MG Hector SUV Setting New Booking Records: Waiting Period To Test New Buyers

British automobile brand MG Motors launched the much-awaited Hector SUV in India recently. The company has been very aggressive with the pricing strategy for the new car. Hector starts at Rs. 12.18 lakhs which is cheaper than arch-rival Tata Harrier (12.99 lakhs). The top-end diesel version of the car costs Rs. 16.88 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The company opened bookings for Hector on 4 June and now have clocked the 10,000-mark. This has made it one of the quickest cars to reach that figure. While the figures are encouraging, a drawback is the rapidly rising waiting period of the SUV due to high demand. Since this is the first car from the brand in the country, the production capabilities of the company remain untested so far.

At present, MG has 120 touchpoints across the country and the bookings are being accepted through offline and online modes at a payment of Rs 50,000. If we talk about Harrier, the Tata SUV had a waiting period of more than 3 months a month after its launch due to extremely high demand. However, supply is something dependent on the production capacity of the manufacturing plant. MG Motor opened its first plant in Halol, Gujrat, with a proposed capacity of 80,000 units per year. With the killer pricing strategy, the demand for the SUV is expected to rise even more by next month. However, its sales performance after initial months will be a key factor determining the success of the vehicle.

Talking about MG Hector, the car comes with a number of unique and segment-first features. The SUV gets a machine-to-machine communication chip that enables the driver to be connected to internet all the time. The new 10.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system recognizes over 100 voice commands. What makes Hector unique is the largest boot space and panoramic sunroof ever seen at this price point in India in this segment. Other specialties include reclining rear seats, ambient mood lighting, electric tailgate, real-time navigation, remote location, emergency response, and geo-fencing.  

Coming to engines available on the Hector, MG is offering both petrol and diesel options with the SUV. The petrol variant of the car will be a 1.5-litre unit that will generate a maximum of 143 PS power and 250 Nm peak torque. The diesel variant will be powered by 2.0-litre Multijet unit that is tuned to produce 170 PS power and 350 Nm torque. MG will also offer a 48V hybrid system as optional feature with the top three petrol variants. Hector will be the only vehicle in the segment with hybrid drivetrain. The petrol engine of the car will be mated to a 7-speed Dual Clutch Transmission while all other variants get a 6-speed manual gearbox.