MG Cloud EV

After the successful partnership between SAIC and JSW Group, MG Motor India is getting aggressive with its product strategy. The company has already announced plans to launch multiple electric and hybrid cars in the country. MG is also testing some of its global products, which are expected to be introduced in our market in the next couple of years. In this article, we bring you a list of new MG cars & SUVs to be launched in the Indian market before the end of this financial year, before March 2025.  MG Gloster Facelift MG Motor India is testing the updated version of the Gloster SUV, which is expected to be launched in our market in the next few months. The SUV's design seems inspired from the updated LDV D90 SUV, which is already on sale in Australia. The MG Gloster facelift comes with a more angular front fascia adorning a larger grille, twin-layered headlamp setup and faux air inlets.  The new Gloster has received more cladding across the body for a rugged look. The rear gets a slightly revised tailgate and restyled tail-lamps, and a new bumper. The cabin is also likely to receive significant changes in the form of new premium upholstery and more features. The SUV will continue to be offered with a 2.0-litre 4-cylinder, turbo-diesel engine with both 4x2 and 4x4 drivetrain options.  MG Astor Facelift The company is also preparing to introduce the facelifted version of the Astor facelift that has been spotted sans camouflage in India. The SUV will receive design and interior changes, which will be inspired from the MG VS SUV on sale in Indonesia and Thailand. The SUV will receive an all-new front fascia, featuring a new bumper and a diamond mesh grille, along with a reprofiled headlights. There is a blue strip that runs across its front fascia.  The rear will have new LED tail-lights, a bigger roof spoiler with high-mounted stop lamp and new bumper with silver garnish. Inside the cabin, the new MG Astor facelift will receive a newly styled dashboard layout and central console. It will have an all-black interior scheme, twin connected display for infotainment and digital console, and a new 3-spoke steering wheel.  The SUV could also receive a hybrid powertrain, featuring a 1.5L 4-cylinder petrol engine and a small lithium-ion battery pack. Coupled to a CVT gearbox, the hybrid unit offers a combined power output of over 150PS.  MG Cloud EV MG Motor India is all set to introduce an all-new electric MPV, which will be based on the Wuling Cloud MPV on sale in Indonesia. Dimensionally, the new electric MPV is 4,295mm long, 1,850mm wide and 1,652mm in height, and has a wheelbase of 2700mm. It is fitted with a 50.6kWh lithium-ion battery pack and a front-axle mounted permanent magnet synchronous electric motor that is rated at 134bhp and 240Nm of torque. The electric MPV is claimed to offer a range of up to 505km in a single charge.  The Cloud electric MPV comes with several safety features including traction control, multiple airbags, blind spot monitoring, electric parking brake, brake assist, VSM, front & rear parking sensors, TPMS, hill start assist control, reverse camera and others. It also gets ADAS tech with features like Lane Departure Warning System, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Blind Spot Monitoring, etc.  MG Compact Electric SUV MG Motor India has also registered the design patents for the rugged Yep mini electric SUV. The company is likely to launch the 5-door version of the electric SUV - called the Yep Plus. The electric SUV will be launched by the end of this financial year, by March 2025. The e-SUV measures 4000mm in length, 1760mm in width and 1726mm in height, and has a wheelbase of 2560mm. Compared to the 3-door model, the 5-door model rides on a 450mm longer wheelbase and the length has been increased by 600mm.  The exact battery specifications are yet to be revealed. However, it features a 102bhp, rear-axle mounted electric motor. The electric SUV is claimed to offer a top speed of 150kmph. The Baojun Yep Plus delivers a range of up to 401km in a single charge. Also Read: Skoda Slavia Facelift Spied For The First Time

The MG Comet has been around for a year and continues to stand out as the most budget-friendly electric vehicle currently available in the market. March 2024 saw an impressive sales figure of nearly 900 units, positioning it as the third best-selling model in MG's lineup, right behind the Hector and Astor SUVs. This achievement underscores the Comet's significant impact on the Indian automotive landscape within just a year of its launch. Pros Smallest Turning Radius That’s right! The MG Comet boasts a remarkable turning radius of just 4.2 meters, making it a standout performer in navigating tight city streets and congested traffic conditions with ease.  Adding to its manoeuvrability is its compact size, measuring under 3 metres in length. To put this into perspective, the Tata Nano extends to a length of 3,164 mm. Feature Loaded Well, MG has been generous here, and I mean it. For starters, there’s a floating twin display housing the cluster and the infotainment system, both 10.25 inches each. Then there’s the nostalgia-inducing iPod-inspired steering wheel controls that feel great to operate just like the good old days. Besides three drive modes, regenerative braking (three levels) has also been offered. Spacious Interior Tall passengers in your family always complaining about the lack of headroom? Not anymore. Towering as a Jeep Compass, the Comet stands tall at a height of 1,640 mm.  With its exclusive platform, the Comet boasts a flat floorboard design, facilitating effortless movement inside the vehicle. Even the rear seats can be split in a 50-50 fashion for extended storage space.  Advanced Battery Tech With the 2024 update, MG introduced a 7.4 kW charger taking 3.5 hours to juice up the prismatic cell battery from nil. As for the range, MG claims an impressive 230 kilometres on a full charge. However, real-world conditions may lead to a slightly reduced range, with expectations hovering around the 190-kilometre mark. Aggressive Pricing Starting at a competitive price of ₹6.98 lakh, the Comet Executive trim presents an enticing offer, undercutting its closest rival, the Tiago EV, by approximately ₹1 lakh. But the savings don't end there. The range-topping Exclusive FC will cost you ₹9.23 lakh, saving you a whopping ₹2.66 lakh over the Tiago EV’s top-end trim.  Cons Subjective Styling The Comet's exterior body design language is undeniably unique, which may not resonate with every consumer's taste. Additionally, its large 2-door format introduces a distinctive element, albeit with the trade-off of exposing the entire interior whenever the doors are opened. Seating The EV excels as a comfortable two-seater, but accommodating four passengers may pose challenges, particularly during longer journeys. Accessing the rear seats can prove cumbersome, given the limited slide of the front seats. Boot Space With the rear seats up there’s hardly any room for luggage, let alone accommodating four passengers comfortably. The situation is further compounded by the presence of tyre puncture and charging kits, which occupy the already limited space, leaving only a tiny area available for one or two backpacks, at best. Thus, for weekend getaways, the necessity to split-fold the rear seats becomes inevitable. Driving Dynamics With its tall-body design, the Comet suffers from tremendous body roll, a characteristic that's hard to overlook. Additionally, the use of 12 inches, while contributing to its unique aesthetic, proves less than ideal for both rough roads and high-speed driving, leading to a compromise in overall handling and stability. Furthermore, road noise stemming from the tyres permeates the cabin, exposing the cost-cutting done on noise-suppressing material. Also Read: Mahindra XUV 3XO Variants Explained

MG Motor India has increased the prices of its smaller EV, the Comet. Available in three variants, the EV is now priced between Rs 6.99 lakh and Rs 9.40 lakh (ex-showroom). MG Comet EV: Updated Prices The Comet EV is offered in three variants namely Executive, Excite, and Exclusive. The prices of the base models (Executive and Excite) remain unchanged. Both are still priced at Rs 6.99 lakh and Rs 7.98 lakh, (ex-showroom), respectively. However, the British automaker has increased the price of the fast charger variants. While the Exclusive with fast charger gets a price of Rs 11,000, the Excite with fast charger is Rs 13,000 more costlier. Apart from this, the price of the top-spec exclusive variant has increased by Rs 11,800. The prices of the other variants such as the EverGreen version (100 Year Limited Edition) remain the same at Rs 9.53 lakh (ex-showroom). Battery Details The Comet EV has a 17.3 kWh battery pack, offering a certified range of 230 km. A single motor mounted on the rear axle sends the power output of 41 bhp and 110 Nm of max torque. The battery can be charged via a conventional 16 AMP wall socket. Besides, the EV has three drive modes: Eco, Normal, and Sport. Also Read: New Volkswagen Tharu XR SUV Revealed

MG Motors India is going to disrupt the EV market with the introduction of MG Cloud EV. The new EV could be priced under Rs. 20 lakh. It will be a perfect fit for the EV Market and rival the Tata Nexon EV and Mahindra XUV 400 in terms of pricing. Key Features and Highlights Some of the unique design elements in the Cloud EV come from the crossover styling with a large face, an LED light package, flush-mounted door handles, and a roofline that tapers flow to the front. On the interior, there are some features such as a free-standing touchscreen infotainment system, a horizontally mounted AC vent, a multifunction switch on the steering wheel, dual-tone upholstery, a fully digital instrument cluster, and AC at the second row. It also has a 360-degree camera. Specification The Cloud EV gets a 50.6kWh battery pack, along with a single electric motor setup. A claimed range of up to 505 km can be extracted from the vehicle on a single full charge, while Nexon EV and Mahindra XUV 400 have a claimed range of 375 km and 456 km respectively. Exterior and Interior Measuring 4.3 metres, the new MG Cloud EV rides on a wheelbase of 2.7 metres which is higher than most of the midsize SUVs like Creta & Seltos on sale in India. The long wheelbase & scalable architecture allows MG to create more space inside the cabin. The Cloud EV gets split headlamps, auto rain-sensing wipers, pillar-mounted ORVMs, horizon skyline tail light, flush-fitting door handles,18” Ferris-shaped alloy wheels, and a charging port on the left front fender. The interior’s focus has been on space and comfort which gives sofa mode with a 135-degree backseat recline, and a digital instrument cluster. It has atmospheric multicolour ambient light with up to 256 colour options. It has an Intelligent control panel of 15.6 TFT. For more coverage, it has multipurpose storage of up to 18 spaces and a trunk space of 1,707 L. Safety Features The Cloud EV includes safety features like 6 airbags, ABS, EBD & BA, ESC, ESS, electric parking brake with auto vehicle hold, hill hold control, ISOFIX, pedestrian sound warning, TPMS, rear parking sensor, immobiliser and anti-theft alarm. It has ADAS features which include, adaptive cruise control, blend cruise control, IDA, automatic emergency braking, Forward collision warning, lane departure warning and safe distance warning. Price and Availability The MG Cloud EV is expected to have a range from Rs.15  to Rs.20 lakhs across India. The model is expected to be launched in India by September 2024. Also Read: Nissan's Creta Rival To Have More Features Than New Duster