Morris Garages (MG), a British automobile brand now owned by SAIC of China, is bullish on Indian market and plans to invest Rs 3,000 crore more in the country, a company official said. MG Motor India, has already spent Rs 2,000 crore in the country and commenced anufacturing operations at its plant at Halol in Gujarat, the official said.
"We are committed to India and have started our journey in July this year. We have a long-term plan for the country and will make further investment of Rs 3,000 crore," MG Motor India chief commercial officer Gaurav Gupta told PTI. The carmaker has so far sold nearly 13,000 units of its internet SUV, MG Hector, he said.
Gupta said the company will launch an electric internet sport utility vehicle and will have a total of four models by July 2021, all in the SUV segment. With good response from the customers, the company had to increase production levels from November onward, he said, adding that the car manufacturer would focus on the SUV segment as it is fastest growing and in tandem with the global trend.
The company also focuses on expanding customer service centres and around 250 showroom-cum-workshops will be put in place by March 2020, he said. "In MG, we strive to attain for a balanced work force and diversity is core to the ethos of the company", Gupta added.
MG Hector SUV, the first product of the Marquee British Automaker MG Motor (Morris Garages) in the Indian market in the month of July. The price of the Hector SUV starts at Rs 12.18 lakh (ex-showroom, India) going all the way up to Rs 16.88 lakh (ex-showroom, India).
It is to be noted that MG Hector SUV is also be one of the first connected SUVs to be launched in India and it is offered in four variants - Style, Super, Smart and Sharp. It comes in in five colours - glaze red, burgundy red, starry black, aurora silver and candy white.
In terms of the engine, MG Hector comes with the option of both, petrol and diesel powertrains. There is a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine good for 141 bhp and 250 Nm of peak torque, with a standard 6-speed manual gearbox. You can have it with a 6-speed DCT (Double Clutch Transmission) also.
Then there is a 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel motor producing 168 bhp and 350 Nm of peak torque. It is mated to a 6-speed manual transmission.
(With inputs from PTI)