MG4 XPower unveiled as brand's most powerful production car

MG, the British-turned-Chinese carmaker best known for selling tiny roadsters decades ago, has unveiled its most powerful production car. The MG4 XPower is headed to showrooms across the pond, and the brand also announced a concept that honors its rallying heritage.

Based on the regular-production MG4 launched in 2022, the range-topping XPower receives a dual-motor electric drivetrain rated at 435 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque. In comparison, the base MG4 ships with a single-motor powertrain that makes 170 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque, while the mid-range model gets a 203-horsepower system. MG quotes a 3.8-second zero-to-62-mph time for the XPower.

Driving range hasn't been announced yet. The standard MG4's range varies from 218 to 281 miles depending on the drivetrain.

MG notes that its engineers made several chassis and suspension updates to give the XPower the engaging handling buyers expect from a hot hatch. They added trim-specific an electronic limited-slip differential, sharper steering system, stiffer springs, shock absorbers and anti-roll bars. The latter parts make the suspension system 25% firmer than the regular MG4's. Four-wheel torque vectoring comes standard as well.

Designers gave the XPower a relatively subtle design characterized by 18-inch wheels, orange paint on the calipers, a black roof panel, and a handful of trim-specific accents such as polished trim on the rocker panels. Racing Green (pictured) is exclusively available on the XPower.

Made in China, the MG4 XPower will reach showrooms in England in July 2023. Pricing starts at £36,495, or about $46,500.

There's a more aggressive-looking evolution of the XPower in the pipeline. MG will travel to the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed that opens on July 13 to unveil a concept called EX4. It uses the XPower's drivetrain, but it features a heritage-inspired body kit designed as a tribute to the Metro 6R4 that the brand developed in the 1980s to compete in Group B rally events around the world. We haven't seen the concept yet, it's shrouded in darkness, but MG's preview images show a deep front splitter, punched-out wheel arches, and a huge wing.

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