MG Hector: Every little detail you should know

India has loved the appeal of MG cars since the early day. However, after MG Rover went under, so did the last domestically-own mass production car company in the UK. After a slew of acquisitions which saw the group taken over by Nanjing Automobiles and then merging with China’s largest automaker, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) forming what we know today as MG Motors UK. So when the company officially make its entry into India under the name MG Motors India, they thought a country-specific car was only befitting. While the launch of the car is reserved for the middle of the year, several shots of the car under heavy camouflage have surfaced the internet. Before we get to its estimate launch date and price, let’s run you through what we know about it and MG’s plans for India from head to toe. Announcing its arrival into the lucrative Indian auto market, MG Motors has invested north of INR 2000 crore in India so far and is extremely determined to get up to 80 percent manufacturing localised from day one. While the feat in question is a tall order for such a young car company in the country, MG Motors has been taking swift actions to facilitate all of it without any hiccups. Being under the SAIC-GM-Wuling company umbrella, the first order of the business for the young carmaker was to acquire and move its production base into GM India’s now-defunct Halol manufacturing plant. 

MG Motors India has already chosen a name for the new SUV, and it will be called the Hector. Yes, it’s not a secret anymore but what does the name mean? Well, according to the manufacturer the name finds its origins from sources relating to European history. The first inspiration comes from the legendary the Hawker Hector, a legendary biplane which served with the Royal British Army and was a crucial tool of war during the Battle of France. The second inspiration goes back farther and also happens to be what originally spawned the name for the Hawker Hector. Coming straight out Greek mythology is Hector, the Trojan prince of Troy and the greatest fighter of the infamous Trojan war.

Getting back to the car in question, the soon-to-be-launched Hector will be purpose-made for India. However, dig deeper, and you’ll find that isn’t exactly the case. Under the huge company umbrella of SAIC, you’ll find another automaker which goes by the name of Baojun. It is a China-only car company and produces an SUV which goes by the name of 530. The company has plans to share not only similar design cues in the Hector but will also be sharing platforms between the two country-specific SUVs as well. We feel, if the Hector looks even remotely similar to the Baojun 530, that is only a plus for the SUV. The Chinese crossover is a looker! Say goodbye to your average Indian’s stereotypical thinking of what a China-only car model looks like. The Baojun is also sold under the Wuling and Chevrolet brand as the Almaz and the Captiva, respectably. It features a very bold design, with sharp creases from head to toe. With a broad shoulder line and taut stance, the 530 has all the right angles. 

The highlight has to be the front fascia, which gets a honeycomb-shaped blacked-out front grille, a sleek pair headlamps with DRLs, angular fog lamp housings and finished off with a sporty grille for the lower air intake. The side and rear profiles are equally good looking in nature, topped off by an integrated spoiler on the boot lid. The Hector, on the other hand, will get similar cues with distinctive touches in place courtesy of MG Motors India. On the prototypes, we noticed features like a shark fin antenna, roof rails, LED lights at the front and back, and 10-spoke alloy wheels. Both SUVs will also share a similar mechanical platform, demonstrating the versatility of the new car’s chassis. Also similar in both models is the McPherson struts at the front and torsion beam setup at the back doing suspension duty. Similar to the numbers found on the Baojun 530 5-seater, The length, width and height of MG Hector is expected to be 4,655mm, 1,835mm and 1,760mm respectively. The wheelbase, on the other hand, measure 2,750mm.

Seeing the fully-kitted out cabins that MG already offers in its arsenal, we know that Hector will be dressed to impress right from the start. Not only will the cabin have premium touches and materials thrown into the mix, but the SUV will also feature-rich as well. From a 12.1-inch touchscreen, Android Auto & Apple CarPlay mobile connectivity, 360-degree bird-eye view camera, large panoramic sunroof and more, the Hector will be ready to play in the big league. With its initial introduction to the market, MG Motors is most likely to stick the 5-seater configuration of the standard car. However, Wuling has introduced a 7-seater version of the Wuling Almaz in the Indonesian market, suggesting a possibility of integrating three rows of seats in Hector as well, if the demand calls for it. Despite the number of rows of seats, the car has been internationally praised for providing segment-leading leg and shoulder space. While shouldn’t come as a surprise, give the butch but boxy dimension of the global car.

Now let’s get to the juicy bits of the matter and how MG Motors plan to get the formula for sales right from the get-go. Understanding the split personalities of the Indian car buyer, MG will most likely be offering the Hector with two powertrain options. If so, the first could be a differently-tuned version of the 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol which does duty on MG’s international models like the new MG ZS. We estimate the engine will produce close to 150bhp and 250Nm of torque. We got the chance to drive this particular model at the MG Experience in Bangkok. Have a look at the video below to see what our first drive impressions were:

The second engine which might be on offer would become the best seller of the two. This mill is rumoured to be the 2.0-liter turbo diesel from FCA, similar to the one found under the engine bay of the Tata Harrier and Jeep Compass but tuned differently to suit its characteristics. In the Harrier, this unit produces 140bhp, while it makes 33 more horse when powering the Compass. Torque levels in both state-of-tunes remain the same at 340Nm. In our first ride experiences of both cars, we found the engine to be relatively lag free, with power coming in linearly after the 1,750rpm mark. We expect similar levels of performance with the Hector, however details of power figures will be revealed later. Both engines are also likely to get the option of a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic. In China, the Baojun 530 is available with a CVT transmission, which can be adjusted using the drive-mode selector. It also gets an ‘AMT’ mode which mimics the feel of an 8-speed automated manual transmission.

MG Motors has begun setting up its dealer and service networks across the country and will launch the car by June 2019. We expect it to be priced competitively in the segment it competes in, with the price tag estimated to be in the region of 16 to 20 lakh rupees. Starting on a solid front foot, MG Motors has even roped in British superstar Benedict Cumberbatch as its brand ambassador.