New MG4 EV revealed in China with Cyberster-inspired looks

The new MG4 EV has been revealed in China, less than three years after the affordable electric hatchback was first launched. It now sports a very different look that blends elements from the incoming MGS5 electric SUV and the two-seat Cyberster.

As a result, the MG4 looks a lot less aggressive and sporty than before, particularly at the front, which now has a softer, more rounded nose, less pronounced air intakes and a much smaller, now body-coloured splitter on the bumper. The new headlights are smaller too, but the traditional, chrome MG octagon badge remains.

It appears MG has even gone as far as to tweak the design of the rear doors, removing the outgoing model’s rising shoulder line and enlarging the windows, which should make it nicer for passengers in the back. There’s also no longer any black cladding down the sides or on the C-pillar; instead there’s more body colour for a more premium look, plus a new wheel design.

The MG4’s rear-end design has been toned down as well, with the twin-fin roof spoiler, thick light bar, faux diffuser and distinctive Y-shaped tail-lights all gone. It’s now much more generic, again featuring more body colour, while the lightbar is much slimmer and connects two arrow-like tail-lights that are vaguely reminiscent of the Cyberster’s.

So far, the only official material for the new MG4 are the three images you see here. However, a small selection of technical details was published by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) as part of its homologation process for new cars.

Probably the most important of these is that the new MG4 has grown in size, measuring 4,395mm long – 108mm longer than the outgoing model – and its wheelbase has been stretched from 2,705mm to 2,750mm. It’s slightly wider and taller too, at 1,842mm by 1,551mm.

Curiously, the new MG4 is also much lighter than its predecessor, given that the MIIT filing suggests one model it tested weighs 1,415kg – a whopping 240kg less than the existing entry-level model, which should provide a noticeable increase in range, among other benefits.

Both versions of the new MG4 tested by the MIIT produced 161bhp. However, we expect there will be a wide selection of powertrains when the car arrives in the UK. 

The current MG4 is offered with either a 49kWh, 64kWh or 77kWh battery that provides up to 329 miles of range. Most of the line-up use a single, rear-mounted electric motor that produces between 168bhp and 242bhp, but the range-topping MG4 XPower features a dual-motor, 429bhp, all-wheel-drive set-up that can fire the car to 62mph in less than four seconds.

We’ve yet to receive any official pictures of the new MG4’s interior, but the images shared by the MIIT suggest that the layout hasn’t changed, and will still feature a 10.25-inch display on top of the dashboard, and a seven-inch driver’s display between a slightly squared-off steering wheel.

It’s unclear when the new MG4 will be going on sale in the UK, although we expect it to land before the end of the year, presumably boasting a similar starting price to the outgoing model’s £26,995. Meanwhile, competition will be more fierce than ever, stretching from the more affordable Renault 5 and Citroen e-C3 superminis to the more sophisticated Skoda Elroq and Kia EV3 electric SUVs.

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