Photo: SAIC
Europe is very fond of its hatchbacks, a body style that is popular in developing countries mostly among people with tight budgets (the largest share of their populations). This is what makes the new electric MG something tailor-made for the Old Continent. Despite that, part of the profits may go to the U.S.: Disney should ask for a cut in sales of the Mulan.
Joking aside, SAIC revealed MG’s new electric hatchback on June 8 only on Weibo. We have no idea if the Chinese Disney Princess name will resist in foreign markets or if it will be called MG 4 EV, as some websites were referring to it before the Weibo post. We have tried to get images and more information from SAIC's media website, but it is not updated since 2021. Unfortunately, the Chinese carmaker did not share much about it on Chinese social media.
It seems that the new hatchback is built over the Nebula platform, and it is the first product to present it. SAIC said it has high-density cells, which suggests the vehicle uses ternary lithium-ion batteries. Another thing that reinforces this is the case is that the Chinese manufacturer said the Mulan offers the “zero thermal runaway” protection system to prevent fires. Ternary cells with cobalt and nickel are more subject to these events. As you may imagine, we have no idea how this system works.
SAIC did not disclose how fast its new EV can charge. However, it gave us enough to risk considering the new hatchback a hot hatch: it goes from 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) in 4 seconds. The top speed is also still as much a mystery as its dimensions, even if the images imply a C-segment hatchback. If that is confirmed, it will compete against the Volkswagen Golf, Peugeot 308, Opel Astra, and Hyundai i30, among others.
Without info, it is useful to extract the most from the pictures MG shared. They show an aggressive design and something that intrigues us since we first realized that on the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Kia EV6: no rear wiper. The divided rear spoiler on the Mulan seems to address keeping the rear glass clean more than making the EV stick to the asphalt at high speeds – which would kill its charge pretty quickly.
As CarNewsChina stresses, SAIC wants to sell 120,00 MGs in Europe in 2022. The Chinese carmaker also wants to expand the brand to new countries, making the Mulan (previously known as MG 4) a strategic new vehicle. If it succeeds and SAIC can deliver enough of them, that number will sound conservative.
It seems that the new hatchback is built over the Nebula platform, and it is the first product to present it. SAIC said it has high-density cells, which suggests the vehicle uses ternary lithium-ion batteries. Another thing that reinforces this is the case is that the Chinese manufacturer said the Mulan offers the “zero thermal runaway” protection system to prevent fires. Ternary cells with cobalt and nickel are more subject to these events. As you may imagine, we have no idea how this system works.
SAIC did not disclose how fast its new EV can charge. However, it gave us enough to risk considering the new hatchback a hot hatch: it goes from 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) in 4 seconds. The top speed is also still as much a mystery as its dimensions, even if the images imply a C-segment hatchback. If that is confirmed, it will compete against the Volkswagen Golf, Peugeot 308, Opel Astra, and Hyundai i30, among others.
Without info, it is useful to extract the most from the pictures MG shared. They show an aggressive design and something that intrigues us since we first realized that on the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Kia EV6: no rear wiper. The divided rear spoiler on the Mulan seems to address keeping the rear glass clean more than making the EV stick to the asphalt at high speeds – which would kill its charge pretty quickly.
As CarNewsChina stresses, SAIC wants to sell 120,00 MGs in Europe in 2022. The Chinese carmaker also wants to expand the brand to new countries, making the Mulan (previously known as MG 4) a strategic new vehicle. If it succeeds and SAIC can deliver enough of them, that number will sound conservative.
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