MG Hector Production To Start On April 29 — British SUV Is Nearly Here

Chinese-owned British carmaker MG Motor is all set to launch its first -ever vehicle in India in the form of the Hector SUV. MG India has confirmed that production of the Hector is set to start on April 29 at the SAIC production facility in Halol, Gujarat.

MG Motor will begin production of the this coming Monday at the SAIC production plant, which was formerly owned and operated by General Motors. The American carmaker had sold off the Halol production facility to SAIC back in 2017, and the new MG Hector will be the first vehicle produced at that facility to be sold in India.

MG Motor is set to launch the Hector SUV in the sub continent next month. The British carmaker recently revealed the connected car features that will be seen on the SUV when it arrives in May.

The MG Hector is based on the Baojun 530 SUV that is sold in China. Baojun is another carmaker owned by SAIC and the Hector is basically a reingeneered version of the large 530 SUV. The Hector retains most of the design cues of the Baojun SUV, however, the grille has been tweaked to make it look like the ones seen in MG cars sold in other markets. The SUV features a split headlamp design that is becoming quite popular in SUVs today and can be seen on the Tata Harrier and the newly unveiled Hyundai Venue.

The new MG Hector will be powered by two engine options — a 1.5-litre turbo petrol and a 2.0-litre turbo diesel sourced from Fiat. The 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine pushes out 141bhp. The diesel engine, on the other hand is expected to crank out around 170bhp and 350Nm of torque, which is what it produces under the bonnet of the Jeep Compass. Both engines are expected to be BS-VI ready at launch and will come paired to a 6-speed manual gearbox.

The turbo petrol engine will also be offered with a 6-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. Reports have also suggested that the turbo petrol engine could be offered in hybrid guise later in the product cycle of the MG Hector.