MG India’s First SUV To Launch By June 2019

MG’s debutant product is expected to be a rebadged SUV from Baojun, another brand under China’s largest carmaker, SAIC, like MG   

While most of you may already know that MG Motors is set to enter India in 2019, the Chinese-owned British carmaker has now confirmed that it will launch its first vehicle in the second quarter of the year. Apart from this, the carmaker also gave us a glimpse of its first car for India. As predicted, it’s going to be an SUV!

The teaser image with the title ‘Made in India for Indians’ show what seems to be the Baojun 530, an SUV produced by MG Motors’ sister company Baojun for the Chinese market. The 530 SUV is a product of the partnership between SAIC, General Motors and Wuling. It made its international debut in March 2018. We know for a fact that MG has been testing the 530 along with another Chinese SUV - the Roewe RX5 - in India for some time now. Based on the teaser image, we believe MG has picked the Baojun over the Roewe as its first offering for India.

The Baojun 530 packs five seats and will rival SUVs such as the Jeep Compass, Mahindra XUV500, Hyundai Tucson and the upcoming Tata Harrier. When launched, it will be longest SUV in its segment. Expect it to be more spacious than the others as it packs a longer wheelbase as well. Check out the dimensions below:

	Baojun 530	Jeep Compass	Hyundai Tucson	Mahindra XUV500	Tata Harrier (H5X concept dimensions)
Length	4655mm	4395mm	4475mm	4585mm	4575mm
Width	1835mm	1818mm	1850mm	1890mm	1960mm
Height	1760mm	1640mm	1660mm	1785mm	1686mm
Wheelbase	2750mm	2636mm	2670mm	2700mm	2740mm

In India, The MG SUV will be available with both petrol and diesel engine options. The diesel-powered version is likely to be equipped with the Fiat-sourced 2.0-litre engine that also powers the Jeep Compass. This motor is available in two states of tune and it’s unclear which one MG picks for its SUV. In the Compass, it produces 173PS of power and 353Nm of torque. The upcoming Jeep Renegade compact SUV, on the other hand, is likely to be propelled by the less powerful version that generates 140PS and 350Nm.

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Details of the petrol engine are yet to be confirmed. In its home market, the Baojun 530 is powered by a choice of two engine - a turbocharged 1.5-litre  or a naturally aspirated 1.8-litre engine.

MG Motors’ first SUV for the country will be manufactured at MG’s Halol facility in Gujarat. MG is expected to heavily localise the SUV in order to keep its prices in check. It is expected to be priced around Rs 14 lakh, which would make it about Rs 1.5 lakh cheaper than its closest rival, the Jeep Compass (Rs 15.35 lakh to Rs 22.85 lakh ex-showroom Delhi).

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