MG 4 EV Urban: New trademark leaves door open for second electric hatch

7NEWS

5 days ago

The MG 4 isn't going anywhere, says MG Motor Australia, but it could be joined by a newer electric hatch.
In late June, MG parent SAIC Motor applied to trademark the name MG 4 EV Urban with IP Australia.
Such a name would be a fairly logical choice for an electric hatch MG recently revealed wearing the MG 4 nameplate, distinguishing it from the existing MG 4 that the company's local arm says isn't being discontinued.
MG wouldn't confirm whether the new electric hatch had been locked in for Australian release, nor whether it could wear the MG 4 EV Urban nameplate.
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'MG regularly trademarks names for potential future vehicles. As we continue to expand our range in Australia, It's important to maintain flexibility,' an MG Motor Australia spokesperson told CarExpert.
'No decision has been made to use this name in Australia.
'The current MG 4 is not going anywhere and no decision has been made yet on the alternate model,' the spokesperson added, when asked whether the company had locked in the new electric hatch for our market.
It's worth noting that of the MG trademarks SAIC Motor has filed over the past five years, all bar one – the QS Plug-in Hybrid – has subsequently appeared on a vehicle in local showrooms.
When the new MG 4 was revealed in March, MG Motor Australia said it was 'reviewing this new model and considering it for the Australian market' – something it says is still the case – and that should it come here, it wouldn't replace the current model.
The spokesperson also noted the new car, despite being revealed wearing the MG 4 nameplate, rides on a different platform from the existing MG 4 which uses the rear/all-wheel drive Modular Scalable Platform shared with the MG S5 EV crossover SUV.
When it first revealed the new MG 4, MG didn't show off its interior or detail any specifications. Instead, it simply said it was the brand's first global model of 2025.
Subsequently, MG general manager Chen Cui has confirmed the MG 4 will become 'the world's first mass-produced semi-solid-state battery vehicle', featuring only five per cent liquid electrolyte, according to remarks published by Car News China.
Short video clips published on Chinese social media have also shown off a minimalist interior in a shade of beige, featuring a large and free-standing landscape-oriented touchscreen and digital instrument cluster.
A single row of buttons sits below the touchscreen, while in China at least it'll offer MG's new 'cockpit system' developed with smartphone brand Oppo but also supporting Huawei and Apple devices, allowingvoice-activated commands, gesture-based navigation and smartphone mirroring.
It will reveal more about the vehicle at its official Chinese launch on August 5, 2025, ahead of Chinese sales commencing in September.
In China, it'll reportedly be priced to take on the BYD Dolphin directly.
A Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) filing, shared by Car News China, revealed the new MG 4 measures 4395mm long, 1842mm wide and 1551mm tall on a 2750mm wheelbase.
That makes it 108mm longer, 6mm wider and up to 47mm taller than the current MG 4, on a 45mm longer wheelbase.
Technical specifications in the filing are reportedly limited, though a single electric powertrain with a rear-mounted 120kW electric motor is listed, along with a kerb weight of 1485kg.
The new hatch uses a 70kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery.
Despite featuring a front bumper and tail-lights inspired by the Cyberster, the new hatch is much more softly styled than the existing MG 4 which is no longer offered in China but remains popular in markets such as Australia and Europe.
The softer styling is complemented by new pastel green and purple exterior finishes, though MG has also shown off a bright red MG 4 on Weibo with black stripes.
The current MG 4 may not have been a hit in China, but in the first half of 2025 it was Australia's fifth best-selling EV.
MG delivered 2268 examples, well ahead of the rival BYD Dolphin (1337) despite a sales drop of 18.2 per cent from the same period last year.