Indian-built 2022 MG Hector

Another market where right-hand-drive is the order of the day is India, but most models on sale there are very different to MGs sold anywhere else, with a big focus on local manufacture of models that draw heavily on vehicles that are sold in China, and a handful of other markets, under the Baojun brand. When it comes to the electric models, however, MG Motor India initially focused on a version of the MG ZS EV, tailored to Indian market requirements (a longer range is one requirement, rugged suspension another).

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Having sold 3000 examples of the MG ZS EV so far, MG Motor India’s President and Managing Director, Rajeev Chaba, said recently: “We have been very pleased with our electric vehicle product performance... We intend to launch more electric cars in the future”, adding that his intention was to add a cheaper model to sit below the ZS in MG India’s range.

MG Motor India’s Sales Director, Rakesh Sidana, said earlier this year that sales across the MG range were doing well: “MG ZS EV’s increased traction is also being witnessed across various quarters including luxury buyers looking for a personal driving experience”. MG Motor India has also been offering the ZS EV with Myles and Zoomcar, with Orix as a part of a monthly subscription plan called MG Subscribe which, the company says, has seen a positive response.

Alongside the ZS EV and the planned future models, MG Motor India builds the Hector and Gloster models, both named with a curious hat-tip towards British aeronautical heritage; there had, as previously reported, been plans for a second Indian factory but the impact of the Covid pandemic has meant that such ideas have been put on hold. The focus instead is to maximise output at the factory in Halol which SAIC bought from GM.

The Indian-built MG Hector is a highly competitive offering in the Indian market. It comes with either a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine or 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system.