THE COST OF GETTING BEHIND the wheel of an electric vehicle (EV) is set to go down for all Australians after MG Motor handed down its decision to move its entire EV range to nationwide drive away pricing.
MG Motor Australia’s Chief Executive Officer, Peter Ciao said value for money will help Aussies weather the rising cost of living.
“We are serious about our commitment to support the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard and once again, MG is putting customers first by ensuring everyone can access a wide range of affordable zero emission vehicles thanks to reduced nation-wide drive away pricing on the entire MG4 range including XPOWER as well as the ZS EV,” he said.
“MG has been leading the charge with electric for everyone since the launch of the ZS EV and multi award-winning MG4 (Carsales Car Of The Year, Gizmodo Australia’s Top EV of 23 and Motoring Writers GuildNew Zealand Car of theYear), with reduced drive away pricing Australia wide.”
“Our award winning MG4 Electric pushes the boundaries with more than 15 global awards under its belt pairing innovative European design and engineering precision, complimented by a 5-star ANCAP safety rating.”
There are currently a range of varying Government incentives on offer for EV but not available in every state, for this reason, Mr Ciao said the decision is not just about helping people to save money, but also about encouraging people to make the switch by challenging social norms around misconceptions of owning an EV.
“In a market where customers are becoming increasingly aware of their finances, providing transparency on the final cost customers will pay for buying an EV and for servicing is very important, that’s why MG has made the move to offer both to customers with no hidden costs,” he said.
“Customers like choices. We want them to be empowered to have the freedom to drive a SUV or a hatch, which is why we are offering both the MG4 51kWh Excite and ZS EV Excite at under $40k drive away. Whenever we are able to pass price reductions like this onto our customers, we will make sure we do.
Home ownership data from the 2021 Census show a home ownership rate of 67 percent. When you pair this figure with the fact that Australia has the highest solar radiation per square metre of any continent, Mr Ciao said the switch to sustainable driving has never been easier.
“We’ve got a lot of sunshine and some of the most expensive electricity in Australia, with the majority of our country receiving many hours of sunshine per day, when averaged throughout the year, it makes complete sense to install solar and recharge your car for from the sun.”
According to the latest Federal Government data, the average Australian household owns more than two cars, and completes about one hour of continuous driving, or 38km per day. This means EV driving ranges are more than enough to fulfil our everyday driving needs, assuming drivers are recharging vehicles overnight.
“Technology is continually improving in our cars, along with vehicle range. The range available from our MG4 is between 350km and 530km (WLTP). For those wanting to travel even longer distances (and charge less), plug-in hybrid EVs (PHEVs) such as our HS Plus EV might be a more suitable option. The HS Plus EV combines a petrol engine with electric motors and a rechargeable battery.”
MG also offers a capped-price service program, as part of the wider push to keep Australians moving around the country. Under the Precise Price Servicing program, owners will have pricing locked in for the first seven years of maintenance through authorised dealers.
“Our Precise Price Servicing applies to all cars in our range but with EV, is another step towards ensuring our customers have complete peace of mind when they join the MG family. As an example, the first service for a 64kWh MG4 comes at either 40,000km or 24 months and is $296 AUD (as at 20/3/24).”
Mr Ciao said he wants to instil confidence along with the knowledge that EVs require far less maintenance over the long term when paired with a seven-year unlimited kilometre warranty that offers private buyers peace of mind with their purchase.
“With our ZS EV and MG4, there is no oil to change, no engine to maintain and with less consumable parts, this also means less labour costs which means electric cars are cost effective, quieter and easier to maintain than an internal combustion engine vehicle.”
Nation-wide driveaway pricing in Australia will be effective from March 22, 2024 for the range which is as follows.
MG4 51kWh Excite MY23: $39,990
MG4 64kWh Excite MY23: $44,990
MG4 64kWh Essence MY23: $46,990
MG4 77kWh Essence MY23: $52,990
XPOWER MY23: $59,990
ZS EV Excite: $39,990
ZS EV Essence: $42,990
ZS EV Long Range: $46,990
All prices include on-road costs