Distributor of Maxus vehicles in Malaysia, Weststar Motors, let out a shock drop over the weekend by teasing the 2023 Maxus Mifa 9 EV MPV over on social media.

The video shows glimpses of a China-spec car (watch it here), so final specifications are as yet announced for our market. Regardless, the same car in Thailand perhaps affords us a better look at what to expect.

In Thailand – where it's sold as the MG Maxus 9 as both brands are under the SAIC umbrella – the 7-seater is powered by a 90 kWh lithium-ion battery juicing an electric motor that produces 245 PS and 350 Nm of torque. NEDC-rated range is 540 km on a single charge.

Also read: Maxus Mifa 9 wears MG badge for Thailand, launching in May, Malaysia next?

Despite the Alphard/Vellfire duo are seen to be the Mifa 9's natural competitors, this Chinese MPV is even larger than them. Its size is closer to the Hyundai Staria and Kia Grand Carnival, in fact out-measures them somewhat:

The Mifa 9 is suitably equipped to take on the more familiar names in the premium MPV segment; as such full-LED lighting, an expansive glass roof, and captain seats are all standard fare. The difference between the two variants in Thailand then mainly centres on additional comfort features.

For instance the pricier variant gets real leather upholstery (as opposed to synthetic), memory/heating/cooling function within the driver's seat, "VIP" captain seats by the second row, and 12 speakers over 8.

ADAS is standard; and it comes with autonomous emergency brake system (AEB), adaptive cruise control (ACC), traffic jam assist (TJA), lane keep assist (LKA), emergency lane keeping assist (ELKA), lane departure warning (LDW), blind spot warning with rear cross traffic alert (BSM, RCTA).

Prices in Thailand range from THB 2,499,000 (~RM 331k) to THB 2,699,000 (~RM 357k). Stay tuned here for more updates on the model in Malaysia.

Also read: Review: Is it Malaysia's best truck ever? No, but the 2022 Maxus T60 stretches your RM 115k further than rivals do