The Indian automobile market is a competitive space and tightly knit for new entrants to make their way without crossing a few hurdles. Consumers have their favourite brands when it comes to buying a car, be it SUV, sedan or hatchback. Of late, the SUV segment is under the spotlight with entries like Tata Harrier and Jeep Compass, and a new entry is expected to disrupt the harmony of these existing brands.
British-origin automobile brand, MG Motors, has announced that it will be launching its first SUV in India next month. MG Hector will be pitted against the most popular mid-size SUV options in India, including Jeep Compass, Tata Harrier and Hyundai Creta. Seeing how tough the challenge is going to be, MG Motors has some neat tricks up its sleeve that will surely make rivals feel the heat.
MG Hector SUV looks muscular, but there's much more than just the way the car looks. MG Hector is smarter than probably every other car in its segment in India and the iSMART card is going to do wonders for the company.
MG Hector is touted as the company's first internet car that features an advanced connectivity system called iSMART, which combines hardware, software, services and application. For this feature alone, MG Motors has partnered with Airtel, SAP, Cisco, TOM-TOM, Unlimit, Cognizant, Gaana, Panasonic, Accuweather as well as giants like Cisco and Microsoft for its connectivity system.
MG Hector will feature a 10.4-inch command console with a touch-screen display that will have pre-loaded entertainment content. MG Hector SUV will also be the country's first car with an embedded eSIM, which will support IPV6 connectivity and be ready for 5G when rolled out. To make things further interesting, MG Motors has Airtel onboard to offer free data for the first few years to its customers buying the car. Now you can stream music or videos without having to connect a third-party source such as a smartphone to the car's infotainment system. What a relief!
The British car brand has also eliminated the need for customers to drive to service centres for updating systems, which will be done over-the-air (OTA) – thanks to the integrated connectivity. Through these updates, car owners will receive new themes, infotainment content, latest map updates and much more.
MG Hector will be the defining factor of the brand's foray in India. By making sure it checks all the right boxes, MG Motors is out for the win. The new SUV will support Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well.
The upcoming SUV will sport the same engine as the Jeep Compass and Tata Harrier – a 2.0-liter Multijet diesel engine. The petrol variant will have a 1.5-liter turbo-charged engine with 6-speed manual and dual-clutch transmission options. With the top-of-the-line offerings, MG Hector SUV will be priced in the range of Rs 14 lakh. Stay tuned for updates.
