New MG ZS EV LR Affinity Pricing

[enjoylife]

Hi all,

Now that the Affinity pricing is available on the new MG ZS EV Long Range, there are a few important questions to be answered:

1) Can the Affinity discount be applied to existing orders already placed? When I placed my order with MG Chorley group in November, it was clearly mentioned that if the Affinity discount does come up early in the new year (which it has), they will be very happy to apply it to my order. However, when I called in to check this morning, I was told they cannot apply to existing order and needs to be a complete re-order, meaning I lose the government grant in the process!

Can someone please confirm their findings on this? To me, it is the exact same car I ordered and the exact same customer (myself) on the same order so the grant rules should all still apply. I don't see why the dealership cannot simply apply the Affinity discount on top, it should just be a financial tweak like any other discount. It seems MG and the dealerships are simply trying to play smart with customers and not passing on all the savings that could be had.

2) Does the finance deposit contribution of £1500 still apply along with Affinity? I guess not for this one as you get either this or the Affinity discount but could to get this clarify and also the reasoning why yes or no.


@MilesperkWh - maybe you can help us get some of the above answers, specially the first one as its very important to some of us and we have been eagerly waiting for it? We were clearly told Affinity discount can be applied at a later stage (as long as vehicle not collected/delivered of course) so remember any change in that stance will make a lot of customers unhappy. I believe it is just a MG/dealership ordering process thing and something you should be able to resolve.

 

[dqtvsound]

Excuse my ignorance, but what is an affinity discount, and how much is it worth?

Thanks

 

[enjoylife]

Excuse my ignorance, but what is an affinity discount, and how much is it worth?

Thanks

Its for a variety of public sector workers and gives good discount worth £2.5k-£3.7k depending on model. See link below from one of the dealers:

MG Affinity Scheme | Public Sector Discount | Eric Stead MG

The MG affinity scheme offers discount on the full MG range to those who work in the public sector. Save up to £5,239.57 off the entire MG range.

www.ericstead.co.uk

This Affinity mainly (and other handsome discounts offered by MG/dealers) is the key reason MG has sold MG5 and previous generation MG ZS EV well here in the UK. Without attractive pricing, MG will very soon lose out market share to other well known brands. So its in their best interests not to act smart but to continue to give customer good discounts to encourage adoption of MG (value) brand in UK.

 

[DiscoSi]

Hi all,

Now that the Affinity pricing is available on the new MG ZS EV Long Range, there are a few important questions to be answered:

1) Can the Affinity discount be applied to existing orders already placed? When I placed my order with MG Chorley group in November, it was clearly mentioned that if the Affinity discount does come up early in the new year (which it has), they will be very happy to apply it to my order. However, when I called in to check this morning, I was told they cannot apply to existing order and needs to be a complete re-order, meaning I lose the government grant in the process!

Can someone please confirm their findings on this? To me, it is the exact same car I ordered and the exact same customer (myself) on the same order so the grant rules should all still apply. I don't see why the dealership cannot simply apply the Affinity discount on top, it should just be a financial tweak like any other discount. It seems MG and the dealerships are simply trying to play smart with customers and not passing on all the savings that could be had.

2) Does the finance deposit contribution of £1500 still apply along with Affinity? I guess not for this one as you get either this or the Affinity discount but could to get this clarify and also the reasoning why yes or no.


@MilesperkWh - maybe you can help us get some of the above answers, specially the first one as its very important to some of us and we have been eagerly waiting for it? We were clearly told Affinity discount can be applied at a later stage (as long as vehicle not collected/delivered of course) so remember any change in that stance will make a lot of customers unhappy. I believe it is just a MG/dealership ordering process thing and something you should be able to resolve.

I've also been wondering this! Thanks for posting. I ordered just before the grant change and have a written confirmation from my dealership that if Affinity pricing came in prior to delivery we could swap to the Affinity deal.

Obviously with the grant landscape changing I did wonder what would happen. With the grant tied to the order, I hoped that this should remain unchanged and therefore offset the cost of the car regardless - unless swapping to Affinity is normally a simple admin change but does constitute a change of order which is now not possible due to the grant change.

I haven't contacted them as yet as the car is someway off delivery and figure it will take a bit of time for them to get up to speed on the changes.

 

[enjoylife]

I've also been wondering this! Thanks for posting. I ordered just before the grant change and have a written confirmation from my dealership that if Affinity pricing came in prior to delivery we could swap to the Affinity deal.

Obviously with the grant landscape changing I did wonder what would happen. With the grant tied to the order, I hoped that this should remain unchanged and therefore offset the cost of the car regardless - unless swapping to Affinity is normally a simple admin change but does constitute a change of order which is now not possible due to the grant change.

I haven't contacted them as yet as the car is someway off delivery and figure it will take a bit of time for them to get up to speed on the changes.

Exactly this… it’s just their internal admin process which dictates applying changes to existing order or re-create a new order. As the impact of pricing is huge here, MG and their dealerships will have to find a way to apply Affinity discount to the existing grant qualified order - we should not be accepting no for an answer under any circumstances.

Without the current pricing with Affinity, new MG ZS EV is hugely more expensive than previous generation ZS EV and current MG5. I am prepared to cancel my order if MG / dealerships back off from their commitment and doesn’t behave as they should. MG will have loads more competition very soon and “value for money” is the single most important thing that’s going to keep them going.

 

[Miles Roberts CG]

Hi all,

Now that the Affinity pricing is available on the new MG ZS EV Long Range, there are a few important questions to be answered:

1) Can the Affinity discount be applied to existing orders already placed? When I placed my order with MG Chorley group in November, it was clearly mentioned that if the Affinity discount does come up early in the new year (which it has), they will be very happy to apply it to my order. However, when I called in to check this morning, I was told they cannot apply to existing order and needs to be a complete re-order, meaning I lose the government grant in the process!

Can someone please confirm their findings on this? To me, it is the exact same car I ordered and the exact same customer (myself) on the same order so the grant rules should all still apply. I don't see why the dealership cannot simply apply the Affinity discount on top, it should just be a financial tweak like any other discount. It seems MG and the dealerships are simply trying to play smart with customers and not passing on all the savings that could be had.

2) Does the finance deposit contribution of £1500 still apply along with Affinity? I guess not for this one as you get either this or the Affinity discount but could to get this clarify and also the reasoning why yes or no.


@MilesperkWh - maybe you can help us get some of the above answers, specially the first one as its very important to some of us and we have been eagerly waiting for it? We were clearly told Affinity discount can be applied at a later stage (as long as vehicle not collected/delivered of course) so remember any change in that stance will make a lot of customers unhappy. I believe it is just a MG/dealership ordering process thing and something you should be able to resolve.

1) Theoretically, yes. As long as there is no change to specification or registered keeper/address.
2) Affinity pricing does not benefit from any other offers (such as Finance Deposit Allowances, or preferential APR).

 

[enjoylife]

1) Theoretically, yes. As long as there is no change to specification or registered keeper/address.
2) Affinity pricing does not benefit from any other offers (such as Finance Deposit Allowances, or preferential APR).

Thanks for your positive response @MilesperkWh - very much appreciated.

For point 1 above, can you please advise your sales consultants on how to go about applying the Affinity discount to an existing order. In my case, there is absolutely no change to vehicle specification or registered keeper/address as you mention. This will really make the whole buying experience with yourselves much sweeter, thanks in advance

 

[Sam Luscombe]

Hi all,

Now that the Affinity pricing is available on the new MG ZS EV Long Range, there are a few important questions to be answered:

1) Can the Affinity discount be applied to existing orders already placed? When I placed my order with MG Chorley group in November, it was clearly mentioned that if the Affinity discount does come up early in the new year (which it has), they will be very happy to apply it to my order. However, when I called in to check this morning, I was told they cannot apply to existing order and needs to be a complete re-order, meaning I lose the government grant in the process!

Can someone please confirm their findings on this? To me, it is the exact same car I ordered and the exact same customer (myself) on the same order so the grant rules should all still apply. I don't see why the dealership cannot simply apply the Affinity discount on top, it should just be a financial tweak like any other discount. It seems MG and the dealerships are simply trying to play smart with customers and not passing on all the savings that could be had.

2) Does the finance deposit contribution of £1500 still apply along with Affinity? I guess not for this one as you get either this or the Affinity discount but could to get this clarify and also the reasoning why yes or no.


@MilesperkWh - maybe you can help us get some of the above answers, specially the first one as its very important to some of us and we have been eagerly waiting for it? We were clearly told Affinity discount can be applied at a later stage (as long as vehicle not collected/delivered of course) so remember any change in that stance will make a lot of customers unhappy. I believe it is just a MG/dealership ordering process thing and something you should be able to resolve.

Hi guys - It's a very good question and one we've had to investigate.

1) We, like the guys at Chorley told people they are able to switch to Affinity should it become available and that is still the case. The complication surrounds the government grant and OZEV's audit procedure. If a new order is established on the Affinity scheme, the inception date of that order is obviously in 2022 which means that it doesn't qualify for a grant. You are able to switch across to Affinity at the 2022 prices which are widely publicised but there was no overlap period between the £2500 government grant and the affinity discount.

While Miles suggests that as long as the details don't change it should be ok, I cannot support this view on the basis that OZEV audit grant applications and if one of these orders were to be audited, it would fall foul of this process, leaving the dealer to pick up the £2500 bill. I would imagine the audit process will be especially tight around periods where the grant has just changed for obvious reasons. We're only a few days in so many dealership staff may still be investigating what this all means, and I'm sure when Miles speaks to his administrators/finance department, this will be made clear, but I'd be astounded to learn of any dealers taking on such a risk.

2) The £1500 FDA and supported 4.9% finance rate is not available on Affinity and instead it is available with 5.9% finance. Much like on the previous version where you could have 0% finance or affinity, but not both.

I suspect the Affinity scheme does mean some good news, not just for people who missed the £2500 grant and now have a route back in to buy the car at a similar price to the pre-grant price, but if MG are willing to put the car on the scheme, it tells me that supply shortages must be easing in the medium term as it's a high-discount channel - and why would a manufacturer offer it if they have no cars to sell?

 

[enjoylife]

Hi guys - It's a very good question and one we've had to investigate.

1) We, like the guys at Chorley told people they are able to switch to Affinity should it become available and that is still the case. The complication surrounds the government grant and OZEV's audit procedure. If a new order is established on the Affinity scheme, the inception date of that order is obviously in 2022 which means that it doesn't qualify for a grant. You are able to switch across to Affinity at the 2022 prices which are widely publicised but there was no overlap period between the £2500 government grant and the affinity discount.

While Miles suggests that as long as the details don't change it should be ok, I cannot support this view on the basis that OZEV audit grant applications and if one of these orders were to be audited, it would fall foul of this process, leaving the dealer to pick up the £2500 bill. I would imagine the audit process will be especially tight around periods where the grant has just changed for obvious reasons. We're only a few days in so many dealership staff may still be investigating what this all means, and I'm sure when Miles speaks to his administrators/finance department, this will be made clear, but I'd be astounded to learn of any dealers taking on such a risk.

2) The £1500 FDA and supported 4.9% finance rate is not available on Affinity and instead it is available with 5.9% finance. Much like on the previous version where you could have 0% finance or affinity, but not both.

I suspect the Affinity scheme does mean some good news, not just for people who missed the £2500 grant and now have a route back in to buy the car at a similar price to the pre-grant price, but if MG are willing to put the car on the scheme, it tells me that supply shortages must be easing in the medium term as it's a high-discount channel - and why would a manufacturer offer it if they have no cars to sell?

Hi Sam… thanks for your response.

For point 1 which is the key here: The main question is why does it have to be a new order? Why cannot the dealership simply apply the Affinity discount to the existing order? This is simply a discount offered by MG and in no way changes the original vehicle order (in terms of specification, RRP price or ownership) so we don’t understand how it will fail any gov grant audit checks.

The bottom line is the dealerships committed to us customers they will happily add the Affinity discount to our orders if it becomes available (which it has now) so it’s your responsibility to find a way to make it happen. We DO NOT agree with your OZEV grant audit or new order excuses - just doesn’t make sense why a dealer applying additional discount on an “existing order” has any impact on already applied and approved gov grant for that specific vehicle/customer.

As I said above, you need to somehow find a way to make your commitment to work and add discount to existing order / refund customers separately than trying to go down simple route of creating a new order which is wrong.

We will also initiate a conversation directly with OZEV grant team for their comments on this matter so MG / dealerships cannot simply hide behind this matter.

 

[Deleted member 7171]

1) Theoretically, yes. As long as there is no change to specification or registered keeper/address.
2) Affinity pricing does not benefit from any other offers (such as Finance Deposit Allowances, or preferential APR).

Hi Miles

Does the affinity scheme extend to ex armed forces personnel or only currently serving personnel?

Cheers

 

[Sam Luscombe]

It is not simply a case of ‘adding discount’. The Affinity scheme is a sales channel offered by the MG fleet department as a means to generate sales within the public sector. It is a different registration type. Fleet cars have to be ordered as fleet cars, retail cars as retail.

To change the order to the Affinity Scheme would require a new order form with new figures. If an audit requested the order form, it would show a date in 2022 and therefore outside the eligibility period. While all of these could be ignored and left to chance, we won’t be taking the risk of losing £2500 on every deal.

Your dealership may have said they would add the Affinity discount, that’s an issue you need to take up with them. We said we would switch people across to the Affinity scheme if it became available, which we will, should they choose. The affinity scheme prices are now widely published.

 

[focusy]

​

 

[Deleted member 7171]

To be fair to dealers, this issue has come about because a Govt that is rapidly running out of finances, for a couple of high profile reasons, decided to cut funding for a scheme aimed at encouraging the uptake of "green" motoring with no notice, and outside the well established budget cycle.

The dealerships were taken by surprise as much as we the (potential) customers were.
.

 

[focusy]

The government could still fund 42 car escort for Biden and private aircrafts. For 17 officials to arrive at glasgow

 

[Deleted member 7171]

The affinity scheme prices are now widely published

Sam

Does the affinity scheme extend to armed forces veterans or only currently serving personnel?

 

[Sam Luscombe]

Sam

Does the affinity scheme extend to armed forces veterans or only currently serving personnel?

Yes, veterans are included if you are on an armed forces pension

 

[enjoylife]

It is not simply a case of ‘adding discount’. The Affinity scheme is a sales channel offered by the MG fleet department as a means to generate sales within the public sector. It is a different registration type. Fleet cars have to be ordered as fleet cars, retail cars as retail.

To change the order to the Affinity Scheme would require a new order form with new figures. If an audit requested the order form, it would show a date in 2022 and therefore outside the eligibility period. While all of these could be ignored and left to chance, we won’t be taking the risk of losing £2500 on every deal.

Your dealership may have said they would add the Affinity discount, that’s an issue you need to take up with them. We said we would switch people across to the Affinity scheme if it became available, which we will, should they choose. The affinity scheme prices are now widely published.

Thanks Sam - and that’s exactly our point. This is purely an “MG” and “dealership” issue in the way you handle orders and create order forms. It is just the way your/MG processes work to create orders and this is nothing to do with gov PICG grant in reality.

Hence, our request to you dealerships and MG is pretty straightforward - find a way to amend your process to make it work for your customers. I am sure you and MG can come out with an easy solution to allow Affinity discount to existing order than creating a brand new order. You guys just need to try and work out a solution than simply stating the problem to us.

Multiple dealerships (including yours and Chorley) committed to their customers (even in writing in many cases) that they will apply Affinity discount if it becomes available. This was never on the understanding of a brand new order as that means several things can change including MGs own pricing, gov grants etc. So instead of ducking out of your commitment, try and work with MG and find a solution.

As previously mentioned, we are meanwhile separately getting confirmation from government’s PICG department they have no problem with MG/dealerships applying additional Affinity discounts to existing confirmed orders placed prior to change to grant. Again, you guys could/should have easily done this but just not appear to be willing to try anything at all which is a shame.

Lastly, a word of warning for MG and dealerships to sort out this mess and your internal processes. Else be prepared to deal with a series of cancellations from bunch of unhappy customers - this is not a threat but a highly likely consequence if you guys don’t take this issue seriously and try to resolve it gracefully.

 

[enjoylife]

@Everyone…

If you are in the category of being eligible for Affinity scheme and have already placed your order before PICG grant changes on 15th Dec 2021, you can save at least a further £2200 more on Trophy and Trophy Connect models (and slightly less on SE) if MG and the dealerships agree to find a solution to apply Affinity discounts to our existing orders.

Hence, I advise everyone impacted to get together and collectively push MG and dealerships to get this sorted and apply Affinity discounts to our orders as they originally promised.

It is entirely up to individuals but I for one will not be accepting delivery of my vehicle until MG/dealerships can resolve this issue with their ordering process. Also I won’t hesitate to cancel my order and move to other well known brands if MG/dealerships cannot get their act together and follow on their commitment.

People impacted can also start raising formal complaints with MG, dealerships and eventually Motor Ombudsman to force an action.

 

[jaykew]

Yes, veterans are included if you are on an armed forces pension

I am an armed forces veteran (British Army) but at the time of my service pensions were not generally available. I can obtain my service record from the army records department.. Would this be acceptable proof when applying for the affinity scheme.

 

[Deleted member 7171]

I'd contact your local dealer regarding this.