MG launches first EV in China
The first electric vehicle by British car brand MG, owned by state-owned Chinese automaker SAIC Motor Co., went on sale in Shanghai Saturday.
The EV, a battery-powered version of the MG ZS subcompact crossover, is priced from 119,800 yuan ($17,854) to 149,800 yuan after subsidies from the Chinese government, according to SAIC.
Beijing slashed government subsidies for EVs and plug-in hybrids on March 26. Under the new rules, the electric MG ZS, which has a range of 335 kilometers, qualifies for 18,000 yuan in government subsidies.
It is powered by lithium ion batteries supplied by China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology and is fitted an SAIC electric motor, with maximum horsepower of 100 kilowatts and a peak torque of 350 Nu.m.
It can accelerate to 50 kilometers per hour within 2.8 seconds, according to SAIC.
Overseas markets
SAIC plans to launch sales of the electric MG ZS in Europe and other Asian markets.
Starting in the second half of the year, the EV will be exported to the United Kingdom and Australia from China, Wang Xiaoqiu, head of SAIC’s passenger vehicle unit, told the press Saturday.
SAIC also plans to start assembly of the EV at plants in Thailand and India in the second half, he added.
SAIC expects to sell the EV in other European markets after it lands in U.K. in September, Wang said, without identifying the markets.
MG’s global sales reached 270,000 last year, doubling the 2017 tally. Among the brand’s annual sales, about 200,000 vehicles were sold in China and the rest were delivered overseas, according to SAIC.
Beijing slashed government subsidies for EVs and plug-in hybrids on March 26. Under the new rules, the electric MG ZS, which has a range of 335 kilometers, qualifies for 18,000 yuan in government subsidies.
It is powered by lithium ion batteries supplied by China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology and is fitted an SAIC electric motor, with maximum horsepower of 100 kilowatts and a peak torque of 350 Nu.m.
It can accelerate to 50 kilometers per hour within 2.8 seconds, according to SAIC.
Overseas markets
SAIC plans to launch sales of the electric MG ZS in Europe and other Asian markets.
Starting in the second half of the year, the EV will be exported to the United Kingdom and Australia from China, Wang Xiaoqiu, head of SAIC’s passenger vehicle unit, told the press Saturday.
SAIC also plans to start assembly of the EV at plants in Thailand and India in the second half, he added.
SAIC expects to sell the EV in other European markets after it lands in U.K. in September, Wang said, without identifying the markets.
MG’s global sales reached 270,000 last year, doubling the 2017 tally. Among the brand’s annual sales, about 200,000 vehicles were sold in China and the rest were delivered overseas, according to SAIC.
