The Baojun 530 five-seater SUV sold in China will be re-engineered and launched in India as first product from MG Motor; to be aggressively priced against Hyundai Creta
The SAIC-owned British automaker MG Motor is all pumped to enter the Indian market next year and we already knew that it’s first product will be an SUV. However, with MG not officially giving a clear cut idea of whether it’s a brand new vehicle indigenously developed for India or something entirely born out of its existing global platform, the internet rumours were running on full swing in the last few months.
A recent report emerged on the internet indicates that the maiden SUV will be up for sale in the opening half of next year as MG Motor has already started its local operations and devised potential strategies. The company performed local dealer road shows with the Z5 SUV making it a near certain contender earlier this year but it is not turned out to be the case reportedly.
Also Read: MG Motors To Introduce Two Products In India By 2020
Instead, the Baojun 530 SUV sold in China will be re-engineered and launched in India. MG Motor’s Chinese collaborations are obvious as most of its manufacturing gets unfolded there by SAIC. The reason for basing the upcoming SUV on Baojun 530 is not known yet and the report claims that the production model has already begun testing.
The Baojun 530 is an interesting prospect, nevertheless, as it has bigger proportions than Jeep Compass but the India-spec MG version will be positioned aggressively against Hyundai Creta in terms of pricing. It will have MG flavour as far as cosmetics are concerned and will be “very different” from the model ply on Chinese roads.
Also Read: MG Motor Rolling Out First Vehicle In 2019; Inaugurates Plant In Gujarat
The China-spec Baojun 530 boasts a sleek exterior with a busy front fascia comprising of U-shaped sliver-framed grille assembly leading to the very slim headlamps on the ends. A single character line runs along the length of the five-seater from edge of the headlamps through the fenders and on to the rear. It has multi-spoke alloy wheels residing under the square-ish black wheel arches and raked windshield.
The roofline proceeds through the blackened pillars and does not abruptly connect the rear. The spy picture does suggest that the overall silhouette and bulk rear portion have been carried forward into the India-spec model. The rear section has horizontal tail lamps and black bumper housing the twin exhaust pipes.
It is safe to think that the yet-to-be-named SUV will bear styling influences from its MG siblings. The Baojun 530 adorns a two-tone black and silver interior theme with floating touchscreen infotainment system. The compact SUV is positioned under the Baojun 510 SUV in China and uses 1.8-litre naturally-aspirated petrol and 1.5-litre turbo petrol units.
For India though, it is expected to be assisted by a 2.0-litre diesel engine sourced from FCA. It is said to carry heavy local content and will be manufactured at the ex-GM facility in Halol, Gujarat.
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