MG4 Urban for Thailand – badged MG Urban, up to 160 PS, 416 km WLTP range, fr RM67k; Malaysia next?

Image courtesy of Autolifethailand

It’s taken a while for the MG4 Urban to arrive in Southeast Asia, but it’s finally done so – first in Singapore, then in the Philippines and now, Thailand. The electric hatch has been launched in the Land of Smiles, there without the MG4 moniker (so just the MG Urban, then) to differentiate it from the current model.

The Urban is offered in Standard, Max and Ultra versions, priced at 529,900 baht (RM66,800) for the Standard, 599,900 baht (RM75,600) for the Max and 709,900 baht (RM89,500) for the Ultra. All are single-motor front-wheel drive, with the base model producing 150 PS (110 kW) and 250 Nm of torque, getting it from zero to 100 km/h in 9.6 seconds on its way to a top speed of 160 km/h.

Equipped with a 42.8 kWh LFP battery, the Standard delivers a WLTP range of 325 km, while the Max and Ultra versions gain a 53.9 kWh pack that allow them to travel up to 416 km. These two also get boosted to 160 PS (118 kW), although this only shaves a tenth a second off their century sprint, which they complete in 9.5 seconds. No mention of a semi-solid-state battery, which appears to be exclusive to China for now.

Image courtesy of Autolifethailand

The MG Urban supports up to 82 kW of DC fast charging for the Standard and 88 kW on the other models, topping them up from 10 to 80% in 28 and 30 minutes respectively. It will also accept up to 6.6 kW of AC charging, which is much lower than the 11 kW max offered in other markets like the UK.

Continuing the trend set by most modern Chinese EV hatches, the Urban’s middle-of-the-road one-box design differs from the sharp and sporty design of the original MG4, sporting cues lifted from the Cyberster. These include sweptback LED headlights, a split lower air intake and arrow-shaped taillights inspired by the Union Jack. The alloy wheels measure 16 inches for the Standard and 17 inches for the Max and Ultra.

Inside, the Urban takes after the MG S5 SUV with a clean horizontal dashboard design, a large infotainment touchscreen (12.8 inches for the Standard, 15.6 inches for the Max and Ultra) and physical air con controls (yay!). These items have also been carried over into the MG4.

Image courtesy of Autolifethailand

Other standard equipment includes a seven-inch instrument display, a six-way power-adjustable driver’s seat (the Max and Ultra get ventilated front seats, and the latter gains a powered passenger seat as well), grey faux leather upholstery, auto air con, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, rear air vents and a 3.3 kW vehicle-to-load (V2L) function. The Max and Ultra also come with a Qi wireless charger, a 360-degree camera and a powered tailgate, while a panoramic glass roof and remote park assist are exclusive to the Ultra.

Safety-wise, the Urban comes as standard with six airbags and a suite of driver assists that include autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert with auto brake, rear collision warning, a door opening warning and auto high beam. The Ultra gains lane centring assist for full Level 2 semi-autonomous driving capabilities, as well as a front centre airbag.

With the Urban already in many ASEAN markets, it will likely be launched in Malaysia eventually, although it wasn’t among the cars currently being previewed at the Kuala Lumpur International Mobility Show (KLIMS). That means it may need to wait until after the flurry of new models already earmarked for our market, which include the new MG ZS and the premium IM6 this year.

It will also need to be CKD locally assembled to be priced competitively, and the EP Manufacturing (EPMB) plant in Melaka is probably already swamped with production of the MG S5 and the aforementioned ZS.

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