SAIC Motor-CP, the manufacturer and distributor of MG cars in Thailand, is planning to export vehicles to ASEAN countries, including Vietnam, Indonesia as well as Malaysia, according to a report by Manager Daily.
Zhang Haibo, president of SAIC Motor-CP and MG Sales (Thailand), told the publication that sales of MG cars will begin in Malaysia this year, although it wasn’t stated which company will be representing the brand here, nor was there any mention of the initial model(s) coming our way.
In the past, the MG ZS EV was tipped to come our way, originally scheduled to be marketed and sold here by MG Berjaya. While that deal was said to have fallen through a while back, we were recently told that another party is in the midst of negotiating a deal to bring the electric B-segment SUV in, and based on Zhang’s statement, we’ll find out more about this in due time.
The all-electric B-segment SUV has been sold in Thailand since 2019 and is one of several MG models on sale in the country, with others being a non-EV variant of the MG ZS, the MG 5, MG 3, MG HS (including its PHEV variant), MG EP Plus and the MG Extender pick-up trucks. It is certainly a prime debut model for the return of the MG brand in Malaysia, especially in light of our government’s decision to exempt electric vehicles (EVs) from import and excise duties this year.
This year, SAIC Motor-CP plans to launch three models in Thailand, including the facelifted MG ZS EV (likely for us) and MG HS, along with the MG One that is positioned between the B- and C-segment models. Which models will be made available to us remains to be seen, although besides the ZS EV, the HS has been spotted on our roads before.
The Chinese automaker has invested heavily in Thailand over the past several years, hinting at exports during that time as well. In a recent announcement this week, the company will sink in 2.5 billion baht (around RM316 million) to establish a battery plant to support the domestic production of EVs in 2023.
“We already have a battery production facility for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in Chon Buri, but we want to expand production capacity to produce BEV batteries to support exports,” said Zhang was reported as saying by the Bangkok Post.
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