MG says it can eke out more power from its new electric hot hatch, and its next-generation products could be quicker still.
The new MG 4 XPower is capable of a rapid 0-100km/h sprint of just 3.8 seconds with launch control.
The high-performance electric hatch features a 64kWh battery pack and a dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain with 320kW of power and 600Nm of torque.
Asked if he can get more out of MG 4’s current power source, SAIC Motor Director of electric driveline engineering, Wang Jian told CarExpert it’s possible.
“I can get more. Actually, I can get 25Nm more torque from MG 4 XPower, based on current voltage and cooling system in the car, so just a little bit more,” said Wang Jian.
“Acceleration could be faster, too, by 0.1 seconds, so MG 4 XPower 0-100km/h time of 3.8 seconds would fall to 3.7 seconds. It’s possible, but we have to test, because maximum torque happens in just 0.1 seconds.
“But with the next generation, when we are thinking about high-voltage systems like 800 volts, then we could develop a lot more power in our high-performance cars.”
In addition to developing more powerful EV solutions for next-generation MGs, Wang Jian also said it was more important to develop electric vehicles with greater range, even in the performance segment.
“We are focused on overall efficiency of the package at SAIC. Efficiency of power, efficiency of low-voltage systems to give you more range is the most important thing,” said Wang Jian.
“If you can use just one kilowatt of power to give you more range [it’s] most important for the next generation of cars.
“The cooling system is most important for the power side of things, because if the cooling can fully support the power then there’s no problem to produce as much power as required for what you need, and whether you require water or oil cooling for the application.”
Interestingly, MG claims a 0-100km/h time of an eye-popping 2.6 seconds from its Cyberster, an all-electric, two-seat roadster which made its global debut at last week’s Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK.
The standard MG 4 range of EVs launches locally in August, while the MG 4 XPower will arrive later in the year.
The MG Cyberster is scheduled to arrive in 2024, followed by a couple of luxury MG models that are sold under SAIC’s ‘IM’ badge in China.
