Author: Issue 4

On September 13, MG Mulan, also known as “Electric Little Tank” since its release, officially went on sale with a price range of 129,800 yuan to 186,800 yuan after subsidies. Customers can enjoy a down payment gift of 2000 yuan to 3000 yuan, priority for car delivery, free charging station and installation service, lifetime warranty for three electric components, lifetime free basic data usage, and up to 6,000 yuan for replacement subsidy or financial subsidy, among other benefits.

Based in China, MG Mulan is also launched simultaneously in 20 European countries, including the UK, Germany, France, and Italy. To meet the taste and standards of global users as well as both China and Europe, MG Mulan is exclusively favored from design to production within the MG automaker matrix.

Standout

MG Mulan is the first global electric vehicle built by the SAIC Xingyun electric vehicle platform. Although it is a compact pure electric vehicle with a length, width, and height of 428718361516mm, the wheelbase reaches 2705mm, with a long wheelbase and short front and rear suspensions, which is beneficial for both comfort and driving stability.

MG Mulan uses the Cube battery, jointly developed by SAIC and CATL. It has three major features: “ultra-high integration,” “ultra-long life,” and “zero thermal runaway.” Thanks to the use of LBS flat cylindrical cell, the Cube battery is lower relative to traditional vertical cells, making the vehicle’s center of gravity more stable and interior space more spacious. At the same time, the battery also supports charging, replacement, and upgrade services.

With the help of the Cube battery, MG Mulan can achieve a maximum range of 520 kilometers. According to the official statement of SAIC Group, this range is “the real range, what you see is what you get.”

In addition, in terms of driving, MG Mulan continued its generous performance in driving control.MG MULAN adopts a rear-mounted permanent magnet synchronous motor that allows for larger overload current and pulse torque, achieving higher instant acceleration. Combined with the rear-drive architecture, MG MULAN can achieve faster acceleration per hundred kilometers. The four-wheel drive version uses a rear intelligent four-wheel drive dual motor design with a maximum power of 315 kW, a maximum torque of 600 N・m, and a hundred-kilometer acceleration of as fast as 3.8 seconds.

Driving fast also requires stability. The MG MULAN series comes standard with strengthened MacPherson independent suspension and five-link independent suspension, as well as a 50:50 axle load ratio and a 490mm center of gravity height for agile and stable driving.

In order to make MG MULAN more global, SAIC Group stated that the MG MULAN was designed by SAIC’s global design team, combining young sports genes with pure electric elements.

From the appearance perspective, MG MULAN’s design style is markedly different from that of the previous MG cars, changing from a complete shock to a poised posture.

Especially with the inductive front face design of MG MULAN, which forms an “X” shape on the front face through sharp curves. The power of the attack generated by the downward trend of the engine cover is concentrated in the center of the “X” shape like a bullet. This design, combined with the lower air intake grille and front bumper, retains MG’s mighty style.

At the same time, the lines extending from the front face to the side extend the power backwards, echoing the constellation-shaped light strip. Not only that, there are also two hollow wing-shaped tail fins above the taillights, incorporating the inspiration of the swan spreading its wings. This not only enhances the beauty of the vehicle but also stabilizes the airflow and ensures the stability of the vehicle.

To cater to young consumers, especially young Chinese consumers, MG MULAN uses puns in the naming of the car’s paint job, such as “lu zhuan fen” (road turns pink), “hui tou lv” (turn back green), and “hua mu lan” (flower wood blue), forming a contrast with the cool and sporty style of MG MULAN.

After looking at the exterior, let’s take a look at the interior.First of all, it must be said that the interior color scheme of the MG MULAN four-wheel drive triumph edition equipped with the “retro red and white game console” is the most avant-garde and bold part of the entire design. The bright red and cool white colors are distinct from each other, giving the entire interior space a sense of duality and full of visual tension. However, this kind of design often makes those who like it unable to put it down, and those who dislike it disdainful.

Secondly, the screen. The 10.25-inch high-definition touch-controlled interconnected large screen and the 7-inch interactive virtual instrument panel are somewhat disadvantaged for most Chinese users who are accustomed to large screens.

Finally, overall, except for the “retro red and white game console” color scheme of the interior, other interiors are designed to highlight the sporty style. In order to comply with strict EU standards, MG MULAN also pays attention to the use of materials in the interior, strictly controlling the use of carcinogenic and teratogenic materials.

In terms of intelligent systems, MG MULAN uses the Zebra Venus 2.0 intelligent system, which can achieve OTA upgrades, voice assistants, remote monitoring of mobile APPs, and other common functions. In terms of intelligent assisted driving, MG MULAN is an L2 level assisted driving system, which can achieve adaptive cruise, intelligent far and near light control, lane departure warning and other functions.

In summary, while continuing the driving performance of MG MULAN, bold innovation in appearance and interior design shows the unique brand style of MG. And the latest Magic Square battery has been used, heralding the call to enter the realm of electrification.

Going overseas

Today, as domestic automakers are shifting from an incremental market to a stock market, more and more domestic auto brands are turning their attention to overseas markets. In 2021, China’s automobile exports reached 2.015 million units, an increase of 101.1% year-on-year, and the export volume of new energy vehicles reached 310,000 units, an increase of more than three times.

In the current situation where domestic new energy vehicles are rising rapidly, the spring of striving for overseas markets with the momentum of overtaking is quietly coming.

Regarding this, SAIC Group stated that continuously leading the new pattern of China’s brand “going out” strategy and promoting the upward momentum of China’s auto brands is an important standard for the MG brand to create products.

# SAIC Motor’s Layout Overseas and MG’s Globalization Story

SAIC Motor has been laying out overseas for many years. Today, MG has consecutively won the “Chinese Single Brand Overseas Sales Champion” for three years. As of 2021, MG’s overseas sales have reached 364,000 units, and in the first half of this year, sales have reached 208,000 units.

The official launch of MG MULAN will also be a new starting point for MG’s globalization.

In fact, in July of this year, the first batch of one thousand MG MULANs had already set sail from Shanghai and crossed the ocean to Europe. On September 13, while MG MULAN was globally launched, ten thousand more MG MULANs set off on a new journey.

MG came from overseas and is going back; MG relies on SAIC and tells the story of the globalization of Chinese auto companies with a global vision.

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.