MG Hector SUV caught testing in India, launch in June 2019

Team OD Updated: September 27, 2019, 05:29 PM IST

MG Motor is gearing up to enter the Indian automobile segment in a big way. This can be seen with the various social posts and brand promotion that the company has been doing. The MG Hector, which is the official name of the first offering, an SUV, will take on the likes of the Hyundai Creta and also the more premium Tata Harrier and the Jeep Compass. MG Motor has been testing the Hector SUV at various locations in the country and we have recently caught one testing in North India.

It can be seen from the images that the MG Hector is ready for production and will be carry the same design as the China-spec Baojun 530. The MG Motor version, however, will be heavily re-engineered to make sure it withstands Indian driving conditions. The platform is expected to remain largely similar to the Baojun 530. The China-spec 530 SUV is a five-seater currently, but it is large enough to be able to accommodate a third row should the need arise. Just how large? It stands 4,655mm long, with a wheelbase of 2,750mm, which overshadows the Hyundai Tucson by 180mm in length, and 80mm in wheelbase. That almost puts it in the same league as the Skoda Kodiaq, at 4,697mm length and 2,791mm wheelbase.

The MG Hector will be available in both petrol and diesel engines. While the diesel engine is the 2.0-litre that also does duty in the Jeep Compass and the Tata Harrier, the state of tune in the MG Hector will vary. We expect it to be more powerful than the one in the Harrier. The petrol engine could be an all-new unit that will debut in the Hector SUV. While MG Motor has not revealed anything but a teaser video of a test mule being driven in Spiti, it is said that the performance of the MG Hector will be at par with its rivals. Also, the MG Hector will be offered with a dual-clutch automatic transmission, making it the only SUV in its class to do so.

MG will have 100 sales and service touchpoints in place by May 2019. MG will localise the components heavily, 75 per cent to be precise to price the Hector aggressively against the competition. We believe the pricing of Hector could start at Rs 15 lakh onward.