MG To Offer Hybrid Variant of Hector’s Petrol Models

MG Hector is the talk of the town these days. The auto sector in India is abuzz with the entry of Chinese-owned British brand in India. There have been numerous leaks about MG Motor’s first car in India, and the people have already become familiar with a lot of details of the upcoming Hector SUV. MG Motors is planning to position the upcoming Hector SUV as a more premium option in the compact SUV segment and one can expect to see a lot of segment-leading and segment-first features on the MG Hector.

Now new reports have emerged on the Internet claiming that the first car by MG in India will come equipped with a hybrid system. The new eco-friendly feature could be present only on the petrol model of MG Hector. Although this will not be a fully hybrid option, rather it could be the mild hybrid system aimed at bettering the SUV’s efficiency and driving experience.

The new leaks suggest that the mild hybrid feature will not come as standard with the petrol models of MG Hector, rather the company provide the hybrid option through a variant arrangement. MG Hector is supposed to come equipped with a 1.5L turbocharged petrol engine, and paired to it will be a 48V mild-hybrid system. As far as the output of petrol engine is concerned, it will produce 143 Bhp. The mild-hybrid feature will equip the SUV with extra 20 Nm of torque aimed at improving the low-end torque of the SUV. As is the case with many other mild-hybrids, the one on Hector too will come with a regenerative braking system to recharge the battery during braking.

The mild-hybrid feature on upcoming Hector SUV will not only help reduce the turbo lag in the car it will also give the car quicker initial acceleration. Other than this, the driving benefits would be easier drivability in bumper-to-bumper traffic and bump in mileage of the SUV due to the automatic engine start/stop system of mild-hybrid conserving fuel. Hybrid variants of the MG Hector SUV are supposed to come at a premium of about Rs. 50,000 when compared to non-hybrid variants.

While the mild-hybrid system will make the upcoming SUV more fuel efficient, there is no official word on the mileage of MG Hector yet. Leaving the 1.5L liter turbocharged petrol engine aside, the other engine on offer on Hector will be a 2L Fiat Multijet turbocharged diesel, the latter being the same one found on Compass (rated for 170 Bhp) and Harrier (rated for 140 Bhp). The diesel engine is supposed to be produce the same kind of output seen on Compass – 170 Bhp of power and 350 Nm.

The company will price the Hector SUV very aggressively. As far as features are concerned, the Chinese SUV will come with 360-degree parking camera, flat-bottomed steering wheel, cruise control, and TPMS. Apart from that the SUV will be equipped with sunroof on top models, LED projector headlamps and tail lamps, Harman Infinity audio system, and 10.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system supporting Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Apart from these could-based data-syncing and OTA updates for Hector are some of the high-tech features expected on MG’s first SUV in India.