MG News

CarsGuide’s data analytics team has crunched the numbers to find out how well popular mid-sized SUVs hold their value. This insight means you can buy a new car now knowing it’ll likely be a resale winner when the time comes to sell it.

Audi will finally launch the facelifted A3 Sportback range in Australia in the second quarter of this year, to take the fight to the rising tide of fast-improving Chinese hatchback alternatives.

The MG ZS EV is officially in run-out mode as the brand moves to slash a further $6000 of its already heavily-discounted price tag, making it the cheapest electric SUV in the country.Interestingly, MG is now offering Essence and Long Range variants for the same price of $36,888, drive-away, despite the Long Range variant delivering 440km of WLTP-rated range compared to the Essence’s 320km.Regardless, both models are significantly cheaper than they were pre-discount. In fact, the Essence was launched at $45,428, drive-away, while the Long Range started at $50,638, representing total savings of $8540 and $13,750, respectively.Both variants carry the same kit, which includes a 10.1-inch multimedia touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a surround-view camera, heated front seats, rain-sensing wipers and a wireless phone charger.The only differences are battery size and power. The Essence carries a 50.3kWh lithium-ion battery mated to a single front axle-mounted electric motor that delivers 130kW/280Nm.A larger 72.3kWh unit is fitted to the Long Range, which powers the same electric motor. Power drops slightly to 115kW while torque remains the same.MG has confirmed stock is limited on this offer, so buyers will have to be quick. The former base-model Excite has already sold out.Australians bought 22,629 examples of the ZS last year (the vast majority of which were petrol versions), making it one of the best-selling small SUVs in the country, despite a 22.7 per cent sales dip on the previous year.The new-generation ZS launched in petrol and hybrid guises in Australia this month from $26,990, drive-away, while an all-new electric model will follow later this year.

MG’s upcoming seven-seat family SUV, the QS, has been revealed in Australian homologation filings ahead of its official launch date later this year.

Performance electric cars are too cheap.

A fresh round of real world tests from the Australian Automobile Association (AAA) has detected several cars that use a lot more fuel than claimed.

A new world order is forming in the electric car segment in Australia.Tesla and BYD might not be the mighty forces they once were as two EV princes wait in the wings to snatch the crown.The Tesla Model Y, which was streets ahead of the rest in sales through 2024, has come back to the pack.Tesla sales were down 33 per cent in January, following a more than 16 per cent drop in 2024.It shifted just 465 Model Ys and 274 Model 3s. The Model Y was still the best selling electric car in Australia in January but it was down on its usual performance of more than 1500 a month in 2024.An updated version of the Model Y is due in coming months, but it will be significantly more expensive. The current version will likely be in short supply until that point meaning it could give others a head start in the EV sales race.BYD sales also fell off a cliff in January down almost 50 per cent. Sales of its plug-in hybrid Sealion 6 SUV kept the brand afloat but EV sales were down dramatically with the Atto 3 down 77.4 per cent, Dolphin down 66.8 per cent and Seal down 91.2 per cent.Recent port issues are likely to blame for part of the slow sales, but the brand has also announced new cheaper variants of the Dolphin and Atto 3 to boost sales.Surely it's just a blip on the radar and both brands will roar back in the coming months, but what if they don't reach the same EV heights as before?This could open the opportunity for the Kia EV5 and MG4 electric cars to have a crack at the Model Y’s crown.The MG4 was the second best selling EV in January with 440 sales and the EV5 was third with 289.A big selling point for the MG and Kia are their warranties: MG has a 10 year/250,000km guarantee and Kia has a seven year/unlimited km security blanket. Both easily trump Tesla’s four year/80,000km warranty.Both also sell through a conventional dealer model rather than a majority online portal like BYD and Tesla.Both the MG4 and EV5 are both built in China, same as the Australian delivered Teslas, which give them the same price, supply and short shipping advantage as the market leaders.Australians also now have far more choice in the electric car space compared to 12 months ago. A wave of new brands from China include Deepal, Geely, Leapmotor, XPeng and Zeekr, which all launched with Model Y sized alternatives cheaper than their big name rival.Those brands — with the exception of Leapmotor — don't yet report sales.Conventional car makers have started to bring their own EVs online to help dilute the market that was very concentrated on just a few brands a year ago.The chances are Tesla will rebound in the coming months from its January sales, in what is a traditionally slow month for the brand.Kia is unlikely to muster the 25,000 EV5 sales needed to claim the top spot with the brand predicting a run rate of 400 a month in 2025.MG on the other hand has shown it is willing to heavily discount the MG4 to boost sales.For a short period it was the cheapest electric car on sale during 2024, with the base model costing just a smidge more than $30,000 drive-away. The price cut saw MG4s fly off the lot, outselling both Tesla models combined in October 2024.This year will be a challenge for many of the large electric car sellers as cost of living pressures bite and the well has run dry of early adopters willing to pay overs for the zero-emissions tech.

First details of the MG HS plug-in hybrid have been revealed.  The Australian government’s Road Vehicle Regulator requires manufacturers to submit technical specifications before a vehicle goes on sale, and MG has made its submission prior to releasing official details. 

MG has confirmed local pricing and specification for the non-hybrid versions of its new-generation ZS small SUV range.Due in local showrooms mid-next month, the three grade ZS range joins the two-level ZS Hybrid+ line-up introduced late last year.Representing 45 per cent of the brand’s more than 50,000 sales in 2024, the ZS stands as the best-selling small SUV in the country, and the compact five-seater’s continued popularity is critical for MG’s ongoing success in Australia.And with new competitors arriving almost by the day and price reductions rife its cost-of-entry and standard specification list are all important.Drive-away pricing for the ZS Excite begins at $26,990, rising to $29,990 for the Essence and $31,990 for the Essence Turbo. Big jumps from the old car's bargain basement $22,990 entry point.The Chery Tiggo 4 Pro becomes the new affordable SUV king at $23,990, drive-away, as the ZS looks to challenge the GWM Haval Jolion, Mazda CX-30, Mitsubishi ASX, Subaru Crosstrek and Toyota Corolla Cross.The Excite and Essence are powered by a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine sending 81kW/140Nm to the front wheels, while as the name implies, the top-spec Turbo Essence picks up turbo-petrol power for an impressive 125kW/275Nm.Official combined cycle fuel consumption for the non-turbo models is 6.7L/100km, with the turbo returning 6.9L/100km.All models feature MG’s ‘i-Smart’ safety suite, alloy wheels, sat nav and a reversing camera as well as Android Auto / Apple CarPlay connectivity as standard. The ZS hybrid received a four-star ANCAP safety rating.Rim size steps up an inch on each grade, starting as 16-inch for the Excite, 17s on the Essence and 18s on the Turbo Essence. A 10.25-inch multimedia display in the Excite grows to 12.3-inch in the upper models, which also pick up a 360-degree HD camera view, synthetic (PVC) seat trim rather than cloth and six-way power-adjustable heated front seats.2025 MG ZS pricingPrices listed are national drive-away

MG India has revealed a new seven-seat SUV, which could rival popular ladder-frame-based models as a facelift to one of its Indian-market offerings.