MG Motor India launches seven-seater version of SUV Hector

New Delhi: MG Motor India on Thursday launched the seven-seater version of its popular SUV Hector priced between Rs 13.35 lakh and Rs 18.33 lakh (ex-showroom), as it enhances its product portfolio with an eye on selling a total of 50,000 vehicles in the country this year.

The company, which also launched the 2021 version of its SUV Hector range priced between Rs 12.89 lakh and Rs 19.13 lakh (ex-showroom), also plans to launch a smaller SUV later this year as it seeks sales in India to grow around 70-75 per cent this year over 2020.

"We are happy that 2020 is over, and now we are getting into 2021. Luckily we finished at a very good pace in the last few months...I hope there are no more surprises this year...The strengthening of our existing cars and the new car put together, we are looking at at least 70-75 per cent growth for this year," MG Motor India President and Managing Director Rajeev Chaba told PTI.

In the Hector 2021 line up, he said the company has made changes considering customer and automotive experts' feedback.

Commenting on the expectations for this year, Chaba said,"Last year the industry was down by 18 per cent, but our sales went up by 77 per cent. So this year 2021, I am expecting industry growth to be 15-20 per cent (albeit over low base) and we are expecting much more than that. At least we are expecting 70-75 per cent growth."

Elaborating on how the company would achieve the target, he said, "For us we are still a newcomer and I think still we have some more arms in our armoury. We are introducing the 7-seater Hector Plus."

The seven-seater variant of Hector Plus provides room for more occupants with 2nd-row bench seats for three adults and the 3rd row for two children. It comes in 1.5-litre turbo petrol and 2 litre turbo diesel engine options.

Also, Chaba said, "In EVs (ZS EV), we are looking 100 per cent increase from last year when we sold 1,300 cars. This year we are expecting anywhere between 2,500 to 3,000 cars. So EV should give us extra volume."

Stating that the company launched its premium SUV Gloster only in October last year, he said, "We should have a full year of Gloster. Then, the fourth will be our new car launch in quarter three of this year. Few months of that car as well. So actually is the strengthening of our existing cars and the new car put together we are looking at 50,000 units of sales this year as compared to around 28,500 last year."

MG Motor India said its 2021 Hector range comes with over 60 Connected car features with newly added features like i-SMART app on Apple watch, voice search for songs in Gaana app, Wi-Fi connectivity, weather forecast by Accuweather, among others. The upgraded i-SMART has 'Hinglish' voice commands and is equipped with an engine start alarm and an in-car voice alert for critical tyre pressure.