MG Motor India Celebrates 50,000 Units Production Milestone for Hector

MG Motors made its foray into the Indian auto market with the launch of the Hector SUV in the summer of 2019. It has seen a positive response from the Indian consumer, as they loved its feature-loaded and spacious cabin, premium design, and competitive prices. Though sales have slowed down a little, it is still a respectable seller and MG has also just updated the SUV earlier this year. And today we have this picture where workers at MG’s Indian manufacturing plant have neatly used red and white Hectors and women workers to mark a momentous occasion for the automaker.

In the picture, the workers that work at the MG manufacturing facility celebrated 50,000 units of the Hector being produced in India. It has taken the automaker just under 2 years to reach the milestone. Also, all the steps in the production process are handled by an all-women workforce. In this first-of-its-kind development in India, women-only teams handled everything including panel pressing of sheet metal, welding, painting, and also to test drive the vehicle after it rolls down the line. MG has also said that it plans to increase the women workforce capacity at its facility from 33% to 50% in the near future.

Speaking of the milestone, Rajeev Chaba, president and MD, MG Motor India said, “The rollout of our 50,000th Hector by an all-women crew comes as an honour to their contributions and hard work. It also demonstrates that glass ceilings no longer exist even in an erstwhile male-dominated industry such as automobile manufacturing. We believe that it will inspire more women to join the automotive industry in India and abroad.”

The MG Hector had just received a mid-life facelift at the start of this year and now comes with a more upright front-end with a redesigned grille with a chrome studded pattern inspired by the ZS range. There are also a new set of 18-inch five-spoke alloy wheels, a two-tone interior replacing the all-black one, and several new features. The features list continues to boast of LED headlamps with LED Daytime Running Lights, LED fog lamps, LED tail lamps, heated ORVMs, a seven-inch digital instrument cluster, 10.4-inch HD touchscreen infotainment system, ambient lighting, dual-pane panoramic sunroof, ventilated front seats, rear AC, AI-based voice recognition, OTA updates and a host of connectivity-based features with embedded SIM card.

Mechanically, the updated MG Hector continues the same powertrain options. It gets an FCA-sourced 2.0-litre diesel engine which churns out 170 PS and 350 Nm of peak power and torque, respectively. The 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine makes max power and torque figures of 143 PS and 250 Nm, respectively. The petrol engine can also be had with mild-hybrid tech for start/stop functionality and additional torque boost. A 6-speed manual gearbox is standard while the turbo-petrol variants also get a DCT gearbox. Prices for the new MG Hector range between Rs. 12.89 lakh and Rs. 18.42 lakh (ex-showroom).