JSW-MG NEV Launch On July 16: What To Expect From The Starlight 560-Based SUV

JSW-MG Motor India recently revealed it has a launch event scheduled for the 16th of July, where the carmaker is tipped to pull the wraps off its next New Energy Vehicle for India. While nothing has been confirmed officially, mounting evidence, including patent filings and test mules caught testing on Indian roads, points squarely at a badge-swapped version of the Wuling Starlight 560, a crossover SUV that SAIC-GM-Wuling already builds and sells overseas.

Reports suggest the three-row SUV will be slotted between the Hector Plus and the Majestor once it arrives, filling a gap in MG's India portfolio that currently sits between the brand's mid-size and flagship SUV offerings.

MG Wuling Starlight 560-Based SUV - What To Expect?

The patent sketches filed in India for the upcoming SUV from JSW MG Motor India suggest the plug-in hybrid version of the Starlight 560 is the one headed our way, rather than the pure-EV variant sold elsewhere, which is clearly given away by the open section grille at the front.The Starlight is expected to feature twin-strip LED DRLs, a blacked-out grille surround, body-coloured or contrast skid plates, chunky alloy wheels, and a dark treatment for the roof rails and pillars.

Size-wise, the Wuling Starlight 560 sold abroad stretches past 4.7 metres in length and rides on a wheelbase north of 2.8 metres, putting it firmly in three-row SUV territory. Wuling sells the car in both five and seven-seat layouts overseas, and the boot alone holds over 750 litres with the rear row in place, numbers that should largely carry over to the India-spec car given the badge-engineering approach.

Inside the Starlight's cabin, expect a generously sized touchscreen, a fully digital instrument cluster, a two-spoke steering wheel, two-tone seat upholstery, wireless phone charging, six airbags, and tyre pressure monitoring on the India-bound car. The Starlight 560 sold abroad gives us a sense of what's possible in the fully loaded version, with a near 13-inch infotainment unit, support for HiCar and CarLink smartphone mirroring, a six-speaker sound system, and seats that recline up to 125 degrees for rear passengers.

MG Upcoming SUV - Expected Power & Range

Abroad, the Wuling Starlight 560 PHEV combines a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine with a 20.5kWh battery, working together for a combined 194bhp and 230Nm. Wuling quotes a pure-electric range of roughly 125km from that battery, which stretches the range on a single tank of fuel to about 1,100km once the petrol engine is factored in.

A fully electric version of the Starlight 560 is also sold in international markets and it runs a 136bhp electric motor that offers a claimed range as high as 500km on a single charge of its 56.7 kWh battery pack. However, there's currently no clarity yet on whether JSW-MG Motor India will bring the EV version of the Starlight SUV to our shores alongside the expected strong-hybrid setup hybrid.