COVID-19 severely impacted India with the country currently under a nationwide lockdown to prevent transmission of the virus. The Indian automobile industry wasn’t spared with the majority of automakers affected by COVID-19. Launches of new vehicles were postponed as automakers were waiting for the relaxation in the lockdown. Automobile companies are now testing vehicles for future launch and MG Hector Plus SUV was recently spotted testing near the Halol Plant in Gujarat. The expectation of the MG Hector Plus SUV launch was last month but due to COVID-19, it got delayed. MG Hector Plus will compete against Tata Gravitas in the Indian market. Expected to launch in June 2020, the MG Hector Plus is to be priced at a premium of Rs 1 lakh over the current Hector model which is currently retailing at around Rs 12.73 Lakh (ex-showroom).
MG Hector Plus was showcased at Auto Expo 2020 in February, earlier this year. Based on the MG Hector, it will come in six-seater and seven-seater configurations. It will be slightly longer than the Hector SUV where the wheelbase remains identical to the five-seater model. Space in the last row would be more compared to the MG Hector. Design-wise, Hector Plus SUV will have minor design changes like a new shiny black grille surrounded by new LED headlamps. New LED DRLs, revamped front and rear bumpers and new tail lamps are the key highlights of the new SUV.
If we talk about the powertrain options, Hector Plus SUV will come equipped with Fiat-sourced 2.0-lite diesel engine, 1.5-litre turbo petrol and 1.5-litre mild-hybrid petrol engine. The transmission system will be six-speed manual gearbox as a standard offering while dual-clutch transmission will be offered on the petrol models as optional.
After the launch of MG Hector Plus, we can also expect the launch of MG Gloster in India by the year-end. MG Gloster will be powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel engine with manual and automatic transmissions in the offering. It will be bigger than the Toyota Fortuner and Ford Endeavour. MG aims to create a niche for itself in the Indian SUV segment with MG Hector Plus and Gloster. MG Gloster could be priced around Rs 28 lakhs for the base model.
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