SAIC-owned MG Motor plans to start selling its vehicles in India before mid-2019 and have a presence in major cities before that. The British brand will invest Rs 5,000 crore in India over the next six years and the first of its products here will be an SUV.
MG has announced that at least 80 per cent of this new SUV will be manufactured locally at its Halol facility, which was used to manufacture Chevrolet cars in India before. MG Motor remains mum about the segment to which this SUV will belong but the amount of localisation suggests that the carmaker is focused on pricing it competitively. This SUV will be based on one of the existing platforms from the company but don’t expect it to be a model from MG’s international lineup. Do not expect it to be a sub-4 metre compact SUV either as the company has already clarified that.
After the introduction of its first vehicle, MG Motor will follow it up with a new product every consecutive year. The company is also open to manufacturing “new energy vehicles” in India. While its initial products will be powered by petrol or diesel engines, expect hybrid or electric vehicles from MG once it is better established in India.
