MG, the Chinese-British brand with zero presence in Malaysia despite past sightings and announcements, is looking to set up a plant in Indonesia.

While the core vehicles that are mulled for production at the new Indonesian plant would be electric-powered (EV), there are also plans for internal combustion engine (ICE) models production too.

"We are very happy and proud to announce our plans to produce MG vehicles in Indonesia,” Marketing and PR Director of MG Motor Indonesia, Arief Syarifudin said in an official statement to the Indonesian media.

He continued, “This step proves our true commitment to being present in Indonesia by providing EV solutions for the public and redefining their expectations regarding the ease of owning world-class vehicles."

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Plans for where and when production will begin have not yet been announced. It is also uncertain whether the Indo MG plant will be used to export models outside of the archipelago or only produced for the domestic market.

MG’s current Indonesian line-up consists of models fully imported (CBU) from Thailand. MG is a subsidiary of China’s SAIC Motor which also owns Wuling. Wuling has a production plant in Indonesia which assembles the Wuling Almaz and the Wuling Air among others.

Also read: Thai distributor EV Primus announces plans to launch Wuling Air in Malaysia in 2024

Interestingly, both the Almaz and Air are rebadged with the MG brand for the Indian market as the Hector and Comet respectively.

In Indonesia, the MG4 EV (called the MG Mulan in China) is the only EV offered by the brand and it is priced from IDR 649.9 million (~RM 195k). Two variants are offered – Ignite and Magnify i-Smart – which are powered by a rear-mounted 170 PS/250 Nm electric motor. Juiced up by a 51-kWh battery, the MG4 has a range of 425 km (NEDC rating).

Also read: This is the MG Mulan, a full electric hatchback named after the legendary warrioress