The MG4 electric vehicle will next year expand in its range of offerings, with a new front-wheel drive version to be sold from the second quarter of 2026 alongside the existing rear- and all-wheel drive hatchbacks.
“The new for 2026 front-wheel drive [MG4] will be a completely different vehicle, perfect for the city,” MG Australia CEO Peter Ciao said in a media statement.
“Balancing driver usage needs and production cost considerations of rear wheel drive, we saw the opportunity for an affordable FWD vehicle to complement the MG4 RWD and AWD”.
MG’s front-drive MG4 launched in China earlier this year, and is completely different from the MG4 currently in local showrooms.
The FWD MG4 is based on the SAIC E3 platform, is fed by 43kWh or 54kWh lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries, powering a 120kW electric motor.
Current examples of the MG4 in Australia are offered with a 51kWh LFP battery, and a 64kWh or 77kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) battery, while rear electric motors range between 125kW, 150kW and 180kW. The flagship all-wheel drive XPower produces 320kW.
However, MG has announced the existing MG4 will drop its existing 51kWh and 77kWh batteries in 2026, with the model to also undergo a price increase while the new FWD version becomes its entry-level offering.
The FWD MG4 measures 4395mm long, 1842mm wide, and 1551mm tall while riding on a 2750mm wheelbase, compared to the 4287mm long, 1836mm wide and 1516mm tall RWD/AWD MG4, which has a 2705mm wheelbase.
While MG has trademarked the MG4 Urban name in Australia, it may stick with the simpler MG4 moniker for the new model.
In doing so, it would be one of only a handful of brands to sell two completely different cars using the same name locally.
Notable examples include the 2014-2019 Corolla, the sedan version of which was made in Thailand while the hatchback was a Japanese-made and rebadged version of the Auris, with the pair featuring completely different designs.
Likewise the last Holden Astra sold locally was an Opel Astra in hatchback guise but a rebadged Chevrolet Cruze in sedan form.
Even now, Hyundai’s i30 hatchback is sold as such globally and in Australia, while locally the lineup also comprises the i30 Sedan, a name exclusively used here on the car better known as the Elantra or Avante elsewhere.
If it adopts the MG4 Urban name, MG’s strategy would be more akin to that of Honda, which sold two versions of the Accord in Australia: the North American-focused Accord, and the European oriented Accord Euro.
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