MG4 Dethrones Tesla, Tops Australian Sales Charts
Chinese electric vehicles are proving popular outside the local market and are gaining ground not only in Europe but also in Australia. The MG4 became the country's best-selling EV in Oct. With nearly 1,500 units sold last month, the MG4 dethroned the Tesla Model Y, which managed just over 1,000 sales (down from nearly 1,500 a month before).
In third place came the Model 3 with 422 sales, followed by the BYD Atto3 with 330 sales and the BYD Seal with 313 sales.
The MG4 EV is built by Chinese automaker SAIC Motor in four different factories spread around Asia. The company is also looking to set up shop in Europe and Mexico. This electric hatch has been winning a lot of praise from reviewers in Europe and Australia thanks to its surprisingly fun driving experience - courtesy of a claimed 50:50 weight distribution - unique design, good interior and decent range, all for a very attractive price.
The MG4 was especially popular in Australia after a price cut in late Sep brought it under AUD 31,000, equivalent to just under USD 20,500 at current exchange rates. It instantly became a sensational deal. This was announced as an "incentive price" to help drive MG4 sales and starting in Nov, the price climbed to AUD 32,990 (USD 21,820), which is still a lot lower than the AUD41,110 (USD27,200) it cost before the cut.
Australia's third-best-selling EV in Oct the Tesla Model 3, starts from AUD 54,900 (USD36,280), making it considerably more expensive than the MG4. The MG even undercuts the BYD Dolphin EV, which starts at AUD 36,890 (USD24,400) and the AUD 52,500 (USD34,700) Fiat 500e, both of which are smaller vehicles that are less practical and can't match its range or performance.
The only EV you can buy in Australia that even comes close to matching the MG4 as a value-for-money proposition is the Great Wall Motors Ora (known as the Ora Cat in other markets). It starts at AUD 35,990 (USD23,800) but it's nowhere near as popular as the MG4, selling just 154 cars last month.
Australia's The Driven says this is the first time Tesla has been dethroned as the EV sales leader in the country, and it attributes that to MG's "aggressive pricing," which was surely the reason behind the sudden sales spike. One month prior, in Sep, the MG4 was Australia's third-best-selling EV with 385 sales to the Tesla Model Y's 1,498.
The customs duty for electric vehicles imported into Australia has been zero since Jul 2022. There aren't any signs of this being changed, despite increased levies on Chinese EVs imposed by Australian allies like the European Union and the United States, where import tariffs are now as high as 45% and 100%, respectively.
The prospect of the local market being flooded with Chinese-made EVs doesn't seem to be a concern in Australia, which no longer has a home-grown automotive industry. It's already happening. Drive noted in May that 10 EV manufacturers from China that are either already present or will soon be launching cars. China is currently Australia's third-largest source of new cars (after Thailand and Japan) ranking above the U.S., the European Union and South Korea.
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