We cannot use the car as we had envisioned,” says Frank Meisel about his MG 4. The list of issues with his electric car is long, but he primarily describes the non-functional CCS charging port.
He and his girlfriend can only charge the compact car at alternating current connections. “For the first six weeks, everything worked fine with the car, then it started,” recounts Meisel (name changed, Ed. note) in retrospect.
Twice, the MG 4 was unusable because the 12-volt battery ran out. Even a software update at the dealer couldn’t fix the problem. “During a highway drive at higher speeds, the steering wheel began to vibrate, as if there was an imbalance in the wheels,” Meisel reports from his residence in Halstenbek, a suburb of Hamburg.
The issue lies with the rims, which are supposed to be replaced but haven’t been so far. Every trip to the workshop consumes time and kilometers. The showroom of the Mercedes-Benz dealer where he selected the car is practically around the corner.
However, its workshop is 45 km away. “Each time, going with two cars, returning with one, and repeating the process during pickup adds up to 270 kilometers per visit,” he calculates. He doesn’t prefer longer trips without the fast-charging function in the MG 4 anymore.
MG: Successful in Sales
Weeks often pass without a response from the dealer. On calling, Meisel is either reassured or redirected to the manufacturer. Meisel gets the impression that the setup of the service organization significantly lags behind the sales success of the electric cars.
However, MG is not a startup. Older individuals might associate the brand with British sports cars, but MG is now part of SAIC. This stands for Shanghai Automobile Industry Corporation and is the seventh-largest auto manufacturer globally. They have, at least in their home market, considerable experience in sales and service.
In Germany, they are already very successful in sales. According to figures from the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA), 14,758 electric cars were registered until October this year. Including the year 2022, it sums up to 23,500 cars.
“Nearly 12,000 customers of MG Motor have opted for an MG 4 Electric since its launch in Germany – and the majority are not just satisfied with the product but also with the support provided by the MG Motor partner agencies,” says Marc Hecht, spokesperson for MG Motor Germany.
However, they have also occasionally noticed differences in the quality of service in their network, which they will address “as MG Motor Germany with a comprehensive package of measures in the short term – such as spare parts supply and inventory or the speed in handling service issues.”
Hecht acknowledges being aware of the mentioned case and deeply regrets the situation. “It underscores the urgency to improve in specific areas to satisfy even those who are not currently at 100 percent. We are working on this.
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