China’s top car manufacturer SAIC who now owns the British iconic brand Morris Garage is all set to enter the Indian car market with their first product MG Hector. MG Hector is likely to be launched in the first half of 2018. Apart from Hector SUV, MG is also planning to launch 3 other models in India over the next two years.
The next vehicle that is likely to make its way to India is MG e-ZS. It will be an electric SUV which is likely to be launched somewhere around October. It will be priced around Rs 20 lakh. The third Vehicle will be a seven seater SUV. It will be based on the Hector SUV, but with a different name. The fourth vehicle will also be a small SUV which will compete with the likes of Maruti Brezza and Hyundai Creta.
Recently a smaller SUV Baojun 510 was spotted testing on Indian roads. The Baojun 510-based SUV will be placed below Hector with prices for the base variant likely to be starting under Rs 10 lakh. Once launched Baojun 510-based SUV will be the least priced model from MG motors until a new sub-four meter SUV comes in.
MG has been working to locally manufacture the upcoming car and target to achieve at least 75 percent localisation before the launch. They have set up a manufacturing plant in Gujarat’s Halol and will be rolling out the first SUV, Hector from there.
Rajeev Chaba, president and MD of MG Motors India said,
We are a serious player, and would make sure that a customer not only gets the right product but also enjoys a healthy post-sales experience.
MG has already tied up with five leading private sector banks to provide vehicle loans to their customers and dealers. Meanwhile, MG plans to set up around 110 sales and service touch points across the country ahead of Hector launch.
Coming back to MG’s first product Hector, It will be powered by 2.0 liter Multijet diesel engine from Fiat. It is expected to generate about 170 Bhp of power. It is the same engine that is seen on Jeep Compass and Tata Harrier. It will also get a 1.5L petrol engine and a 6-Speed DCT gearbox.
On the inside Hector will get a long list of features including a 360 degree parking camera, flat bottom steering, dual-tone dashboard and a flat rear floor for maximum space. Once launched, it will compete with SUVs like the Jeep Compass and Mahindra XUV500 in the segment.
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