MG Hector posted more sales volume than many of its chief rivals in its first month of July 2019 with 1,508 units, Harrier slips to third in the segment
MG Motor India introduced the Hector only last month and it has received tremendous attention among customers. The hype surrounding the mid-size SUV was huge ever since its official name was revealed and MG backed it up with extensive promotion activities. Having completed its first month in the domestic market, the Hector garnered a total of 1,508 units.
In July 2019, the sales of Hector put MG Motor ahead of Nissan, Skoda and Fiat brands in total volume chart among manufacturers at tenth position. It must be noted that the British carmaker only plans to disclose retail sales – units sold to customers – to industry body SIAM as opposed to wholesale numbers meaning the dispatch to dealers as followed traditionally.
The Hector is aggressively priced in the segment between Rs. 12.18 lakh and Rs. 16.88 lakh (ex-showroom) so as to compete against a variety of rivals from Hyundai Creta to Jeep Compass. In its first month, the Hector beat Tata Harrier, Jeep Compass and Mahindra XUV500. It capitalised on the continual sales decline endured by the Compass as its volume slumped to 509 units in July 2019.
| Model | Units Sold |
| MG Hector | 1,508 Units |
| Mahindra XUV500 | 1,116 Units |
| Tata Harrier | 740 Units |
| Jeep Compass | 508 Units |
*Data Source: AutoPunditz
The Harrier, on the other hand, registered 740 units and the Mahindra XUV500 with 1,116 units. The bookings of the Hector have already crossed the 21,000 mark in the Indian market and MG has stopped reservations across its 120 touchpoints. The high-spec Smart and Sharp variants have been preferred the most as more than 50 per cent of the buyers registered for petrol trims according to MG.
While it will likely be resumed soon for 2020 deliveries, the production has also been ramped up from 2,000 units to 3,000 units at Halol plant in Gujarat that has installed annual capacity of 80,000 units to meet the requirements. The Hector has several highlights including the 10.4-inch vertically-oriented touchscreen infotainment system, artificial intelligence-based voice assistant, iSmart app and embedded SIM card.
It takes power from a 1.5-litre turbocharged 48V mild-hybrid system developing 143 PS and 250 Nm while the 2.0-litre four-cylinder Fiat-sourced diesel also found in the Harrier and Compass kicks out 170 PS and 350 Nm. The former is mated to a six-speed manual or a six-speed DCT and the latter is sold with a six-speed manual only.