MG stirred up the market after they launched their first vehicle, the Hector SUV in the Indian market. The success that the SUV has received in the market will surely put a smile on the company’s face as the bookings for the SUV have been temporarily halted in the Indian market. The Hector SUV has received a staggering amount of 21,000 bookings in the Indian market, a number that has rarely been seen in the Indian auto industry for a first car from a new company. The overwhelming number has crossed the production capacity of the Chinese-owned British brand as the new company is equipped to only produce around 2,000 units per month. However, the heightened demand of the SUV in India will witness the company increasing its production capabilities.
The Chinese-owned British brand recently released a statement regarding the same,
“After receiving an overwhelming response for the HECTOR, MG Motor India today announced that it has taken a decision to halt the bookings temporarily keeping in mind the company’s commitment to customer satisfaction. MG India plans to cater to the increasing demand by raising the production capacity for the HECTOR gradually over the next few months.”
We have already informed you that places like Noida are witnessing a high demand of the SUV and the waiting period for MG Hector in Noida has climbed up to 7 months. Even the brand did not expect the SUV to be in such high a demand, this is evident from the fact that the maker set up a small production unit for the SUV. As of now, the company has not spoken about the date at which they will reopen the bookings of their first vehicle in the Indian market.
Rajeev Chaba the president and managing director of MG Motor India spoke on the high demand of the SUV in the Indian market and stated,
“Our first product, MG HECTOR, has received an overwhelming response and we are unable to cater to such high initial demand. We are therefore closing bookings temporarily as this will help ensure timely and orderly deliveries for our customers who have shown tremendous confidence in MG. We are also working with our component suppliers to ramp up production in a gradual manner without any compromise on quality,”
Talking about MG Hector, the Chinese-owned British brand’s SUV comes equipped with two engine options. The first is a 1.5L litre turbocharged petrol and the other a 2L Fiat Multijet turbocharged diesel, the latter being the same one found on Compass and Harrier. The outputs for petrol engine are 140 Bhp-250 Nm whereas the diesel engine is supposed to produce 170 Bhp of power and 350 Nm. MG is also offering a 48V hybrid system as an optional feature with the petrol variants. Also, the petrol variants also get 6-speed Dual Clutch Transmission as an option while a 6 speed manual is standard with all other engine options.
Prices for the MG Hector start at Rs. 12.18 lakhs, ex-showroom Delhi. This is a very disruptive price by the brand as this figure undercuts the current segment leader and talk-of-the-town -- Tata Harrier. As is the case with Tata Harrier, the base model of the MG Hector is also loaded with features like dual front airbags, ABS + EBD, reverse parking sensors, Electronic Stability Control, traction control and hill-hold control. In addition, the top model of MG Hector also comes with several segment leading features like panoramic sunroof, heated ORVMs, rain-sensing wipers, powered tailgate, a 360-degree surround view camera, and 6-airbag system.