[KL01toKA03]

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

Harrier - Lack of AT will come back and haunt the Tata. They need to bring it ASAP. This car still has a better road presence compared to Hector.

That is a difficult situation for Tata. If they rush the AT without proper testing, it might generate a lot of negative opinions and scare off potential customers.

If they bring the AT after a long time, or if they don't price it competitively, it might not sell.

[NiInJa]

I feel the Hector will get a good start, then it will settle to some below average numbers as the incumbents (Mahindra, Hyundai, Tata) up their game with better automatic transmissions, drive-trains and in-car connectivity by next year. Looks wise, I still feel the Harrier is no match to this.

Although the pricing is good, I still won't put my money on MG cars just yet. Reason: Its a completely unknown territory and I am not exactly confident on spending my hard earned 15 Lac INR on that car, especially when I have burnt my fingers with GM and Fiat. Many might be sharing the same sentiment. Some might argue that Jeep Compass entered in the same way BUT people knew about Jeep as a brand and had a inkling about where their money was going. Same goes to KIA, many people already know that its Hyundai's sister.

[The Riddler]

Delighted that MG could price their cars sensibly. Looks like they've studied the Indian market well.

The 5-year warranty they offer shows their trust in the product. I hope this launch will correct the inflated pricing across segments for SUV's. Compass in particular.

[NAVREVV]

Back after the TD of DCT Sharp Variant:-

Due to onslaught of customers in the showroom at Noida, waiting was going on for the TD. Look and feel of the showroom was good. Was made to wait for atleast 50 mins before i could lay my hands on the Hector.

The sales guy initially kept denying that DCT isn't available for TD and only Petrol manual TD is available. After showing my dissent, he suddenly comes up with DCT variant out of nowhere. God knows how?

Now about the TD:-

1. There is definitely a lag in the initial pick up. Petrol DCT seems less peppier than Diesel AT's.
2. Due to a congested set route for TD, couldn't really press the paddle so not quite sure how hard it revs at higher RPM's.
3. Suspension is set on a stiffer side.
4. No sports mode in DCT means no fun driving.
5. DCT seems a little jerkier to me as gear shifts aren't lightening quick and aren't as smooth as my DSG Vento. Tad disappointed here and makes me wonder what different will the Seltos DCT offer?
6. Feature packed and build quality seems top notch.
7. Very bulky so i don't know how would you use it for daily commute.
8. Panaromic sunroof is decent.
9. To top it all, if you aren't much fussier about little under performing DCT then pricing of the car would tempt you to go ahead and book.

For me, I'll wait for the Seltos and take a decision. Also, having seen the pricing, expect Seltos to be priced even lower. More the merrier!

[GTO]

Originally Posted by The Riddler

The 5-year warranty they offer shows their trust in the product.

More than that, the 5-year warranty is offered so that customers trust MG! Remember, the guy on the street hasn't ever heard of MG. Long warranties help in boosting consumer confidence.

[EcoFox0718]

Originally Posted by srishiva

Not sure where Seltos would fit in with these prices. MG seems to have stolen the thunder as far as features, interior space and VFM.

Not too sure if I agree with that. I felt there are many features on the top-end Seltos which are going to trump the Hector in generating the mass-market pull, not to mention I strongly suspect that driving the Seltos will be much more fun, especially the 1.4 L turbocharged petrol.

[sidharthg]

Originally Posted by madhavan1605

MG Motors has cleverly addressed few concerns of Indian Buyers.
1. Reliability of their vehicle - providing Industry leading 5 years unlimited kilometers warranty. 2. Also defined service package to address concern
3. Aggressive pricing in a pricing sensitive market
4. Providing advanced features in.a car less than Rs 20 lakhs.


All in all they have done what ever they could do at this stage.

Now onto actual on road performance of the vehicle in a tough market from an engineering stand point

You have absolutely nailed the entire strategy of Hector!

IMHO, people should not make a hasty decision in buying Hector immediately. I think there should be a 3-4 months of cooling period from launch to booking. By that time most of the competitors would have responded by upgrades/price cuts etc. or there would be an another new model arriving soon!

What also remains to be seen are the spare parts costs, the availability of spares, quality of dealership etc.

Call me old school, but I'm really sceptical of Chinese owned brands, due to compromised engineering and bling exteriors!

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by padmrajravi

The biggest doubt any customer will have is what if MG fails and closes down in couple of years. He is stuck with a vehicle no one will buy. Nothing gives such a customer more confidence than an assured buyer with assured price. Along with the MG shield ,I think MG has already won a lot of trust with this announcement.

SAIC command 30% percent+ of the Chinese market through VW, GM. JV's and their own brands. This gives them immense cash reserves. If I am right, India is the first place where they are setting up a proper manufacturing plant as opposed to a "knock up" shop. They are here for the long haul.

My guess is their sweet spot is when electric cars become mainstream in the long term.

[vineet1712]

What type of waiting period is given by sales reps for those who have booked ?
I went to flag ship showroom and they said 4-5 months for DCT.

[fache89]

I have a cousin who is a tenured professional at Maruti. He's been around in the middle management for about 13 years. In his words, the management in all the established brands are a bit nervous post the advent of the MG. It is because it's Chinese.

Their onslaught in the automobile segment is akin to the way they made rapid progress in the mobile and telecom segment. Of course, this time around Maruti can be replaced by Samsung and MG is analogous to Xiomi.

Will it find success? Only time will tell! But, given the intial pricing and the solid warranty and support package, I am inclined to see it as a serious contender.

Having said that, I still have my reservation with this car. Indians roads are merciless place. If the product is not robust, it can die a sudden death.

Just ask the taxi segment. They still swear at Chevrolet Tavera for its Central Bolt often called 'Tension Bolt' or absolutely dismal brakes of 'Chevy Enjoy' which can leave you stranded. On the other hand, just look at the brand loyalty of Toyota. The erstwhile Qualis is still missed and I have seen a few of them on road in decent condition in Kashmir where the terrain and weather are brutal.

In fairness, I see the advent of MG Hector as healthy competition. At the same time, if I were to buy an SUV in this segment today, I'd pick the Jeep Compass, but I might consider the MG Hector post an year or two.

[dhruvwali]

Originally Posted by vineet1712

What type of waiting period is given by sales reps for those who have booked ?
I went to flag ship showroom and they said 4-5 months for DCT.

I booked 3 days after price was launched in Noida showroom and was told September for deliveries of DCT Sharp.

[NAVREVV]

Originally Posted by vineet1712

What type of waiting period is given by sales reps for those who have booked ?
I went to flag ship showroom and they said 4-5 months for DCT.

The sales rep at MG told me that dealership has about 70% bookings only for DCT with a waiting period of 6-8 weeks but as other colleagues have mentioned, i would wait for Seltos and TD the GT Line variant in order to have a clear feel of DCT on offer in Seltos.

[Equus]

Indeed MG seem to have hit the sweet spot! The current Indian market rewards winners big, so wouldnt be surprised if this beats XUV500 numbers consistently. Quality of the product and the service experience would likely be the only issues that can bring the house down.



Definitely Seltos pricing would interesting! It would be a much superior product, I reckon. It would also be smaller in dimensions. Hector is longer than CR-V and just 14cms shorter than Fortuner!

[McLaren Roxx]

What fantastic pricing. MG has hit bull's eye & priced it within the sweet spot. By managing to keep it sub-20 lakh on road, Hector should be a big disruptor in the Indian market.

Their intent is clear - do what OnePlus did to the mobile phone industry - flagship specs at a non-flagship price.

All the best MG & well done for putting your best foot forward.

[fx45]

I would really be interested in knowing the real-world fuel economy figures of the DCT after say a few months. Going by the DCTs used in other cars, (not the Venue), havent seen any appealing numbers or even above 10kpl in real world city driving.