The sheer number of automotive nameplates that have come and gone looking to change the game somehow is nothing short of staggering. However, the number of car manufacturers that have all but died and then come back to life are much smaller. A perfect example of how to do this at least somewhat successfully is MG, they have just announced their new EV, the MG4, and it has the Volkswagen ID. 3 and Nissan Leaf set squarely in its sights. As with any rising automaker, the logical and financially smart idea is to begin producing an electric crossover, which is exactly what MG is doing with the MG4.

Is MG back?

Only time will tell. What we know now is that, in terms of styling, it offers more hatchback-looking proportions with a steeper hood and arches that are better filled by the wheels. The MG 4 pulls off that look the same way the Hyundai Ioniq 5 EV does; by starting with a standard hatchback and scaling it up a bit.

The underpinnings are much more complex and well thought out as it uses the Modular Scalable Platform (MSP) made by MG's parent company SAIC Motor. Versatility is the MSP's main advantage, the same chassis in the MG4 can be scaled to size to allow for numerous other models using the same backbone.

The battery, which has been named the "ONE PACK," is also something MG and SAIC are proud of. The battery's construction consists of stacking the battery cells horizontally rather than vertically and has an emphasis on being just as versatile as the MSP. All that means the floor height is only about 4.3 inches (110 mm) which should mean plenty of headroom inside.

Zhu Jun, Deputy Chief Engineer of SAIC Motor said, "Under this design concept, theoretically, batteries ranging from 40 kWh to 150 kWh can be easily achieved."

The battery will initially be available with 51 kWh and 64 kWh, giving a maximum range of about 217 miles (350 km) and 280 miles (450 km), respectively, per the WLTP cycle.

The ONE PACK battery will initially use a 400V architecture but will have the option to be upgraded to an 800V architecture in the future.

Initially, the drivetrain will be Rear-wheel-drive and will consist of a single electric motor mounted on the rear axle, which will be juiced to a max of 167 horsepower for the 51 kWh battery and 201 horsepower from the 64 kWh battery. Pair that with the MSP's 50:50 weight distribution and hopefully good steering and suspension setups, and the MG4 shouldn't be a boring drive.

Eventually, the range-topper will be a 443 horsepower version that could apparently accelerate from 0-60 in 3.8 seconds. Meanwhile, the standard car takes 8 seconds for the same trip and has a top speed of 99 mph.

What about the competitors?

The first thing that needs to be pointed out here is that the MG4 is not set to arrive in America. However, it is set to arrive in the U.K. later in 2022. The main competitors to the MG4 will be the Volkswagen ID. 3 and Nissan Leaf.

In terms of pricing, the ID. 3 starts at £30,845 ($37,333) in England based on current exchange rates, whereas the Leaf starts at £28,440 ($34,422). MG has not officially released pricing at the time of writing but based on other modern MGs, expect it to undercut the competition.

The MG put up a decent fight in the area of power and acceleration as the current variants max out at 201 horsepower and a 0-60 time of just under 8 seconds. The ID. 3 makes the same amount of power but only takes 7.3 seconds. The Nissan Leaf slightly comes out on top with 217 horsepower and a 0-60 time of 6.9 seconds.