Last month, the Tata Harrier witnessed a huge 39 per cent fall in its popularity, while the MG Hector got such a terrific response that its manufacturer had to close the order book
It looks like the MG Hector will become the biggest blockbuster of recent times. The newly launched SUV clocked 1,508 unit sales in July 2019, its first month in the market. Of course, all those numbers came from leaving huge dents in the popularity of other SUVs in the segment.
For example, the Tata Harrier sold just 740 units last month, which is a clear 39 per cent drop from the 1,216 units sold in June 2019. Even the Mahindra XUV500, which found 1,116 buyers last month, fell by 60 per cent from 2,766 units sold last month. Clearly, the lower sales of the Cheetah-inspired SUV are due to the sales slowdown that affects the car market and the advent of new models like the Harrier and the Hector.
On the other hand, the Tata Harrier seems to be suffering only from the introduction of the MG Hector. The Hector is available in a price range of Rs 12.18-16.88 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi). MG Motor India closed the order books across all of its 120 touchpoints after the bookings crossed the 21,000 mark.
By doing so, the company intends to keep the waiting period from growing further. So far, more than 50 per cent orders have been for the petrol trims, with most buyers preferring the grunty 1.5-litre turbo-petrol motor over the 2.0-litre diesel option. Most customers have booked the high-end Smart and Sharp variants.
MG Motor India will soon ramp up the production of the Hector from 2,000 units to 3,000 units a month at its Halol-based production facility in Gujarat. The Hector has been promoted as the first connected SUV of the country and comes with 50 4G-powered features that can be accessed through iSmart.
The 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine of the MG Hector is even available with an optional 48V mild-hybrid system. The motor produces a maximum power of 143 PS and a peak torque of 250 Nm. On the other hand, the FCA-sourced 2.0-litre diesel engine offers 170 PS and 350 Nm. While the petrol engine option is available with a six-speed manual and a six-speed DCT options, the diesel engine comes mated to a six-speed manual unit.