MG fast-tracks its MG 4 XPower for Oz

MG MOTOR Australia will introduce its powerful MG 4 XPower to local showrooms from this month, the Chinese importer saying unprecedented demand for the model has resulted in demonstrator and pre-order vehicles being made available from the end of October.

The electric hot hatch had originally been slated to go on sale from November.

“Due to unprecedented demand for the new MG XPower from both the dealer network and customers, MG has fast-tracked demonstrators and pre-order vehicles for arrival in showrooms by the end of this month (October),” said a spokesperson for MG Motor Australia.

Priced from $59,990 plus on-road costs, the MG 4 XPower is the most expensive model to be sold by MG since coming under Chinese ownership. The zesty all-wheel drive model features a 320kW/600Nm all-electric powertrain, driving all four wheels to provide a 0-100km/h acceleration time of just 3.8 seconds.

The high-powered hot hatch is said to deliver “breathtaking power and dynamics” from its dual-motor driveline and boasts a series of “understated exterior design revisions” to differentiate it from the derivative line-up.

Those revisions include orange-painted brake callipers, a two-tone black roof, new-look 18-inch alloy wheels with polished trim accents and Bridgestone Turanza tyres, and an exclusive new Hunter Green paint option. Australian-market models also get a lap timer.

Like the MG4 on which it is based, the MG4 XPower is underpinned by MG’s Modular Scalable Platform (MSP) and new dual-motor configuration. The front motor delivers 150kW and the rear 170kW, a “technological upgrade” claimed to “effectively distribute power and maximise driver engagement while cornering”.

The technology, dubbed Dynamic Cornering Control System, is offered for the first time on the MG4 XPower, combining an electronic locking differential and Intelligent Motor Control to allow torque vectoring between all four wheels. MG says the system generates maximum traction and outstanding composure across a wide variety of driving conditions.

Further, the MG4 XPower boasts a comprehensive range of suspension upgrades, including recalibrated spring and damper tuning, stiffer anti-roll bars and a sharper steering tune. MG says overall suspension stiffness is increased by 25 per cent, “meaning the MG4 XPower will build upon the acclaimed handling characteristics of the current MG4 range”.

Increased stopping power from four-wheel 345mm ventilated rotors is said to reduce the MG4 XPower’s 100-0km/h braking distance to just 33.9 metres.

The MG4 XPower features a familiar 64kWh battery which may be charged at a rate of up to 140kW (DC), topping the pack’s charge from 10 to 80 per cent in 26 minutes.