Contrary to expectations, iconic British carmaker MG Motor entered the Indian market with its power packed SUV Hector at a much lower price point. With an introductory price tag of Rs 12.18 lakh, going up to Rs 16.88 lakh for the most expensive variant, the Hector will not only compete with Tata Motors’ newly launched Harrier and the premium Jeep Compass, but also with compact SUV segment leader Hyundai Creta.
MG Motor has already received more than 10,000 bookings for the Hector in the 23-odd days since pre-orders began. Deliveries to customers who have pre-booked the Hector have been slated to begin from the first week of July through its network of 120 touchpoints across India. The carmaker aims to expand its sales network further to 250 centers by September this year.
As for demand, the carmaker expects it to gather pace now that the prices have been announced. “We have already received bookings of over 10,000 units since it opened on June 4. We have had a good response to the Hector going by the bookings with customers not even knowing the price,” he added,” MG Motor India president and managing director Rajeev Chaba said.
When asked about the company’s expectations from the Hector, especially considering that it has been launched at a time when auto sales are witnessing a trough, Chaba said, “Our current production capacity is for 2,000 units a month initially. So, even if there are some booking cancellations, we would be doing around that to start with.” Chaba, like many automakers, feels that sales will pick up by the end of this year, when significant discounts are expected to be offered as manufacturers seek to offload their non-BS-VI inventory ahead of the roll-out of BS-VI emission norms from April 2020.
The success of Hector is crucial for the revived British carmaker which is now owned by Chinese automobile giant SAIC. The carmaker had stepped into the Indian domestic market at a time when some like US carmaker General Motors have quit the market after struggling to crack it for years.
The company is quite serious about its India venture, however, with MG Motor India already investing around Rs 2,200 crore in setting up its business in the country, including a manufacturing plant at Halol in Gujarat and establishing its sales and service networks. There are a few advantages for the brand’s modern debutante, entering one of the few segments that have been doing well: compact SUVs.
Later this year, the also company plans to launch an electric vehicle, followed by two new models next year. According to experts, the success of the car will depend on how the company addresses the needs and aspirants of Indian car buyers. MG claims to have come with innovative features which it claims will erase all the doubts buyers have about its after-sales services.
The company offers an ownership package — MG Shield — which provides private owners 5-year comprehensive manufacturer warranty for unlimited kilometers free-of-charge. It also includes round-the-clock roadside assistance (RSA) for a period of 5 years and no labour charges for the first 5 scheduled vehicle services.
In addition, MG also assures customers of the resale value of the Hector under the “3-60” plan. Under this, MG has tied up with automotive portal CarDekho, with the latter agreeing to buyback MG Hectors at a residual value of 60 per cent upon completion of three years of ownership.
Talking about the specifications of the SUV, the made-in-India Hector is available in a total of 11 combinations across the four variants, and comes with 3 engine options: Petrol, Petrol Hybrid and Diesel. The petrol variant is available in both manual and automatic versions.
MG Hector model-wise prices
Variant-wise specifications
Petrol variant:
Engine: 1.5-litre
Power: 143PS
Torque: 250Nm
Diesel variant:
Engine: 2.0-litre
Power: 170PS
Torque: 350Nm