MG Motors to Showcase its cars across 10 Indian cities

Chinese-owned British carmaker Morris Garage (MG) showcased its lineup of cars and SUVs at Gurgaon’s Ambience Mall earlier this week ahead of its arrival on Indian roads next year. The Ambience Mall showcase was the first of a two-part leg in Gurgaon as part of the brand’s 10 city showcase tour which will see it visit cities across the nation before ending back in the nation’s capital of New Delhi on the 17th of March, 2019.

The showcase at Gurgaon’s Ambience mall showed off four models from the carmaker’s current lineup along with a classic MG B Roadster. The four new vehicles on showcase included the MG 3 premium hatchback and three SUV models – the MG HS, MG RX5 and the MG ZS model. Members of the public were allowed to interact with the showcased models in the showcase area which also featured an interactive quiz and photo taking opportunities.

Not on showcase was the first India-spec SUV from the British carmaker which is C-Segment SUV currently undergoing testing ahead of its launch in India in 2019. The new C-Segment SUV will be powered by a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine along with a 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, which also powers the Jeep Compass and the Tata Harrier. Both engines will be compliant with upcoming BS-VI emission norms and the petrol motor will be paired with a dual-clutch automatic transmission.

The new MG SUV will be a 5-seater vehicle and will be aggressively priced thanks to local manufacturing at the former Chevrolet production facility in Halol, Gujarat which is now owned by SIAC, the Chinese owners of Morris Garage. To keep costs low, the SUV is expected to feature a high degree of localization as well with the carmaker aiming for 75% use of locally sourced components.

The new SUV will launch in India in the second quarter of 2019 and will rival the likes of the Hyundai Tucson and Mahindra XUV500. MG claims that the new SUV will feature a five-star safety rating.

In terms of design, the new SUV is expected to be modelled along the lines of the 530 SUV by Baojun, which is another SIAC-owned carmaker. The MG SUV is expected to take a whole load of styling cues from the Baojun SUV including the pulled back sleek headlamps, fog lamps, and the rear side glass design among other bits.

MG India’s second SUV for India will be an all-electric SUV, which the carmaker has claimed will revolutionize the EV market in India. Not many details are available about the new electric SUV, which is expected to be a global model. The new MG electric SUV is expected to arrive in India in the year 2020.