Chinese auto conglomerate SAIC will enter the Indian
market next year with an MG SUV. MotorOctane reader Ankur Patel has shared spy
shots of this model’s test mule spotted on the Vadodara-Halol highway in
Gujarat.
The MG SUV SAIC is readying for India is a modified
version of the 530 SUV from its low-cost brand Baojun. Reports say that the
company will re-engineer it in no small degree and rework on its design before
pasting the MG badge on it. Body changes will include a new grille and
different bumpers to give it the look of the British brand.
The MG-badged Baojun 530 will measure around 4.7
metres in length, 1.8 metres in width and 1.8 metres in height. It will have a
2,750 mm wheelbase. While the original model comes with 1.8-litre naturally
aspirated, and 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine options, FCA’s 2.0-litre
MultiJet II turbocharged diesel engine is expected under the hood of the
version SAIC offers here. Tata Motors will also source this engine for its
Harrier (H5X) and H7X.
Class-wise, SAIC’s first model in India will rival
models like the Jeep Compass and Tata Harrier. However, with prices likely to
start well below the INR 20 lakh mark, we expect some competition from the
Hyundai Creta and the Kia Tusker (production Kia SP Concept) too. The company
will launch it in the second quarter of 2019 and plans to introduce a new model
every year.
