2024 MG 4 XPower price and specs: Electric hot hatch from $59,990

The 2024 MG 4 XPower – a Chinese electric hot hatch with more power and quicker acceleration than a Porsche 911 Carrera – will be priced from $59,990 plus on-road costs when it arrives in showrooms later this year.

The XPower is the high-performance version of the new MG 4 electric car, and takes the title of Australia's most powerful small hatchback with 320kW and 600Nm from dual electric motors.

It is capable of a claimed 0-100km/h acceleration time of 3.8 seconds – faster than a $280,000 Porsche 911 Carrera, and a match for Australia's quickest hot hatch to date, the turbo-petrol $90,000 Audi RS3.

The $59,990 before on-road costs – or about $65,000 drive-away – price tag is lower than anticipated; MG executives previously indicated a price between $60,000 and $70,000 plus on-road costs.

It is the first time in five years Australians have been able to purchase a new car with more than 300kW for less than $60,000 before on-road costs, since a price rise for the Ford Mustang GT V8 in 2018, and the death of the V8 Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon in 2017 and 2016.

The MG 4 XPower – which revives a performance badge applied to British-made MGs two decades ago – undercuts the Toyota GR Corolla ($64,190) and Volkswagen Golf R ($68,990) all-wheel-drive petrol hot hatches, which are one to 1.5 seconds slower to 100km/h than the MG 4.

Dual electric motors in the XPower are fed by a 64kWh battery pack from middle-of-the-range MG 4 variants, good for 385km of claimed driving range in European WLTP testing, down from 435km in an equivalent rear-wheel-drive model.

Technical changes compared to regular MG 4 models include 25 per cent stiffer suspension – with retuned spring and dampers, stiffer anti-roll bars and revised steering – plus advanced torque-vectoring software, an electronic differential lock, launch control, and a Track mode.

The brakes have been upgraded to 345mm ventilated discs on all four wheels – up from ventilated 300x25mm front and solid 300x12mm discs on the standard car – with orange calipers.

The 18-inch wheel design is unique to the MG 4 XPower, but it is wrapped in the same Bridgestone Turanza tyres as the regular Essence model – rather than Bridgestone's 'Potenza' range of high-performance tyres.

Design changes include the aforementioned wheels and brake calipers, plus silver body decals, the exclusive option of Hunter Green paint, and synthetic leather-look and Alcantara seat upholstery inside (trimmed around the same seats as the standard car).

Whereas metallic colours on the regular MG 4 are $700 options, they are free on the XPower. The new Hunter Green matte colour costs $1000 extra.

The 2024 MG 4 XPower is due in Australian showrooms before the end of this year. Registrations of interest open tomorrow, October 6.

Note: All prices above exclude on-road costs.