Next MG Marvel R SUV to launch in UK after snub rethink

MG will launch the replacement version of the Marvel R upmarket electric compact SUV in the UK after restricting the current model to left-hand-drive European markets only, the brand has confirmed. 

No details about the new model have been released, but it’s expected to be built on the same modular electric underpinnings as the new MG 4. The architecture, called the Modular Scalable Platform (MSP), can accommodate a range of battery sizes up to 150kWh and also facilitate battery swapping. 

The current Marvel R is the brand’s halo model. In European markets, it costs up to €48,015 (£42,000) for the dual-motor Performance version producing 285bhp. 

The decision not to build a right-hand-drive version of the current Marvel R was made before MG sales rose significantly in both the UK and Australia. MG clocked 43,061 UK sales to the end of October this year, up 70% on last year, to make it the country’s 12th best-selling brand, according to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. 

“Go back four years ago and we were selling 9000 a year from tiny little dealerships,” said UK commercial director Guy Pigounakis. “You couldn’t sell a £45,000 premium SUV from places like that.” 

The decision to sell the new Marvel R here came after MG sales for both EVs and combustion-engine cars skyrocketed. “Tragically, if we did have Marvel R now, we could probably have sold 6000-7000 this year,” added Pigounakis. 

The replacement for the Marvel R is “a completely different car”, according to Pigounakis, although he didn’t go into more detail. 

MG parent company SAIC is reportedly planning 14 vehicles based on the MSP electric platform. All MG UK’s current models will be replaced by the end of 2024 bar the MG 4, said Pigounakis, with the MSP platform likely to replace electric models such as the ZS EV small SUV and MG 5 electric estate. No timing was given for the replacement for the Marvel R, but the new model is expected before 2025.