The only battery shed: MG5 Electric enters the European market
The British brand MG, part of the Chinese automaker SAIC, has revealed details of the MG5 Electric compact electric pickup truck for the continental European market. Sales will start in March, and MG5 Electric will not have direct competitors for at least a year.
The MG brand was taken over by the Chinese in 2005 after the collapse of the MG Rover Group: the former British manufacturer of light sports cars switched to the production of Chinese mass consumer goods, after which its presence in Europe was for a long time limited to their historical homeland, that is, Great Britain. In 2019, in the wake of the general hysteria about electric vehicles, MG Motor Europe was created to attack the continent. The active phase of this offensive began in 2021, when the updated MG ZS battery compact SUV and the MG Marvel R Electric flagship crossover were joined by the MG EHS plug-in hybrid crossover.
A fourth model, the MG5 Electric compact pickup truck, was announced in March last year with a promise to go on sale in October, but was delayed a bit, with the launch delayed until March 2022. In fact, the MG5 Electric is a converted Chinese Roewe Ei5. (the Roewe brand is not officially represented in Europe), which has undergone a facelift in 2021. The UK still sells a buildable van, and for the Continent, an updated version has been prepared, with a sleeker exterior design and a completely new interior. At the same time, China already has an all-new MG5 coupe-sedan that has yet to arrive in Europe.
The MG5 Electric is touted as the only electric pickup in Europe, and it's true: none of the competitors yet have “trains” on such a body, they all now rely on crossovers (in fact, the same pickups, only slightly raised). The closest analogues are expected in 2023 from the Stellantis Corporation – these are the Opel Astra-e Sports Tourer and Peugeot e-308 SW battery wagons. Thus, MG has every chance to make the cream out of an empty niche.
The characteristics of the MG5 Electric have been significantly adjusted compared to last year's announcement. The current overall length is 4600 mm, width – 1818 mm, height – 1543 mm, wheelbase – 2659 mm. Trunk volume – 479 liters, with the rear seats folded – 1367 liters. Curb weight – 1562 kg.
There are two power plants, both with the participation of one electric motor on the front axle. In the Standard Range version, it delivers a maximum output of 130 kW (177 hp) and 280 Nm and comes with a 50.3 kWh battery that can last up to 320 km on a WLTP cycle on a full charge. In the Long Range version, maximum power is reduced to 115 kW (156 hp) at constant torque, battery capacity is increased to 61.1 kWh, and the WLTP range is up to 400 km. Acceleration to 100 km / h in both cases takes 8.3 s, the maximum speed is 185 km / h. The maximum charging power is only 87 kW. There is a 2.2 kW socket on board for charging household appliances, electric scooters and other low-mobility devices.
The basic Comfort package is quite rich: there is a set of MG Pilot electronic driver assistants (adaptive cruise control, lane keeping system, blind spot monitoring, etc.), air conditioning, all-LED “optics”, heated seats, rear view camera, 7-inch a virtual instrument cluster, a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with navigation, a six-speaker audio system, four USB ports, and more.
Prices in Germany: from 35,490 euros to 38,490 euros, excluding government subsidies, with them a citizen can become the proud owner of a Chinese battery “shed” for 25,920 euros. For comparison, let's say that the most affordable electric hatchback Volkswagen ID.3 now costs in Germany from 36,960 euros (without subsidies).
Last year, MG sales in Europe (including the UK) were 52,546 vehicles, three times more than in 2020. Of this volume, 21,946 are in continental Europe (in 2020 there were 7,200 vehicles). This year, cumulative sales in Europe should reach 150,000 vehicles; I'm not sure what will happen, but we'll see. In 2024, the MG brand plans to return to the production of sports cars, the first should be the production version of last year's Cyberster concept.
