The MG India compact SUV will likely come in 2023-24
The hotly contested compact SUV segment will likely see a new player from MG Motor India in the near future.
President and MD of MG Motor India, Rajeev Chaba has revealed that the company has plans to build a new sub-4-metre SUV by using an all-new platform.
The same platform will also be utilised by the firm to manufacture an MPV and a hatchback, Chaba added. But, the firm would need a new manufacturing facility to do so.
MG’s plant at Halol in Gujarat, can produce 80,000 units a year now. The carmaker is working to increase its production capacity to 1 lakh units per annum.
According to Rajeev Chaba, if the company achieves 1 lakh units production milestone in the next 1-2 years, then it will get into a second plant either through a collaboration or on its own. It is at the new plant where the MG India compact SUV will be manufactured.
The carmaker has openly stated that it is open to partnerships and sharing capacity and MG India’s president says the firm has been “in touch with a few players in India.”
Considering the partnerships MG’s parent firm SAIC has had with the VW Group, the logical choice for MG would be to utilise one of the manufacturing facilities of Skoda Auto Volkswagen India.
The MG compact SUV is expected to arrive after 2023, followed closely by the MPV and hatchback. After the introduction of all these models, MG should be able to deliver around 2 lakh cars, which will justify the setting up of a new plant.
At present though, the carmaker has introduce a new variant to the Hector lineup, while in September, it will launch the Astor, the internal combustion version of the ZS EV.
