The Baojun 530 was spotted undergoing road testing
yet again recently, courtesy Team-BHP forum member Racer911. The first model
from Chinese conglomerate SAIC will go on sale in Q2 2019. While the spy shots show the
original Baojun 530 on test, reports say that a different version is planned
for India. SAIC will sell all models in our market under the MG brand. Spy shots haven’t reflected these
exterior design changes so far, but they have revealed that the interior will
have some bits borrowed from the bigger Baojun 560.
The MG-badged Baojun 530 will have a length, width
and height of around 4.7 metres, 1.8 metres and 1.8 metres respectively. Where
the original version is available with petrol engines, the Indian-spec version
will employ the 2.0-litre MultiJet II diesel engine sourced from FCA. This
engine is made in several versions. In the Jeep Compass sold in our market, it
produces 173 PS and 350 Nm of torque. A 6-speed manual transmission as the
standard offering is a given.
The MG-badged Baojun 530’s mass production will take
place in Halol, Gujarat, at the plant formerly owned by GM to make the Cruze
and the Tavera. The C-SUV will rival the Jeep Compass, but priced well below
INR 20 lakh, expect some indirect competition from the Hyundai Creta and the
Kia Tusker/Kia Trazor (production Kia SP Concept) as well.
SAIC will launch one new model in our market every
year beginning next year. It plans to have around 300 customer touchpoints in
the country.
