MG4 hits 200,000 units in 13 months, second 100,000 took just 4.5 months

SAIC Motor's (SHA: 600104) MG brand said on September 24, 2026 that the 200,000th new-generation MG4 has rolled off the final assembly line at its Nanjing Jiangbei New District plant. The car left the line on September 23, roughly 13 months after the plant began mass-producing the compact electric hatchback in August 2025.

The plant's pace has nearly doubled. The first 100,000 units took eight months, with that milestone reached in mid-May 2026, while the second 100,000 took four and a half months. SAIC MG credited optimized production scheduling, higher equipment utilization and tighter supply-chain coordination, and said the ramp-up was driven by rising orders both in China and overseas. Each car passes through 12 quality gates and 21 inspection checkpoints on the Nanjing line.

Domestic demand picked up in August. The MG4 recorded 12,854 insurance registrations in August 2026, up 26.5% from 10,158 in July. Retail sales were flat month over month at 13,089 units, against 13,157 in July.

August was the model's third-strongest month for registrations since launch, behind November 2025 at 13,420 and June 2026 at 13,082. Registrations have stayed above 10,000 in nine of the 12 months from September 2025 to August 2026, with the low point of 3,109 falling in February, the month of the Lunar New Year holiday. Cumulative domestic retail sales reached about 150,000 units after the car's first year on sale.

Shipments from the factory rose faster than domestic sales. Wholesale volume, which counts units shipped to dealers and export channels, reached 23,454 units in August, up 22.3% from 19,176 in July. The gap between the two figures is largely explained by exports.

The MG4 exported 10,565 units in August, up 50.4% from 7,024 in July, meaning overseas shipments accounted for about 45% of the model's wholesale volume. Across the first eight months of 2026, exports totaled 59,494 units, while domestic registrations reached 78,406. Outside China, the hatchback is sold as the MG4 Urban, and it has already entered the UK and Australian markets.

That mix is a reversal of the previous-generation MG4, which was built mainly for export. Through 2023, the older car shipped between 9,372 and 13,358 units abroad each month, while its domestic retail sales never exceeded 1,642 in any month that year. The new model is the first MG4 to find a large audience in its home market, while still sending close to half its output overseas.

The MG4 family made up close to a quarter of SAIC's domestic MG and Roewe retail sales in August. The two brands together posted August retail sales of more than 72,700 units, up 2.5% year over year, with the MG4 family, which includes the MG4X crossover, contributing more than 17,000 of them. Combined retail for the two brands in January to August exceeded 646,000 units, up more than 10.4%.

The 2026 model year MG4 launched at the Beijing auto show on April 24, 2026. Official guide prices range from 68,800 to 102,800 CNY (c. $10,250 to $15,320), and a limited-time subsidy brings that down to 65,800 to 99,800 CNY (c. $9,800 to $14,870).

The 2026 update gave the car a floating-roof design and new 17-inch alloy wheels. Every trim uses a 120 kW motor with 250 Nm of torque. The entry battery is a 42.8 kWh lithium iron phosphate pack rated at 437 km (272 miles) on the CLTC cycle, while the long-range 53.9 kWh pack, which uses semi-solid-state cells, is rated at 530 km (329 miles). The hatchback measures 4,395 mm long with a 2,750 mm wheelbase, and integrates the battery into the body structure using cell-to-body construction.

The MG4 Urban, the export name for the new MG4, keeps its full-width rear light bar and 4,395 mm body (MG)

The headline feature is a semi-solid-state battery option, which SAIC MG markets as the only one in its class. The 2026 update also made SAIC's VMC high-speed tire blowout stability system standard, and added Horizon Robotics-based driver assistance, a 15.6-inch 2.5K central screen, and new ice-crystal blue and almond exterior colors. Other equipment includes heated, ventilated and massaging front seats, and the model reaches 50 km/h (31 mph) from standstill in three seconds. A SAIC OS 1.3 over-the-air update followed in July 2026.

Europe is next for the semi-solid-state version. MG plans to launch the semi-solid-state MG4 Urban in the UK by the end of 2026, making it the first mass-produced EV with the technology on sale there. The 54 kWh manganese-based pack charges from 30% to 80% in 21 minutes, seven minutes faster than the standard battery, and has an energy density of around 180 Wh/kg. MG also claims 15% faster charging in cold weather, and says later generations of the chemistry are targeting 400 Wh/kg.

Right-hand-drive MG4 Urban from MG Motor Europe's press kit; the car rides on MG's E3 platform (MG)

SAIC first presented the battery to European audiences at a technical conference in Munich. Deliveries of the semi-solid-state version in China began in December 2025, four months after the new MG4 entered production.

In Australia, the MG4 Urban began deliveries in April 2026 with 43 kWh and 54 kWh LFP batteries rated at 316 km (196 miles) and 405 km (252 miles) WLTP. It is built on MG's E3 platform and sits alongside the older MG4, which remains on sale in that market.

With the Nanjing line now producing at nearly twice its early rate and exports approaching half of shipments, the next question is whether the semi-solid-state MG4 Urban can hold that export momentum once it reaches European showrooms at the end of the year.

Conversion rate: 1 USD = 6.71 CNY as of September 24, 2026.