MG reveals E-Motion electric car concept

British brand's electric car concept points to sports car revival

19 April 2017 Andrew Maclean

2017 MG E-Motion electric concept car. Photo: Supplied

MG E-Motion electric car concept Photo:

2017 MG E-Motion electric concept car. Photo: Supplied

MG is set to return to its roots with the company's first sports car since the TF roadster.

The famed British brand revealed a stunning Tesla-inspired electric coupe concept ahead of its official debut at this week's Shanghai motor show.

It has issued a series of images and limited details of the butterfly-doored E-Motion concept, claiming the "electric supercar" will be able to accelerate from 0-100km/h in under four seconds while offering a range of over 500km between battery recharges.

It says the vehicle has "black technology only seen in science fiction films" and that it previews an all-new modular electric vehicle architecture developed by its parent company, Shanghai Automobile Industrial Company (SAIC), that could see the E-Motion become a production reality within 18 months.

The initial images make it clear that the two-door silhouette borrows heavily from classic European sports cars while the front-end has a diamond-patterned grille similar to the Mercedes-Benz CLA and LED headlights with a light signature like that of the Mazda6 ? although MG says the intricate design has been inspired by the London Eye ferris wheel. The rear-end is more unique with tail lights that cascade over its broad shoulders.

Interestingly, the E-Motion also features a rounded MG badge at either end, a significant departure from the iconic octagonal logo that has adorned its cars since the brand was founded just over 90 years ago.

MG has yet to reveal full mechanical details, or any images of the car's interior but says it will be equipped with Intelligent Interconnection Systems which is "able to bring youths with perfect driving experience."

Stay tuned for more details on the MG E-Motion and other new concepts from the Shanghai motor show, which opens on Wednesday.

- For more information visit our MG showroom

Drive Comments

7 Comments

Titan | 2017-04-18 00:16:11

Now THAT's a car that better suits the MG heritage. Looks good, has at least sporting pretensions along with 21st century technology (not that the latest technology was an MG hallmark...). I wouldn't read too much into the rounded MG badge, it still has hints of being octagonal - it's just a modern update of the badge and good on them for doing that but still making it recognisable. But I wouldn't call it a British brand - it's not. It's owned by the Chinese and these cars are designed and made in China. It's now a Chinese brand.

yarpos | 2017-04-18 05:37:30

The longer Tesla takes to release its consumer car the more of these announcements we will see. It will become glaringly obvious that they have no competitive advantage outside the cult of Musk and that the recently hyped stock values are built on wishful thinking.

rwerkh | 2017-04-18 06:07:09

@yarpos This is a concept car. It may or may not be manufactured in 18 months. Meanwhile Tesla has released and sold a roadster. (Which is the equivalent to this car model in the line-up) Tesla has also released a Sedan and it has been selling for a few years and still is. Tesla has also released an SUV which is selling. You are comparing the upcoming mass market Tesla (which has a huge reservation list) to an MG Sports Car. This is ridiculous. 'The cult of Musk' - why are you recycling the astro-turfed lines from the anti-apple campaigns? Do you not have any new spin to use?

DJCJ | 2017-04-18 07:03:16

Concept cars are often used by irrelevant brands to become relevant again for five minutes. Let me know if this thing in some similar guise ever gets into production and then I'll post a less cynical comment.

AJ_Sydney | 2017-04-18 07:05:10

@yarpos, so how many Tesla's have you driven? I've been lucky enough to drive the S and the X. Wish I'd bought shares a while back - Gob-smacking tech that you can actually purchase...and a long queue to do so at the moment. MG (and I really do hope they can phoenix the badge) is still years behind with a mere concept. Competition is healthy, so good on MG if they can get this to the showroom. If I was to purchase a Chinese car brand (and we all purchase Chinese products over and above products from other nations) it would need to be a game changer...this could be it?

country6 | 2017-04-18 07:28:49

So a drawing of a prototype, that may or may not ever be made and at best has a worse spec than the current tesla line-up - with over 200,000 cars on the street and over 600,000 reservations for the next one - is in some way meant to be a threat? Im all for more electric car competion. but this drawing isn't it. The real problem tesla has is that the competition is so far behind that it may male them lazy. Please, this new MG has loads of tech... we just aren't showing you yet... because it would blow your mind, yes, that will do.