MG set to bring RAV4-sized electric SUV to Australia

MG’s next-generation Marvel R mid-sized electric SUV is looking likely for Australia.

Autocar reports the new range-topper will go on sale in the UK in 2025.

Images of a new MG SUV have appeared on the European Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) database, and appear to depict the Marvel R replacement.

The current MG Marvel R is an electric mid-sized SUV that measures just 74 millimetres longer than a Toyota RAV4. It’s produced only in left-hand drive.

The next-generation model will reportedly move to the Modular Scalable Platform that underpins the MG 4, and be produced in right-hand drive.

“It’s definitely on our radar, and it’s under strong consideration and there’s a very high likelihood it will land on our shores,” said a spokesperson for MG Motor Australia.

“It’s currently under evaluation with a strong probability it will land.”

Autocar reports the runaway success of the MG brand in Australia and the UK has forced the manufacturer to rethink its decision to only offer the Marvel R in left-hand drive.

MG UK commercial director Guy Pigounakis told Autocar that MG’s increased sales volumes could widen the scope of the Marvel R successor.

“Go back four years and we were selling 9000 [cars] a year from tiny little dealerships,” he told Autocar.

“You couldn’t sell a £45,000 [A$86,000] premium SUV from places like that.

“Tragically, if we did have [the] Marvel R now, we could probably have sold 6000-7000 this year.”

He then added the Marvel R replacement is “a completely different car”, but remained tight-lipped on further details.

The current Marvel R is offered in Europe with either rear-wheel drive or, unusually, a tri-motor all-wheel drive powertrain.

The RWD model produces 132kW of power and 410Nm of torque and boasts a 0-100km/h time of 7.9 seconds, while the tri-motor Performance – which features two rear motors and one front motor – has total outputs of 212kW and 665Nm and a 0-100km/h claim of 4.9 seconds.

Both use a 70kWh battery, with the RWD model boasting 402km of WLTP range and the Performance boasting 370km.

Inside, the Marvel R features a 19.4-inch portrait-oriented touchscreen infotainment system, along with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster ahead of the driver.

The Marvel R replacement will sit towards the top of an overhauled MG line-up.

The venerable MG 3 is finally receiving a full redesign, due in Australia in 2024.

Autocar reports a new generation of ZS is also due in the UK in 2024, with replacements for the current ZS EV and electric MG 5 wagon reportedly moving to the MG 4’s MSP underpinnings.

“MG’s plans roughly look like this: in the first half of [2024], the existing fuel vehicle products will be strengthened; in the second half of the year, we will focus on electric models,” said Lu Jiajun, general manager of MG’s business unit, to Autocar.

He also reiterated MG’s commitment to both EVs and internal combustion-powered cars.

“We will not give up the fuel-vehicle market. After all, many global markets still favour traditional vehicles,” he said.