MG Hector bookings to reopen on 29th September: Already open for priority waitlist registered customers

After massive demand for the Hector SUV, MG Motor had to suspend bookings temporarily as it scrambled to fulfill existing orders. The automaker had said that it would re-open bookings once it manages to ramp up production sufficiently.  It seems like the ramp up has happened, and fresh bookings for the Hector SUV will open on the 29th of September. Notably, MG Motor has already opened bookings for ‘priority waitlist’ customers. These customers will be able to book the Hector before others in a special window, between 25th and 28th September. The Hector has now become a top selling SUV in its class, beating the likes of the Mahindra XUV500, Tata Harrier and Jeep Compass. It’s still behind the Kia Seltos though, with which it has a significant price overlap. However, the Seltos is not a direct rival given the fact that the Hector is much larger.

Image courtesy Team-BHP

MG Motor will introduce a 6 seat version of the Hector early next year. The SUV has already begun road testing in India, ahead of its 2020 launch. The Auto Expo 2020 could be the big event where MG Motor launches the 6 seat Hector. 6 seats on the Hector in a three row layout makes a lot of sense as the SUV is quite long, and has enough leg room to accommodate an additional row of seats. Currently, the Hector is the only SUV in its class to have a recline function for the rear seat. There are many other class leading features that is making the Hector a hot seller in its segment. Such features include the panoramic sunroof, in-car internet connectivity through a micro SIM that also supports many internet car features and a massive touchscreen Tesla-style infotainment interface.

In terms of engine and gearboxes, the Hector currently offers petrol, petrol-hybrid and diesel options. The 1.5 liter turbo petrol engine makes 143 Bhp-250 Nm in both regular and 48V mild hybrid trims. The diesel engine is a 2 liter Fiat Multijet unit tuned to output 170 Bhp-350 Nm. The petrol engine gets 5 speed manual and 6 speed twin clutch automatic gearboxes while the petrol mild hybrid gets only a 5 speed gearbox as standard. The diesel engine gets a 6 speed manual gearbox. All variants of the Hector are front wheel driven. By early 2020, MG Motor is expected to make both the petrol and diesel variants of the Hector BS6 emission norms compliant, and prices will be hiked. So, the best time to buy a Hector is now, especially if you want to skip the price hike.