MG has been spied testing its next-generation Marvel R in Australia, pointing to a local launch for the Tesla Model Y rival.
The second-generation Marvel R has yet to be revealed, but images obtained by CarExpert show a camouflaged version with a boxier body than the current car.
However, it wears a more aggressive face that sees it fit in better with recent MG products like the MG 4. The front bumper and wide, angular headlights in particular resemble those of the MG 4.
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Inside, there’s a large, landscape-oriented and free-standing infotainment touchscreen, which sits atop a centre stack that gently slopes down to the centre console.
The next-generation Marvel R is expected here in the first half of 2025.
A search of this prototype’s registration lists this as an ‘MG ES39 Evaluation Vehicle’, with a tare weight of 2040kg.
It’ll take on not only the Tesla Model Y, but also a raft of other Chinese-built mid-sized SUVs including the BYD Sealion 7, Geely EX5 and Xpeng G6.
It’s set to slot in above the MG S5 – also recently spied testing in Australia – which is shaping up as a replacement for the current ZS EV.
The current Marvel R is a lightly restyled Marvel X from fellow SAIC Motor brand Roewe.
Unusually, it’s available not only in single-motor rear-wheel drive guise, but also in a tri-motor all-wheel drive configuration.
It’s only produced in left-hand drive, so while it’s sold in markets like Europe, right-hand drive markets like the UK and Australia miss out.
The Marvel R will slot into a local MG lineup that’s set to be massively expanded.
Current Marvel R
Already, MG offers three passenger cars – the MG 3, MG 4 and MG 5 – as well as the HS and ZS SUVs.
It has been busily overhauling its existing range, launching new-generation MG 3 and HS models this year with a new ZS to follow before year’s end.
In December, it’ll add the Cyberster electric sports car, while over the next 6-12 months it also plans to introduce the MG 7 sedan and a three-row SUV to slot in above the HS.
S5 
Cyberster 
MG 7
As an infomercial would say, “But wait, there’s more!”
“From MG 3 to Cyberster… each $10,000 I will put one model there [by 2027],” MG Motor Australia CEO Peter Ciao told CarExpert in June.
“That means from 20 to 30, from 30 to 40, 40 to 50, and even 60 to 70, 70 to 80, 80 to 90 – all the segments, I will have a model launch for that.”
That’s expected to include EVs from SAIC Motor’s premium IM Motors brand, such as the mid-sized LS6 SUV.
Also on the agenda for the MG brand is a ute. While it already offers one in Thailand, a rebadged LDV T60, MG is expected to wait for a next-generation product to apply its octagon badge to in Australia.
