MG Hector Bookings Re-Opened In India; Price Hike Announced

MG Motor India has re-opened bookings for the Hector compact SUV, the company has announced. The bookings will be open for a limited period and is a result of the automaker commencing the second shift at its Halol facility in Gujarat to boost production from November this year. In addition to the re-opening its order books, Morris Garages also announced a 2.5 per cent (depending on the variant) price hike on the Hector that will be effective for the new lot of customers, while the first lot of customers that are yet to receive deliveries will remain protected from the price increase. Prices for the MG Hector currently start at Rs. 12.18 lakh, going up to Rs. 16.88 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

Also Read: MG Hector: Which Variant To Buy?

Commenting on the re-opening of bookings, Gaurav Gupta, Chief Commercial Officer - MG Motor India, said, "We are extremely overwhelmed with the response that MG Hector has received. As part of our commitment to customer satisfaction, we plan to retain the very special introductory prices for our first customers who have expressed full confidence in the MG brand during its launch. We are also working towards accelerating our production ramp-up to serve our new bookings at the earliest."

Also Read: MG Hector: Top 10 Features, Price, Specifications

MG has sold over 3500 Hector SUVs since launch and received over 28,000 bookings in July

MG Motor made a big splash in India when it arrived earlier this year, and the automaker found more demand for the Hector than it originally anticipated. The increase in production was warranted by this overwhelming demand and has seen a direct addition of 500 personnel on the company's payroll at the plant. The second shift will be further facilitated by MG's global and local vendors increasing the component supply to ramp up production to meet the strong demand.

With manufacturing more streamlined, MG Motor is accepting bookings with priority given to the current waitlist that stands at 15,000 customers. Customers can start placing their orders on the company's website or at any of its 120 outlets across the country with a token amount of Rs. 50,000. The carmaker has received over 28,000 bookings in July this year, post which it had to stop accepting orders. MG has sold over 3500 units of the Hector since its launch. The Halol plant has an installed capacity of 84,000 units per annum. The current waiting for the Hector extends to nearly 3-4 months, depending on the variant, the company says.

Also Read: MG Hector First Drive Review

A seven-seater version of the MG Hector with the third row will be introduced by early 2020

The MG Hector has been badged, quite literally, as India's first Internet Car for its plethora of connectivity features on offer. The SUV is loaded to the gills including several segment-first offerings including the option of a 1.4-litre petrol-hybrid powertrain. The SUV also comes with 1.5-litre turbo petrol and 2.0-litre diesel engine options under the hood, with a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed DCT automatic gearbox options.

MG Motor India will be making another splash this year by joining the electric vehicle space with the MG eZS electric SUV. The model has already been confirmed for India and the company did release a new teaser recently, prompting at an imminent launch. The MG eZS will take on the Hyundai Kona EV in the segment and will be locally assembled in the country.