MG SUV for India teased, name announcement today
MG Motor India has released a teased image of its first-ever offering for the country, an SUV. The British automobile manufacturer will be revealing the name of the MG SUV today. It needs to be seen if MG Motor will reveal any more details in addition to the name. This SUV will be manufactured at the company's Halol plant in Gujarat. The SUV will be based on an existing platform but will be an exclusive offering for India and not a product from its international portfolio like the ZS or GS. It is believed that this all-new MG SUV will carry a traditional SUV stance and not be modelled as a crossover. The car will be a premium offering starting at around the Rs 14 lakh mark. MG has already been testing the SUV at different parts of the country.
The SUV will be sized larger than a Hyundai Tucson, and will possibly offer seven seats as well. We can expect to see MG's 'Star Rider' grille and sleek headlamps, as seen on other MG models like the similarly sized HS. The latest crop of MGs offer slick all-digital instrumentation on a 12.1-inch screen, with a 10.1-inch touchscreen for infotainment, apart from the signature turbine-shaped air-conditioning vents on the far edges of the dashboard. The China-spec 530 SUV is a five-seater currently, but it is large enough to be able to accommodate a third row should the need arise. Just how large? It stands 4,655mm long, with a wheelbase of 2,750mm, which overshadows the Hyundai Tucson by 180mm in length, and 80mm in wheelbase. That almost puts it in the same league as the Skoda Kodiaq, at 4,697mm length and 2,791mm wheelbase. The real clincher is the claimed legroom in the second row. It's an unbelievable 330mm, which puts it on the same level as the long wheelbase Mercedes-Benz E-Class sold here!
It will come with a choice of petrol and diesel engines, the specifics of which haven't been shared ? though in China it gets an NA 1.8-litre petrol, or a 1.5-litre turbo petrol, mated to an in-house developed six speed DCT. MG Motor will have its work cut out for itself with the ZS, given the established competition it will have to face in this segment. The company can counter this by providing Indian buyers with a quality product at a price undercutting the competition.
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