Electric Car MG4 530 Smart Edition Now Uses CATL Battery, Reach So Far

JAKARTA MG officially updated its flagship electric hatchback, the MG4 530 Smart Edition, with the use of the latest batteries from CATL. This move is a surprise for many drivers in China for replacing batteries from previous suppliers across the 530 Smart Edition variant.

According to MG General Manager, Chen Cui, the change was made to meet the October delivery target which was disrupted due to limited production capacity. In fact, the battery is completely from CATL.

"All units of 530 Smart Edition now use CATL batteries exclusively, no longer a mix of several suppliers," he said, quoted from Carnewschina, Wednesday, October 22.

MG4 530 Smart Edition is sold at a price below 100,000 yuan or around Rp232 million. This model comes with two battery options, namely 53.9 kWh which can cover a distance of up to 530 km and 42.8 kWh with a range of 437 km based on CLTC cycles.

Built on SAIC Motor's pure E3 electric platform, MG4 relies on a 120 kW electric motor with a maximum speed of 160 km/hour. In the compact electric hatchback segment, the car competes with Volkswagen ID.3 and Geely Geome Xingyuan.

The transition to CATL batteries has attracted attention in the automotive industry. Although it was originally a supply chain adjustment, this move was widely reported online and received a positive response. Observers note that established CATL technology and production capacity can contribute to increasing consumer confidence in battery performance and safety.

Since its introduction to the market in late August, MG4 has experienced rapid sales growth. Data from China Automotive Industry Research shows that MG4's shipments reached 11,790 units in September.

This is an increase of 181.4 percent compared to the previous year. Deliveries in the first month exceeded the 10,000-unit threshold, demonstrating a strong market attraction for this model.