MG Motors has taken over General Motors’ Halol factory in Gujarat, and come 2019, the first MG-branded cars meant for the Indian market will roll out. In a press conference that happened moments ago, MG has announced that the ZS compact SUV will be the first vehicle that will be launched in India. The MG ZS will take on the Hyundai Creta and Renault Duster compact SUVs in the Indian market.
The MG ZS is currently sold in the Chinese market, is available with two petrol engines – One is a turbocharged 1.0-litre engine that produces a maximum of 123 Bhp and 175 Nm while the other is a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated engine that produces 118 Bhp and 150 Nm. There’s no diesel engine on offer presently although MG may offer one for the Indian market specifically. Here in India, SUVs need a diesel engine to be successful and we hope MG knows that.
The MG ZS sold in China is much larger than the Creta and Duster, with a length of 4.5 meters. In fact, it’s as large as the Mahindra XUV500 but offers 5 seats instead of the former’s seven. In India, MG may play the value card by positioning the ZS as a large yet affordable SUV in the Creta segment. Indians love value-for-money products and the larger size of the ZS is a good opportunity for MG. There will be heavy localization to keep costs down.
MG has plans of launching one car each year in India, which means that the next product will be launched here in 2020. Exact details of the 2nd MG car for India haven’t been revealed yet. Earlier reports have suggested that the MG GS SUV will be the 2nd product. If launched here, the MG GS SUV will compete with the Jeep Compass and the Hyundai Tucson in the 15-20 lakh rupee price bracket.
