UK in line for updated MG4, not China's all-new model
The new-look MG4 was revealed in China last week, but the brand has confirmed that the UK isn’t getting this car any time soon
MG has confirmed that its popular MG4 hatchback will get a refresh later this year, rather than being replaced by the all-new MG4-badged car revealed in China last week.
Despite sharing the same name, the Chinese-spec EV is slightly larger than the European MG4 and on a different platform to the one here, which shares its underpinnings with the new MGS5 small electric SUV.
That shared architecture means the updated tech and cabin improvements in the S5 will find their way onto the MG4 later this year, as it reaches its third birthday. The changes are likely to include the 12.8-inch touchscreen that we found to be responsive and easy to read when we tried it on the S5. That SUV also has a set of physical knobs and buttons for easier adjustment of controls such as the volume and climate settings, which we can expect to cross over into the MG4.
However, the newly unveiled Chinese-spec MG4 is not in the company’s UK plans, as yet. “There is a car that exists in China called MG4, but there has been no decision on if it could come here, what it would be called and how much it would cost,” MG head of product and planning David Allison told Auto Express. “There are lots of cars under the SAIC umbrella and with an MG badge that are sold around the world that we don’t sell here.”
The new Chinese hatchback is a lot less aggressively and sportily styled than our MG4, particularly at the front, which has a softer, more rounded nose, less pronounced air intakes and a much smaller, body-coloured splitter on the bumper. The new headlights are smaller too, but the traditional, chrome MG octagon badge remains.
The Chinese MG4 is also 108mm longer than our version, with wheelbase, height and width also being slightly larger.
Now you can buy a car through our network of top dealers around the UK. Search for the latest deals…
Find a car with the experts
