- India-bound MG SUV was recently spied on the inside and it looks similar to the Wuling Almaz (group sibling) that was teased recently.
- Like the Almaz, the MG SUV could also get a large infotainment system (~10 inches) with air-con controls and many other features.
- Chinese company SAIC owns automobile brands like MG, Baojun, Wuling and Roewe. These brands are likely to offer cars with similar styling and features.
- MG SUV in India will rival the likes of the Jeep Compass, Hyundai Tucson, Mahindra XUV500 and the upcoming Tata Harrier
Chinese SAIC-owned British carmaker, MG Motor, is all set to enter the Indian market with a midsize SUV in its portfolio. Although the SUV is yet to be named, it is likely to be based on the Baojun 530, which is already on sale in China. Baojun is another SAIC-owned car manufacturer. The MG SUV will go on sale in India around mid-2019.
While its debut is still a few months away, the MG SUV has been spotted testing quite a few times both in India and abroad. In the latest images, its interiors were spied, with possibly a large vertically stacked infotainment system hidden behind a veil. We suspect the large touchscreen unit to be borrowed from the Roewe RX5, which features a 10.4-inch tablet-like unit. If MG’s first SUV for India gets the 10.4-inch touchscreen, it would undoubtedly be the largest screen in the segment.
Like the MG SUV in India, Wuling (another SAIC brand) will also launch an SUV that looks like the Baojun 530 in Indonesia. Wuling has now officially revealed that it will be called the Almaz in Indonesia and has opened bookings for it. Its prices will be disclosed around Mar-Apr 2019, around the same time when MG Motor will also reveal its first SUV in India, as exclusively reported by CarDekho before.
Wuling has also officially teased the Almaz and it has revealed a large vertically stacked tablet-like infotainment system in the dashboard. The interior of the Wuling Almaz, especially the design of aircon vents, the placement of start/stop switch and other interior bits appear similar to those of the upcoming MG SUV for India.
Apart from the audio controls, the large infotainment system on the Wuling gets controls for air conditioning and seat ventilation as well. Although the functionality of the infotainment unit is expected to vary from one market to another, it is expected to get features like navigation, voice control, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto along with controls for air conditioning in India.
The MG SUV in India will be available with both petrol and diesel engine options. While the diesel version will be powered by a 2.0-litre unit, details of the petrol engine are yet to be officially revealed. Prices of the MG SUV are likely to start around Rs 17 lakh. It will rival the likes of the Jeep Compass, Hyundai Tucson, Mahindra XUV500 and the upcoming Tata Harrier.
Source: cardekho.com
