MG Motor revealed the ES5 electric SUV in China last week. Several media portals are deeming this EV as the successor to the current ZS EV. Not only it gets a brand new moniker for the Chinese-own British car company, the ES5 gets a very different design and completely new underpinnings.
Expected to go on sale in China by mid-2025, it will most likely be made available in other countries in the coming future, including India. It is based on a brand new architecture called Modular Scalable Platform, also referred to as Nebula. This architecture can accommodate cars with wheelbases up to 3,100mm and batteries up to 2 metres long.
The ES5 gets a new design but retains the clean and minimalist styling. The front end is inspired by the face of a shark thanks to a split lighting design and a huge lower air inlet. Other visual highlights include blackened exterior side view mirrors, conventional door handles, connected T-shaped LED taillights, and 17-inch or 18-inch alloy wheels.
Coming to dimensions, the MG ES5 measures 4,476 mm long, 1,849 mm wide, and 1,621 mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,730 mm. In comparison, the ZS EV measures 4323 mm long, 1809 mm wide, and 1649 mm tall, and offers a wheelbase of 2585 mm.
The minimalist philosophy is carried over inside the cabin of the ES5 with a very few buttons on offer. Most of the controls are integrated within the massive central touchscreen infotainment system, just like the company’s latest launch in India— Windsor EV. Other interior highlights include a 3-spoke flat-bottom steering wheel, a fully-digital instrument cluster, a column-mounted gear selector, a wireless phone charger, and a panoramic sunroof.
Powering the ES5 is an electric motor mounted on the rear axle which delivers 166 bhp and 250 Nm of peak torque. It can clock a top speed of 170 kmph and does 0-100 in 8 seconds. In comparison, the ZS EV’s front-axle-mounted motor produces 174 bhp and 280 Nm of torque. In China, MG will offer the ES5 with two battery pack options: a 49.1 kWh and a 62.2 kWh. The latter claims a range of 525 km on a single charge.
