The Volkswagen ID.3 is about to get some competition from the Chinese.
MG has released a teaser of its new electric hatchback, which it says will premiere in the UK in the fourth quarter of this year.
A link in their Twitter post includes “MG 4 tease”, so that looks to be the name of the new model, at least for export markets.
The car has been developed with European and UK customers front of mind, though it’ll be sold in China as well where it may wear the CyberE nameplate.
MG has confirmed the new model will measure 4300mm long, which makes it 38mm longer than a Volkswagen ID.3 and around 65mm longer than an Ora Good Cat.
The MG 4 name slots it in between the brand’s light car, the ageing MG 3, and its small cars under the MG 5 nameplate – one a rebadged Roewe ei5 electric wagon for Europe, the other a sleeker sedan for the Asia-Pacific region.
The teaser gives us some glimpses at the front fender and the rear end of the MG 4, including its striking tail lights that feature boomerang-shaped ends connecting with light bars that run to the central MG logo.
We already know what the car will look like thanks to some leaked patent images, published by Car News China along with some information reportedly obtained from an internal MG presentation.
The CyberE, codenamed EH32, will reportedly be revealed as a virtually production-ready concept at the Beijing motor show in March.
It will reportedly go on sale in China this year, with a European launch slated for the fourth quarter of 2022.
There’s been no word yet on an Australian launch, though the company has previously said it would like to introduce the model here along with a mid-sized electric SUV.
It’s part of a new line of electric vehicles for MG, which will also include the production version of the Cyberster concept, reportedly set for a 2024 launch, plus a pair of new SUVs called CyberS and CyberX.
MG has reportedly conducted extensive global market research in developing the model, benchmarking the Volkswagen ID.3 that MG’s parent SAIC Motor also manufactures as part of a joint venture with Volkswagen in China.
It reportedly rides a new EV platform designed to support Level 3 autonomous driving technology.
It’s unclear what electric powertrain the CyberE will use.
The updated ZS EV will use a front-mounted electric motor with 130kW of power and 280Nm of torque and a choice of 51kWh and 72kWh batteries, but the MG Marvel R sold in Europe is available with a tri-motor powertrain, a 70kWh battery, and outputs of 212kW and 665Nm.
The ZS EV offers between 320km and 440km of range (WLTP) depending on the battery, while the Marvel R has 370km of range in tri-motor guise.
As the patent images and past spy photos reveal, the CyberE has a relatively conventional hatchback silhouette but with some racier design elements.
There’s a rather menacing prow, with a sharply creased bonnet, angular headlights, and a front bumper treatment inspired by the Cyberster concept.
The MG 4 should help the brand’s expansion across Europe, where it reportedly wants to export 120,000 vehicles this year.
In addition to the MG 4 and aforementioned MG 5, MG also sells a restyled version of the Roewe Marvel X electric crossover in Europe as the MG Marvel R.
The brand sold 360,000 vehicles across its global markets in 2021, while MG and sister brand Roewe sold a combined 800,000 vehicles in China alone.
MG 5 
MG Marvel R
Parent SAIC Motor exports MG products not only to Europe, the UK, Australia and New Zealand, but also India, southeast Asia and the Middle East.
The company says it was a top 10 brand in 17 countries.
MG’s EV range currently consists solely of the ZS EV in Australia, sold out ahead of the launch of an updated model in the second half of this year. It’s the second best-selling EV in Australia.
