With British-Chinese carmaker, MG expecting to make a return to Malaysia in 2022, it remains to be seen whether we could get the all-electric variant of the B-segment MG ZS, simply called the MG ZS EV.

The crossover EV is one of the best-selling EVs in Thailand ever since it was introduced in the Kingdom in June 2019. The affordable price (in context of EVs) – starting from THB 1,190,000 (~RM 151k) along with a pretty impressive range (263 km, WLTP cycle) makes it a great entry for buyers wanting to switch to electric.

However, there is a facelifted version of the ZS EV which was introduced in Europe in the second half of 2021. According to Headlight Mag, MG Thailand is expected to bring the updated ZS EV into the Kingdom in March 2022.

Besides sporting a redesigned front that is similar to the petrol variant of the ZS but with an “invisible” grille, the updated ZS EV now comes with two variants – Standard and Long Range.

Also read: 2021 MG ZS facelift launched in Indonesia to persuade buyers against the HR-V

As the trim names give a clue, both variants offer different ranges with the Standard offering a range of up to 320 km on the WLTP cycle while the Long Range boasts a claimed range of up to 440 km. That is thanks to a larger battery capacity than the original 44.5 kWh lithium-ion unit – 51.1 kWh on the Standard, 72.6 kWh on the Long Range.

Granted, if you are looking to get a better range on your ZS EV, you would have to sacrifice some power. Power on the Standard is rated at 177 PS while the Long Range gets 156 PS (Pre-facelift: 143 PS). Torque figures are the same for both at 280 Nm which is less than the pre-facelift (353 Nm).

However, power isn’t really the main concern for a crossover EV, the more important figures are charging times. It takes 10 and a half hours to charge the Standard with 7 kW of AC power and 6 hours and 40 minutes with 11 kW from an AC outlet on the Long Range.

On the other hand, filling the battery would take 1 hour and 3 minutes through a DC fast charger with input up to 50 kW on the Standard. Charging the Long Range would take 42 minutes with up to 100 kW of DC power.

In the UK, the updated ZS EV comes with a wireless charger, panoramic skyroof, as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. Safety-wise, the MG Pilot ADAS suite is standard and comes with adaptive cruise control (ACC), automatic braking, and lane-keep assist (LKA).

For now, it remains unclear which variant will be offered in Thailand and more details will be revealed towards the launch date. As for Malaysia’s prospect on the ZS EV, a few units of the pre-facelift were spotted on the roads but it’s just too early to tell whether we jump straight into the facelift when MG makes its comeback later this year.

Also read: MG: We’re coming to Malaysia this year, MG HS and MG ZS to launch in 2022