[Nissan1180]

If a car catches fire, isn't an FIR registered since it is an accident? If FIR is registered, doesn't the police or any other agency conduct an investigation? Cars catch fire everywhere, and the immediate response from the company is to conduct a fair investigation.

I am surprised by the owners saying they are happy with the product, without demanding an investigation. Even Boeing had a flaw that created a fatal airplane. Mistakes happen, but not accepting them will only lead to a catastrophe.

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by Roadster17

The worse thing here is that they feel that we Indians are idiots and can be manipulated by these trickery.

By and large, humans tend to show this is true. Its not even linked to nationality. Its the same everywhere. Money and sweet deals generally are enough to sway people. And if the owner gets a good deal from his burnt car rather than hassle of police case, legal proceedings, an average busy Joe might just take it and get it over with.

[Sebring]

Probably, Turner Logistics has business dealings/friendship/affiliate with the MG Dealership and it was in their mutual interests to bury the matter. But the fact remains that the car burned and looks dangerous in the video

Originally Posted by aman-bh

The car is registered in "Turner Logistics" name, I'm assuming that official communication will be done and signed through them.

[advaydh]

Oh my! That's wrong in so many ways. Obviously breaks the trust for 1% of the people who know what the company is actually doing. (including the owner of the car.) I'm only waiting for a Hector to catch fire and the owner refusing the compensation and taking it to the media and higher authorities.

[RaghuVis]

Everyone is wondering why MG is not coming out with any statement.
My guess is that somehow they dodged one bullet with a lame statement from Turner Logistics which is enough to keep slave media on leash. There is absolutely no information on the other car though. I feel MG has not been able to cajole the owner (Yet!) and that is preventing them from making any public statements. I would say give it a couple of days, they will get through with the second owner as well (Money Of Course along with a little bit of intimidation) and then turn the tables and all the media will then start reporting on how MG was never at fault to begin with and despite the negative press, how nice of them to act swiftly and address the customers!

[bluevolt]

No matter how good there product might be but MG lost respect in my eyes the day they threatened to register case against the owner who tied his Hector to a donkey. While searching replacement for my City, I didn't even considered if a car like Hector exists.

Now the case of Hector catching fire and the manipulation at company level will erode any further remaining faith that this car/company got from the people.

Let MG manipulate news etc, they won't be able to manipulate monthly sales charts.

[wheelguy]

Originally Posted by wheelguy

Now they may/might let it stay to disprove the belief that they are censoring the media, and instead they may/might team up with media to paint a completely new picture which absolves them of any wrong doings. They got deep pockets, and a PR team which can prove a cat as a tiger.

Here it is, as anticipated, Gaadiwaadi just reported the incident, but the article is helping MG in vindication.

Title of the article: MG Hector Caught Fire In Delhi, Owner Issues Statement About Truth.

https://gaadiwaadi.com/mg-hector-cau...t-about-truth/

Originally Posted by RaghuVis

I would say give it a couple of days, they will get through with the second owner as well (Money Of Course along with a little bit of intimidation) and then turn the tables and all the media will then start reporting on how MG was never at fault to begin with and despite the negative press, how nice of them to act swiftly and address the customers!

Exactly, a glance through the above article would prove that your statement is right, just that they are yet to bring the second owner into picture.

[akj53]

After the Boeing 737 Max crashes, their entire worldwide fleet was grounded and all deliveries stopped. Here our bureaucrats manning the concerned departments have neither the qualifications not the aptitude to handle such issues. The least they could have ordered a thorough enquiry and fair compensation to the customers

[mayankk]

Some manager at SAIC is in for a quick reward basis how he has handled this. I have a feeling that they think they've managed to sweep this under the rug, but it's going to come back and bite them big time.
High handedness is definitely not the way to go about this, especially when you're a new, unknown entity, AND carrying the baggage of being Chinese. I'm all for good quality stuff they put out, but you cannot defeat the mindset of the majority.
I'd wish them all the best, but now would settle for seeing them flounder.

[DieselAddikt]

Since the car and it's monthly sales data was published, I have been wondering how people are so confidently putting 20L on a rebadged Baojun 530. Anyone who took my opinion on this car was promptly asked to wait for an year and then decide. Some of them bought other cars, some are waiting. I hope this is something actually related to the accessories and not the car itself.

[venkyhere]

Dear MG PR dept (or the PR contractor's minion who is reading this) ,

1. You have watched the Jason Bourne movies too many times in loop, and are trying desperate "this-needs-to-be-contained, lets-send-our-asset-to-neutralize" knee-jerk media muzzling. No matter what you do, information spreads faster than wildfire in this age of information revolution. The more you stay in the shadows and try to hush this up with childish "customer reveals truth via written statement" , the more damage you are doing to yourselves. All the hard work that you put into the sunroof, voice commands and touchscreen size (and their marketing) for attracting customers, will be more than offset by negative publicity about the cover-up that you are trying to do. Negative news (especially related to conspiracy theories) have the most "masala value" in social media - I'm sure atleast one person in your top management knows this simple truth about our world. (also, whoever was your person who helped draft that pathetic statement release from the customer, has not heard of the term 'nuance' )

2. The situation is apt for a repeat of Michael Corleone's final dialogue in Godfather - "Only Don't Tell Me That You're Innocent. Because It Insults My Intelligence". This is what BHP-ians who are writing in, into this thread, are trying to tell you, regarding your media shut-up campaign.

3. Learn from tata nano and Boeing 737. The safest bet is to come clean regarding the defect (by conducting an honest investigation), issue recalls, and correct the problem. Since you are in it for the long term, only this will instill brand confidence in your prospective customers.

[manjunathkl]

The discussions on this thread so far are broadly on 2 themes:
1. Chinese origin/culture
2. Hector's engineering

1. Chinese Origin/Culture: No one would've made a big deal about it if SAIC/GM had been open about the car's Chinese origins. When they tried to pass it off as a British brand, people will point it out at every given opportunity. If I tell everyone my wife is Megan Fox when she is not, people will point out. Regarding Chinese quality and comparisons to iPhones being manufactured in China is simply illogical. Even though iPhone is manufactured in China, its design, specifications, quality checks are controlled by Apple at California. Chinese employees of Foxconn are just following a blueprint and adhering to the high standards set by Apple. In the case of Hector, no such luck. SAIC owned Baujun is the mother of this car. I have also come across a Chevy Sail which went up in flames killing its driver. Chevy Sail was also a rebranded Chinese car. People will notice a pattern. SAIC/GM knowing well the poor anti-lemon laws in India, could've completely overlooked quality/safety concerns while they were setting-up manufacturing plant in India.

Needless to say, the letter signed by the customer is completely influenced by the manufacturer for the sole purpose of damage control. Their PR is pathetic I must say.


2. Hector's engineering: Do you think a 15-18 lakh car cannot be built fireproof in 2020? There might be faults created by accessories, but the car will not have any defense mechanism to prevent it to escalate to such a catastrophic fire? If the accessory was installed by-passing the safety systems - then it is a design flaw that allows such an installation. Isn't it?



This forum is for consumer's interest not to give benefit of doubt to manufacturers or the country they come from. Carmakers have a PR machinery to protect their image. Consumers have nothing other than T-BHP. So, let us keep the focus where it must be. The focus must be the cause of fire and how and whether SAIC/GM addresses it or not. That's the only thing that matters. Unfortunately, other than just a lame blame on some accessory - no other justification for the fire has come out. It is a big concern. The unanswered questions are:

1. How can an accessory cause a catastrophic fire? Why didn't a Rs. 10 fuse prevent the malfunctioning in the first place much before it caught fire? Are there any fireproofing materials used in the car or not?

2. Did SAIC show any concern for this at least to tell owners what accessories they can add and what accessories not to add? No. The fact the accessories were fitted by authorized dealer begs the question - How can a dealer put in an accessory that can cause a catastrophic fire?

3. Will they communicate publicly what is the findings of their investigations? And how will they address it? Absolutely taken-for-granted because we are Indians. If they do this in US/Europe they will know.

[ajmat]

Unfortunately, we have little data about the performance of the original Baojun, i.e if the vehicle is prone to fires. Any China data could be well hidden as SAIC is a state-owned enterprise.

Assuming, the original version was okay and also both diesel and petrol versions have been involved in fire incidents. My set of hypothesis are:

• Except for the dash cam and the portable refrigerator, none of the official accessories are even electrical so I really dont know if the dealer is the fall guy

If its happening only in India, lets look at the stuff unique to India (although might be rolled out to models elsewhere)

• The fancy internet inside device might be getting overwhelmed and heating up leading to fires. I noted that the screen was challenged and had a lot of lag during our test.
  
• The fancy LED headlights perhaps are low down, suspect to moisture, damage and maybe the occasional short-circuit

[discoverwild]

Which Private Limited company writes a letter in a half sheet of A4 and not an official Letter head?

A very simple question, with no gullible answer.

[123.rishabh]

After such a huge loss and safety concern, I don't think any customer can write about enjoying the driving experience and customer service satisfaction. This totally looks influenced by the OEM to prevent damage to their image.