MG Go! concept a potential brand booster

MG MOTOR has unveiled a new battery electric hatchback concept at the Goodwood Festival of Speed inspired by several enthusiast offerings from the brand’s back catalogue.

Dubbed the MG Go!, the new concept previews an incoming compact B segment hatchback EV – expected to be badged as the MG2 – debuting in 2027.

Also unveiled at Goodwood was the MG Cyber Concept, a large SUV with a design inspired by the MG EX181 land speed record car from the 1950s.

The MGB GT sports car (built from 1965 to 1980) has been named as a key influence for the Go!, which incorporates several of its design cues such as its “grille”, glasshouse, and roof shapes.

According to MG, the concept has also been inspired by previous “sporting” models, including the MG Metro Turbo and MG ZR hot hatches, and the more recent, rally car-inspired, MG EX4 concept unveiled at the 2023 Festival of Speed.

But MG’s new electric hatch concept isn’t intended solely as a four-wheeled nostalgia trip.

According to the Chinese-owned British brand, the MG Go! is intended to be “contemporary and relevant” while making nods to the marque’s past. 

“With MG Go!, we wanted to create something compact and contemporary, but also warm, expressive and immediately likeable, an embodiment of all that we admire about the MG brand,” said SAIC Design Advanced London’s (the UK-based design studio of MG’s parent company SAIC Motor) design director Carl Gotham.

“It is not about looking back for its own sake, but about capturing some of the clarity, charm, and emotional appeal that have always made MG so distinctive, and reinterpreting that in a way that feels relevant today and crucially creating something with strong charisma.”

Should it come to Australia, and should it be badged as the MG2, the production model would likely slot into the brand’s local line-up below the recently introduced MG4 EV Urban (priced from $31,990 driveaway) and the rear-wheel drive MG4 (from $39,990 d/a).

If this is the case, it could wear a sub-$30,000 asking price, putting it in competition with the likes of the top-spec BYD Atto 1 Premium (from $27,990 plus on-road costs), the entry-grade BYD Dolphin (from $29,990 + ORCs), and the Geely EX2 (from $26,490 + ORCs).

With inspiration from its enthusiast-focused forefathers and with an emphasis placed on “emotional appeal”, the eventual production Go! could also serve as an alternative to the retro-inspired Renault 5 E-Tech and its Alpine A290 sibling (although neither model is currently sold in Australia), the Cupra Raval (slated for an Australian arrival in 2027) along with its hot VZ variant, and the Mini Cooper Electric JCW.

While MG is yet to reveal the Go!’s full dimensions, it is understood that the concept car measures around four meters in length, similar to many to many of its prospective rivals.

A full release timeline, including an Australian arrival, is yet to be officially announced by MG Motor.