to a twin-screen dashboard with navigation along with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity. The entry configuration delivers a 12.8-inch central screen, while the driver's cluster is a seven-inch affair. The MG4 has the same-size centre display but a bigger 10.25-inch cluster.

The car comes in the usual grades as other MG cars, so starts off with an Excite in which there is a six-way manually adjustable driver's seat. Electrical adjustment come into play with higher spend.

In Australia there are two electric motor outputs offered for the Urban, which are linked to the battery pack selected.

Both of the battery packs are lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) in their chemical make-up, when some of the larger power-cell arrangements in other MGs can use nickel manganese cobalt (NMC).

For what’s labelled as the Standard Range elsewhere provision is with a 43kWh battery, of which 41.9kWh is usable, resulting in an official range of 324km, driving a 112kW motor.

Feeding a 119kW motor, the bigger battery is of 54kWh (52.8kWh usable), which increases the driving figure to a theoretical 415km at an official quoted consumption rate of 15.5kWh/100km, using the WLTP calculator. Hence why it’s called the Long Range there. Torque out of either motor comes to 250Nm.

In the UK market, where it has already been updated, the regular MG4 is available with either 64kWh or 77kWh batteries, with the smaller 51kWh unit removed to make way for the MG4 EV Urban. That is a change expected here as well.

In the UK, all variants are rated tow 500kg, braked and unbraked units. Maximum DC recharging rate is modest, at 82kW for the Standard Range and 87kW for the Long Range, but the make asserts both batteries can charge from 10 to 80 percent in around 30 minutes at a maximum rate.

Euro NCAP has already put the MG4 Urban through its paces and it has recorded a full-marks score of five stars overall. It scored well for adult occupant, child occupant, vulnerable road users and safety assist disciplines.

For EV nerds, the MG4 we know is on what MG calls its Modular Scalable Platform whereas the Uran utilises a new basis called 'E3'.