MG’s electric midsize SUV, built to fight the Tesla Model Y and BYD Sealion 7, among others, will be called the S6 when it arrives in Australia next year.
MG’s incoming rival to the Tesla Model Y and BYD Sealion 7 – Australia’s best-selling electric cars – has been revealed in Australian government approval documents.
Expected to arrive in Australia next year, the 2026 MG S6 EV will be a mid-size electric SUV to slot above the brand’s current electric vehicles: the MG 4 hatchback and MG S5 small SUV.
Shown in leaked patent images in May, first shared by Drive, an MG Motor Australia representative advised at the time that the new model would not be called the MG S6 EV.
MORE: MG’s Tesla Model Y and BYD Sealion 7 rival revealed in patent leak
However, the images in the government approval documents reveal the new model is, in fact, the S6 EV.
The government approval documents show MG could launch the S6 EV in four variants, with an entry-level standard-range rear-wheel drive, two long-range rear-wheel-drive grades, and a flagship long-range all-wheel drive.
A 62.2kWh battery pack will feature in the standard-range rear-wheel drive variant – likely the same lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery found in the MG S5 EV 62kWh.
The MG S6 EV long-range grades will upgrade to a larger 77kWh unit, potentially identical to the MG 4 Long Range’s lithium nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery.
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A 151kW single electric motor will be found in the 62.2kWh RWD variant – also equivalent to the MG S5 EV – while the 77kWh RWD grades will have a 180kW electric motor, and the AWD will have a 266kW combined output from 119kW front and 180kW rear motors.
The similarities between the MG 4, S5 EV and S6 EV all but confirm the latter model will utilise the same, rear-wheel-drive-biased Modular Scalable Platform (MSP) electric-car architecture as the smaller vehicles, also shared with the Cyberster electric convertible.
Measuring 4708mm long, 1912mm wide and 1664mm tall, with a 2835mm wheelbase, the S6 EV is 82mm shorter, 8mm narrower and 40mm taller than a Tesla Model Y, with a 55mm shorter wheelbase.
Compared to the BYD Sealion 7, it is 122mm shorter, 13mm narrower and 44mm taller, with a 95mm shorter wheelbase, though it could deliver more usable luggage space as its roofline is less raked than the Tesla and BYD.
MORE: 2025 MG S5 EV price and specs – New electric SUV undercuts Atto 3 in cheapest form
The S6 EV will have a 190mm ground clearance, a 1500-kilogram braked towing capacity, and offer 19- or 20-inch alloy wheel designs.
In Europe, the S6 EV is expected to be a direct successor to the left-hand-drive-only Marvel R electric SUV, but it will be the first time the brand has fielded a Tesla Model Y rival built in right-hand drive, including for Australia.
The S6 EV has been built from the ground up as an MG vehicle, rather than being a rebadged model from an MG sister brand, as the Marvel R was a reworked Roewe vehicle, and the IM 6 luxury SUV – now available in local MG showrooms – was co-developed with Chinese firms.
Australian pricing for the MG S6 EV is likely to start from around $55,000 before on-road costs, aligning it with key rivals including the Tesla Model Y, BYD Sealion 7, Kia EV5 and Volkswagen ID.4.
The post 2026 MG S6 electric SUV exposed: New details of Tesla Model Y, BYD Sealion 7 rival appeared first on Drive.