MG ZS EV successor leaked online: first look at MG4’s SUV sister car
The new compact electric SUV is due to arrive early next year, but it will not wear the ZS EV name
Auto Express has confirmed that the new MG ZS will be revealed by the end of August, and there will not be an electric version. However, a successor to the MG ZS EV is on its way – an all-new, all-electric compact SUV based on the award-winning MG4 hatchback – and this is our first look at that very car.
It’s not due to be unveiled until early next year – some five or six months after the new ZS – but the EV is clearly going through the final sign-off, as Auto Express reader Paul Davies spotted a camouflaged prototype waiting for a rapid charge point in Liverpool this week.
Further to this, images of the MG4’s more practical sister car were published by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), showing the car in its undisguised glory – along with other technical details.
There’s a very clear family resemblance with the MG4, as well as the MG Cyberster electric drop-top, although the front end isn’t quite as sharp on the as-yet-unnamed SUV, and its headlights are much slimmer. It also gets black plastic wheelarch and side cladding, and a set of roof rails to give more of an SUV look.
That said, just like on the MG4 and Cyberster, there’s a large chrome MG octagon badge on the nose, and the front bumper features an air intake to help cool the motors and batteries underneath. Meanwhile the rear has a full-width light bar with Y-shaped tail-lights, the same as the MG4.
According to the MIIT filing, MG’s new electric SUV measures 4,476mm long and has a wheelbase of 2,730mm – 162mm and 149mm longer, respectively, compared to the out-going ZS EV. At 1,849mm wide and 1,621mm tall, the new model is also wider and lower than the ZS EV.
One important detail that’s not included in the MIIT filing is the car’s name. MG’s UK product boss David Allison has told us that it will not be called the ZS EV, but stopped short of revealing its official moniker.
Allison revealed he’s hoping to give the new compact electric SUV a starting price under £30,000. For comparison, potential rivals like the Kia EV3 and Volvo EX30 start nearer to £33k, while the Hyundai Kona Electric is priced from just under £35k.
But we’re still some way off pricing being confirmed, with Allison saying: “Inevitably by the time we get to it, there's probably going to be two or three other cars that have come out at the same time, maybe from some brands that don't even exist in this market right now because it's ever changing, isn't it? So we've just got to keep a very close eye on who's doing what, how they're doing it and look to where we can see some opportunities.”
As we mentioned, the new electric SUV sits on the same Modular Scalable Platform (MSP) as the MG4, and should therefore be available with the same selection of battery/motor combinations as its sibling too. That means the longest range version should do over 300 miles on a single charge, and there’s potential for all-wheel drive variants too.
MG mid-size electric SUV also coming in 2025
MG’s UK product boss also confirmed to Auto Express that the same MSP platform used for ZS EV successor will serve as the underpinnings for a larger ‘C-segment’ or mid-size electric SUV, and that both cars are currently undergoing testing in Longbridge.
The brand’s second, currently nameless electric SUV will go on sale in the UK in 2025 as well, and in effect, is a replacement for the MG Marvel R that was sold in Europe, but never came to British showrooms.
Allison told us about this particular model: “For people who are looking for a bigger EV, certainly bigger than the ZS EV replacement, I suppose this would be the next natural step up and it would be the biggest one that we do.” We expect it to rival EVs like the Skoda Enyaq, Renault Scenic and forthcoming Kia EV5.
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