MG Beats Slowdown Blues: Registers 30% Increase in Hector Sales Compared to July

• Published On: 19 September 2019
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MG Hector Trashes Slowdown Claims

MG Motor is having a good run with the Hector SUV. Thanks to the 28,000 strong order book, the automaker has been able to beat the severe sales slowdown that the car industry is going through in India. In August 2019, the MG Hector clocked 2,018 units, a more than 30 % higher than July 2019 sales of 1,508 units. The SUV’s bookings have been closed, and fresh bookings will be taken in a few months from now.

MG Motor wants to first service the current order backlog before taking additional bookings and the automaker currently has a capacity of 2,000 monthly units from its Halol factory in Gujarat. Deliveries of the Hector have begun in full swing, and MG Motor is planning more variants of the SUV by the end of 2020. Production of the Hector will also be bumped up by 50 % in the coming months, to 3,000 monthly units, and this should bring down waiting times to manageable levels.

MG Motor India Chief Commercial Officer Gaurav Gupta said,

We remain strongly focused on fulfilling the 28,000 bookings, as part of our commitment to ensure customer satisfaction. The strong momentum for its SUV Hector has continued with over 11,000 additional customers registered on company’s priority waitlist, after bookings were temporarily halted in July this year because of huge response. We are working closely with our global and local suppliers to increase the Hector’s production in a progressive manner.

MG Motor is also working on an electric SUV for the Indian market, which will be launched later this year. Called the MG eZS, the electric SUV is likely to rival the Hyundai Kona, and is expected to be priced close to the Rs. 20 lakh mark. A high range per charge will be a key selling point of the electric SUV, and MG Motor is expected to launch the eZS during this year’s festive season. As for the Hector, a 7-seat variant is in the works for a launch in early 2020. MG Motor will also make the Hector BS6 compliant early next year to meet the April 2020 deadline for Bharat Stage 6 (BS6) emission norms.

The Hector sold in India is offered with turbo petrol and turbo diesel engine options. MG Motor also offers a 48V mild hybrid option with the manual gearbox equipped turbo petrol engine. While the 1.5-liter turbo petrol engine with 138 Bhp-250 Nm gets 6 speed manual and twin clutch automatic gearboxes, the 2-liter Fiat MultiJet diesel motor (170 Bhp-250 Nm) gets a 6-speed manual gearbox as standard. A front wheel drive layout is standard on this 5-seater, monocoque SUV whose other key features include a massive infotainment console with connected car features, a panoramic sunroof, recline function for the rear seat and a massive boot. Prices start from Rs. 12.18 lakhs, ex-showroom Delhi.