An interior upgrade may be joined by exterior changes as part of a facelift for the MG 4 electric car in Australia next year, in place of replacing it with China's new-generation model.
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A comprehensive update for the MG 4 electric car is due in Australia early next year, amid renewed confirmation there are no plans to replace it with the new-generation version seen in China.
It has been revealed the MG 4 update may include exterior changes inspired by the related MG S5 EV electric SUV, on top of the interior refresh first announced in the UK last month.
"There will be possibly some exterior [changes], but I won't get into the details," MG Motor Australia product planning manager Kevin Kou told Drive.
"But it will be primarily interior updates. So the best thing to do is when you ... see the MG S5 EV, you'll see a lot of cues [there] from what the MG 4 facelift will look like."
MG Motor Australia chief commercial officer Giles Belcher "probably Q1 [January to March] 2026 I reckon we might get that" interior update.
What is not confirmed for Australia is the new-generation MG 4 revealed in China last month, which sits on a different platform, and wears completely different styling to the car currently on sale in Australia.
It is front-wheel drive, and has been developed for Chinese buyers, who value performance and handling less than those in Europe and Australia.
MG has previously confirmed the 'new' MG 4 will not replace the current model in Australia, and if it is sold locally – something that is under consideration – it would wear a different name.
"We haven't thought about it enough to be honest, about what we would name it. It's definitely not the MG 4 here, or in Europe, or the UK, so we can put a line through that," Belcher told Drive.
"We will consider it if we think it's a right product for us here – we'll certainly consider it.
What we call it, we'd have to work it out at that stage, to be honest with you. We haven't given it that much thought. But it certainly caused a stir."
Asked how seriously MG is considering the new car, he said: "We'll properly consider it.
"There are a lot of products over in China ... they've got a massive portfolio of vehicles, and we don't consider them all, because some of them are just frankly not quite right, but this one might have some merit.
"We'll consider it, and if we think it's right, we'll seek the relevant approvals to bring it in."
Where it would fit into the MG Australia range is unclear, as it is larger than today's MG 4 electric hatch, but has a smaller footprint than the petrol-powered MG 5 sedan, which the new EV shares little with.
It was homologated for sale in China with three nameplates – MG 4 EV, MG 3 EV and MG E5. While MG 4 EV has been used in its home market, MG E5 is a possibility for Australia.
Unlike today's MG 4, the new Chinese model is front-wheel drive, riding on a different platform expected to ditch the all-wheel-drive XPower option available on the current version.
Detailed specifications and prices are yet to be published, but it has been speculated RRPs could start from about 110,000 yuan ($AU24,800) in China – down from 139,800 yuan ($AU31,500) for the rear-drive model.
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Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
