Author: Wang Xuan
Under the background of “New Four Modernizations”, Chinese market consumers have entered a new stage of “brand recognition”, which is often referred to as the reshuffling of the automobile industry. However, during the reshuffling stage, it is not only the automakers who focus on intelligence and electrification that can enter the public’s vision.
As traditional fuel vehicles and electric vehicles coexist in the market, this will inevitably be a diversified era. Therefore, automakers have many ways to enhance their brand power, such as the recently unveiled MG6 XPOWER. MG has put the experience and technology it has gained in the TCR race over the past two years into this car, seizing the preference of young consumers for performance to reshape the brand image.
The History of XPOWER
XPOWER was founded in the early 21st century. At that time, MG acquired the Italian automaker Qvale, which was founded by American Bruce Qvale, to enter the US market. Qvale had obtained US market certification. After the successful acquisition, MG established the X80 project team. With the help of MG’s racing department, MG launched the MG XPOWER SV in 2003.
The MG XPOWER SV used a 4.6-liter V8 engine from Ford, equipped with a 5-speed manual transmission, and had a high price of up to 65,000 pounds. Later, MG also launched the XPOWER SVR, equipped with a 5.0-liter Ford V8 engine, with a maximum output power of 385 horsepower and a price of 83,000 pounds. The XPOWER models were eventually abandoned by MG due to their extreme positioning, but they have always maintained their exploratory spirit in the field of performance.
MG6 XPOWER: A Legally Approved Race Car
In terms of appearance, the MG6 XPOWER adopts an ultra-wide body design, with an original air dynamic kit, a front lip with a front flow design, and a sports flow design for the body. At the same time, it is equipped with a hot pressing can dry carbon technology integrated molding tail wing, emitting an unyielding dominance. It can provide a maximum aerodynamic downforce of 84 kg under extreme speed. The smoked sport taillights adopt an exclusive “X” shape, and the double-outlet aerodynamic diffuser increases the airflow velocity under the car by 7%.
The interior of MG6 XPOWER adopts contrasting stitching design with green-grey dual-color scheme. The three-spoke multifunction steering wheel is wrapped with ALCANTARA material, providing a good grip for the driver. The door trim panels of the whole car adopt high-end suede material.
In terms of power, MG6 XPOWER uses a 305 horsepower high-performance plug-in hybrid system, equipped with SAIC’s “Blue Core” 20T Trophy in-cylinder direct injection turbocharged engine and a high-power permanent magnet synchronous motor, with the second-generation 10-speed EDU intelligent electric drive transmission that has extreme shifting, with a maximum horsepower of 305 PS, peak torque of 480 N·m, and acceleration of 0-100 km/h in 6 seconds.
MG6 XPOWER is equipped with a variety of racing-level configurations. The racing-level 6-piston XPOWER caliper is matched with the racing-level brake kit, enhancing the braking force and accuracy, with the braking distance of 33 meters/100 km; the racing-level Michelin high-performance semi-slick tires imported from France; the racing-level X forged wheels, which not only strengthen the strength, but also reduce the weight of the wheel, extend its service life, and improve the ventilation and cooling efficiency by 12%.
In terms of suspension, MG6 XPOWER has also been carefully tuned, adopting newly designed and tuned spring stabilizer bars and suspension elastic components, greatly improving the rigidity and durability. The single-tube rear shock absorber has high inflation rebound force, low hysteresis, and fast response, meeting higher handling requirements; the strengthened front MacPherson shock absorber adopts the shock absorber structure of higher level configuration, improving the lateral stiffness and supporting performance to provide better response speed and driving experience.
At the same time, MG6 XPOWER also provides a variety of personalized appearance options for car owners, such as sport seats, side skirt vents, and central armrests, all with exclusive LOGO.
Especially at the door threshold trim, MG6 XPOWER provides a unique limited edition number for each car owner. The whole car adopts a pure hand-made metallic paint specially tailored for the MG XPOWER family- “Chi Ji Green” with black to green gradient.
Truth or Dare
Can MG elevate its brand power by improving product performance through track technology? I believe it can, but the challenge lies in how to position this car.From the current information provided by MG, the MG6 XPOWER is likely to create a sub-segment of the “street racing car” in the Chinese market. Unlike the Lynk & Co 03+, which endorses the racetrack without making the product too aggressive, the performance upgrade of the 03+ does not go beyond the demand of the mass market.
Although the price of the MG6 XPOWER has not been announced yet, the 6-piston calipers, forged wheels, semi-racing tires and other configurations used on it have already exceeded the category of street performance cars, indicating that the price will definitely be rising due to the stacking of these configurations.
In my opinion, instead of reducing some of the high-performance configurations, MG6 XPOWER should achieve a hundred-kilometer acceleration time of around 5 seconds. This way, both the book data and the driving experience can give consumers more intuitive feelings.
If the price of MG6 XPOWER exceeds the ability of the general consumers, it will lose the ability to reshape the brand image. Only by offering a reasonable price and letting more consumers experience its pros can it establish a brand image in the consumers’ minds; otherwise, it can only be a toy for a small group of people.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.