MG Hector bookings have re-opened in India and alongside the company has announced price hike of up to Rs. 40,000
MG’s India division has re-commenced the reservations for its first product in the country, the Hector. The mid-size SUV gained tremendous reception when it went on sale towards the end of June 2019 after months of build up. Initially, the bookings began on June 4 and by the time of its official launch, the Hector reached the 10,000 mark.
With demands consistently increased, MG temporarily stopped the Hector’s booking in July when it hit 28,000 orders. The five-seater was announced to be sold out for the year and about 15,000 customers are asked to wait in the priority waiting list. MG does not want to lose out on buyers and thus ramping up the production at Halol plant in Gujarat by November.
The British manufacturer has now announced that the bookings have re-opened and currently the waiting period stands at around three to four months. Along with that, the Hector’s prices have been increased. For instance, the entry-level Style manual petrol variant sees a hike of Rs. 30,000 while the Smart 1.5 petrol AT, petrol/hybrid Sharp MT, Sharp AT, 2.0 diesel Sharp and Smart MTs have witnessed a price increase of Rs. 40,000.
In the meantime, other variants have faced Rs. 30,000 price hike. The range-topping 2.0 diesel Sharp MT costs Rs. 17.28 lakh (all prices, ex-showroom). These prices will come into effect from September 25 onwards. Bearing in mind that the engines have not been given the BSVI upgrade yet, the Hector’s prices will go up further before April 2020.
| MG Hector | New Price | Old Price |
| Style MT | Rs. 12.48 | Rs. 12.18 |
| Super MT | Rs. 13.28 | Rs. 12.98 |
| Super MT Hybrid | Rs. 13.88 | Rs. 13.58 |
| Smart MT Hybrid | Rs. 14.98 | Rs. 14.68 |
| Smart AT | Rs. 15.68 | Rs. 15.28 |
| Sharp MT Hybrid | Rs. 16.28 | Rs. 15.88 |
| Sharp AT | Rs. 17.18 | Rs. 16.78 |
| Style MT Diesel | Rs. 13.48 | Rs. 13.18 |
| Super MT Diesel | Rs. 14.48 | Rs. 14.18 |
| Smart MT Diesel | Rs. 15.88 | Rs. 15.48 |
| Sharp MT Diesel | Rs. 17.28 | Rs. 16.88 |
The Hector, based on the Baojun 530, uses a 1.5-litre turbo 48V mild-hybrid system developing 143 PS and 250 Nm. The 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel, on the other hand, develops 170 PS and 350 Nm. The former is mated to a six-speed manual or a six-speed DCT while the diesel is offered only with a six-speed manual transmission.
Some of the highlighting equipment in the MG Hector are a 10.4-inch vertically-oriented touchscreen infotainment system with Gaana and TomTom navigation, embedded SIM card with internet connectivity features, panoramic sunroof and AI-based voice assistant system. The ZS EV will be the second product from MG and it will go on sale in early 2020.