Three MG Motor Cars That Can Come To India

Update: The upcoming MG SUV has been christened Hector. Read more about it here.

Chinese car manufacturer SAIC has announced its plans of starting operations in India by 2019. While the company is yet to finalise products for the Indian market, it has already announced that it will bring its British car marque, MG Motor, to India. Let’s take a look at three of the most suitable MG cars that can work for the Indian market.

1. MG 3 – The MG 3 hatchback (second generation) was launched in China in 2011. It is a part of MG’s UK and Australia fleet as well. It measures 4,018mm in length in the UK and other markets, and trimming it down to less than 4 metres shouldn’t be a tough task. A 1.5-litre petrol engine powers the MG 3 in the UK, paired with a 5-speed manual transmission.

The MG 3 is powerful, and it takes it around 10.4s to do the 0-100kmph sprint. The engine is a 106PS naturally aspirated unit which puts it in Polo GT TSI and Baleno RS territory. However, if MG plans to bring the hatchback to India, expect a smaller and more fuel efficient unit to find space under its hood. It is almost of the same size as the Maruti Suzuki Baleno and should compete in the premium hatchback space. By the time MG starts India operations, the MG 3 second generation should be nearing the end of its lifecycle. As a result, we may get to see a new generation MG 3 coming to India.

The most affordable variant of the MG 3 costs around Rs 7.20 lakh in the UK. It gets features like hill hold control, stability control system, multiple airbags, front and rear disc brakes and tyre pressure monitoring system. If launched, the base variant of the MG 3 will skip a few features, and with it being manufactured in India, MG should be able to price it competitively.

2. MG GS – The MG GS SUV is as big as the Hyundai Tucson. It is a relatively new model and was launched in China in 2015. In the UK, where it was launched in 2016, it draws power from a 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine. The GS is available with a manual as well as a dual-clutch automatic transmission. If launched in India, the GS should get a diesel engine as well. However, since the model is a couple of years old, it should be in the last stages of its first generation in 2019-20. The MG GS starts from Rs 12.50 lakh in the UK market and goes up to Rs 17.50 lakh.

3. Upcoming MG XS/ZS – The MG XS (as known in the UK) is a compact SUV that will be positioned under the GS. It is expected to go on sale later in 2017 with two petrol engine options. MG says that the XS will continue to have an affordable pricing structure, like other MG vehicles. In the UK, the XS will go after the Ford EcoSport, and if it is launched in India, it should compete in the compact SUV space.

MG’s India portfolio could see a lot of similarity with the UK offerings. MG’s China facility currently exports cars to the UK market, and with RHD MG cars made in India, SAIC might plan UK exports from here. In the company’s most recent release, they have mentioned that their vision is to deliver environment-friendly mobility solutions in India under the MG brand. Roewe, another car marque in the SAIC umbrella, already has an electric compact car in the E50 that is sold in China.

With a lot of options to choose from, it will be interesting to see what direction SAIC gives MG in India. Whether it will rebadge an electric vehicle from Roewe as MG or will it be an SUV in the hot-selling compact SUV segment remains to be seen. However, a British car marque priced competitively is bound add a new flavour to the otherwise Japanese and South Korean dominated mass car market.