​MG plans to build its new electric supermini in Spain according to the latest industry rumours – the production version of the sharp looking MG Go concept we saw at Goodwood earlier this year will compete with the Renault 5 and Volkswagen ID.Polo.

MG's new Spanish factory is currently being built in the port town of Ferrol, at the northwestern tip of the country in Galicia – handy for boats. The £170m plant is set to be ready for production in 2028.

The MG Go, which could yet be named the MG2, is set to go on sale in late 2027, which means that the first batch of models in Europe will have to be built in China. 

A crucial part of the MG Go being built in Europe is that it may then be eligible for the UK government’s electric car grant if the scheme is still in place, albeit at the reduced rate as the batteries for the upcoming car will be built in China.

It'll be a strong proposition either way – we expect the MG Go to cost around £20,000 when it goes on sale next year. 

MG and SAIC are far from the first Chinese brands to consider building their European offerings in Spain – Geely has teamed up with Ford to build cars at its Valencia plant, Chery has just started using Nissan’s old plant in Barcelona to build Omoda 5s and Leapmotor has just started manufacturing B10s at a Stellantis factory in Zaragoza. 

These moves are primarily a way to skirt around the EU’s import tariffs on Chinese-made EVs, introduced after lobbying by European carmakers. 

Spain is already Europe’s second largest producer of vehicles, after Germany of course, and so the skilled personnel are already in place. 

As for the MG Go, all we know for sure is that it’s going to be based on the E+ platform, shared with the front-wheel-drive MG4 EV Urban. We expect it to get the same 43kWh LFP battery as the short range MG4 EV Urban too.