Cheap Chinese tram in Spain arrives expensive in Portugal – Observer
Nothing better than a competitive price to democratize new technologies. And in Spain great oriental reigns due to the MG4the brand electric that was born British before being acquired by the Chinese, the country that manufactures this battery model and exports it to the Old Continent. The reason for interest is mainly due to the competitive pricewhich was less than €20,000 until November, to increase in the last month of 2022 to €20,480. It turns out that this price is lower than what promises to be transmitted in Portugal at around 12 thousand euros, despite the Spanish value already including aid and insurance.
MG, which for years was the sports brand of the British Rover, was acquired by the Chinese when it went bankrupt. Since then, it has produced vehicles with combustion engines and others that are 100% electric, the latter being precisely the segment that has had the most in recent months in most European countries, a current to which Portugal is no stranger.
According to the Spanish press, it is also among electric vehicles that MG seems to be more competitive, offering in the Spanish market the 4 in the Standard version, with the smallest battery and lowest autonomy, for €20,480. This amount includes the incentive to purchase electric vehicles provided for in Plan Moves 3 which, in the case of financing, provides aid of up to €5,500 (€6,000 with rebate), but also insurance against all risks for one year.
in Portugal and according to the brand’s websitethe same MG4 is standard for €32,990, that is €12,510 more than the standard for Spanish drivers. It is true that it is necessary to consider that VAT on the other side of the border is 21%, 2% less than in Portugal (which is equivalent to around €500), as well as deducting the €6,000 of aid, crediting the insurance for a year. Even so, around €6000 seems to be missing, which makes a lot of difference when deciding.
We tried to contact the MG Motor representative in Portugal – in practice the Chinese from SAIC Motor Portugal – but without success. In our country, the MG4 is proposed in the same three versions in which it is on sale in Spain, respectively the Standard, with a 170 hp engine, 51 kWh battery and a range of 350 km, the Comfort, with 204 hp, 64 Battery kWh and 450 km between charges and Luxury, which announces 218 hp, 64 kWh of battery capacity and 435 km between charges. Prices in our country are, respectively, €32,990 for the Standard version, €37,590 for the Comfort and €39,590 for the Luxury. Since these values seem uninteresting in the face of competition, contrary to what happens in Spain.