[sri_tesla]

I have a strong feeling that we will see the smartphone, solar situation repeating in car market over the next decade in India. Indian companies don't bother to invest in new technologies and govt don't bother to bring in proper policies. Other foreign companies will always be late to bring their new products to India and mostly will be overpriced.

Chinese companies will most likely end up winning the EV market. BYD (Olectra-BYD) is already selling the electric buses in India and the likes of TATA, Ashok Leyland are slow. Indians may used to have apprehensions about Chinese products earlier but thats changing fast.

[FIAT3031]

MG is adopting the TOP-DOWN approach for India.
Similar to the one carried out by Renault, Nissan, Honda etc.

However, what surprises me is if VW, Toyota, Ford & major OEMs including Honda have not been able to crack the Indian market, will MG ....!!!

Reversing GM to MG doesn't guarantee the reversal of fate in Indian market.
Our market & its people spare none - such is the demand and expectation.

Also Chinese players have struck gold in the phone / TV etc. market, however those are small ticket purchases.

But car purchase - Its one of those big ticket purchases where in lot of people save to buy a reliable, low maintenance & good resale model.
Can the same be said for MG ?

Similar to Jeep, which has the Wrangler, Cherokee in the high end while Compass for the mass - will dealer profitability not be a concern ?

How will MG dealers remain sustainable with just one model (Q2. 2019) & one EV model (2020)

IMHO MG Motors will face a lot of tough competition with the upcoming Tata Harrier, Hyundai Sub 4M & Creta, Jeep Compass, Kia SP to name a few.

Imagine when our roads will be filled with these Jumbo SUVs [ Harrier, MG SUV etc]. Our roads are already congested & choked - to add to them will be the fuel guzzling 2.0L diesel engines

[TejasKinger]

Slightly OT, MG Motors has roped in the artist Alicia Souza for branding efforts on Instagram.

They have also started calling YouTubers and Vloggers to China to experience MG cars.

Example

[volkman10]

MG Motor SUV being benchmarked against Hyundai Tucson.

MG Motor India will introduce its first model in the Indian market sometime in the first-half of 2019. The company is currently begun trial production of its SUV for India at its Halol plant in Gujarat. While the name of this new SUV is not officially out yet, it is known that the model will be loosely based on the Baojun 530 SUV sold in markets like China.

Two engine options - a 1.5-litre direct-injection turbo-petrol good for around 168hp and a 2.0-litre diesel (sourced from FCA) - will be on offer on the India-bound SUV.

Link

[RavenAvi]

Spotted by one of my good friends on the roads outside Vadodara, Gujarat.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Renuka Kirpalani of ACI talks to Rajeev Chaba, President & MD of MG Motor India.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeQhwTy65WQ

I found this interview rather nice because of the no-nonsense and practical answers provided by Rajeev to all the questions. No big claims and no beating around the bush! Some key points as below -

• 40 to 45 dealers, and 60 to 65 touchpoints expected for Phase1
• Launch of first car in Q1 2019
• First launch is a C segment SUV.
• MG Cars will be the safe options. 5 star China NCAP certified. Targeting 5 star for BNCAP as well.
• Diesel and Petrol options at launch
• BS6 ready, but will wait till fuel is made available before recalibrating to BS6.
• Second launch will be a pure EV. Also an SUV.
• Plant capacity is about 80k units per year.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

5WQ[/url]

I found this interview rather nice because of the no-nonsense and practical answers provided by Rajeev to all the questions.

Rajeev is a no nonsense guy. When I had a 1:1 with him, he was very clear what he could and could not answer!

[VeluM]

Saw someone wearing a black MG tee-shirt (corporate looking elder person with a laptop bag) at hotel Ramada in Gurgaon this morning. Any event planned here or would it just be a corporate meeting?

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by VeluM

Saw someone wearing a black MG tee-shirt (corporate looking elder person with a laptop bag) at hotel Ramada in Gurgaon this morning. Any event planned here or would it just be a corporate meeting?

The corporate office is in Gurgaon hence the employees around the area.

[volkman10]

MG Motors SUV, Interiors leaked in spy images,

Its interiors has been spied for the first time. The top variant will get touchscreen infotainment system , while the entry level variant will get a 2 DIN system without any touchscreen. Top variant gets dual tone black and brown interiors, while entry level variant gets all black interiors.

Link

[JS Kwt]

MG Motor India: What you can expect

There's a lot of buzz around MG Motor - a new brand coming to India in 2019 to take on the best in the business. As many Indians don't know much about the British brand, Renuka went to Shanghai to sample some of the cars and learn a bit more.

https://youtu.be/3RajtlnwcXY

[sleepyk]

Spotted this a few times in suburban Ahmedabad and the highways around it... I have a hunch that this is the upcoming MG SUV. Halol is pretty close by.

Looks to be good.
A local driver with some Chinese or Korean looking auditors or engineers riding in the passenger seats. They'll get a proper idea of the requirements of a suspension in India with all the huge speed breakers in Ahmedabad.

[JS Kwt]

Originally Posted by avishar

Instead of the MG ZS, they should get the Roewe RX3. It is based on the same underpinnings. Slot it in in-between the Brezza and Creta. Market it with the MG brand ofcourse.

MG Motor likely to rebadge Roewe cars for India
A decision on cross-badging will benefit MG Motor as it has currently a limited range comprising a hatchback, sedan and an SUV

MG Motor should focus on its namesake brand in India since it is better known and has a more favourable perception than Roewe, say analysts.

Shanghai: MG Motor India Pvt. Ltd can tap the entire portfolio of sister brand Roewe to bolster its product range in the country even as it prepares to introduce its first model early next year. Cars under the luxury Roewe brand can be rebadged as MG Motor and marketed in India, said Rajeev Chaba, president and managing director of MG Motor India. Both MG Motor and Roewe brands are owned by China’s SAIC Motor Corp., the parent of MG Motor India.

“(The) MG Motor and Roewe brands belong to SMPV (SAIC Motor Passenger Vehicle Co.). All the products of SAIC Motor (from the MG Motor and Roewe brands) are available to the global brand MG,” Chaba said in Shanghai earlier in October.

MG Motor and Roewe already share vehicle platforms, he said.

A decision on cross-badging will benefit MG Motor as it has currently a limited range comprising a hatchback, sedan and a sport-utility vehicle (SUV). Roewe has more products, including the RX3 and RX5 SUVs and its latest launch Marvel X electric SUV.

According to analysts, MG Motor should focus on its namesake brand in India since it is better known and has a more favourable perception than Roewe. “When they are starting off, I would worry about establishing the main brand, which is MG Motor. Because Roewe is predominantly considered Chinese, I don’t see a reason for them to experiment with it here unless there is a long-term plan to gain significant market share with a twin-brand strategy,” said Deepesh Rathore, co-founder and director at consultancy firm Emerging Markets Automotive Advisors.

MG Motor plans to start selling its first product, a mid-sized SUV, in India in the second quarter of 2019. The second car, to be introduced within a year of the first, will be a fully-electric SUV, the company said last week.


Founded in the UK in 1924, MG is an abbreviation for Morris Garages.

With an investment of more than ₹5,000 crore over the next six years in India, MG Motor’s foray is SAIC Motor’s attempt to gain a foothold in the burgeoning domestic automobile market, after General Motors Corp., one of SAIC’s partners in China, exited India in May 2017.

The factory can currently produce as many as 80,000 vehicles a year, which “will be expanded to 200,000 units going forward depending upon the requirement”, the firm said.


MG Motor’s electric model could be the fully electric Roewe ERX5 SUV, as Mint had reported on 24 April that MG Motor was testing this SUV in India along with SAIC E100 mini car. MG Motor plans to build its entire portfolio of vehicles, including electric vehicles, in Halol, Gujarat, with an aim of sourcing 80% of parts locally.

MG Motor India plans to launch a vehicle each year through 2021, with eight already being tested, said P. Balendran, the company’s executive director.

The writer was in Shanghai at the invitation of MG Motor India.

Link


The Upward Market trend and price hikes by all the major players in the Indian Automotive industry has created an opportunity for these Chinese Giants.
They could repeat the success story of the Mobile industry in the Automobile industry. (Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi)

Today
Entry level hatchbacks like Santro hav crossed 7L OTR
Entry level sedans have crossed 11L OTR
There is a Huge gap !


If SAIC/ MG come up with

• Aggressive pricing strategy - Price does Matter !
• Maintain good quality levels as Rajiv said "Safest Car" with 5 stars NCAP ratings
• Get Good looking Models
• Reasonable ride and handling
• Average Fuel Efficiency
• Give genuine extended warranties - 5 years/100000km
• Keep your spares cost reasonable
  
  and people won't mind !

People know today that even Mercedes and BMW have factories in China
I do have first hand experience of some Chinese Brand cars, they are good. And will succeed in India too, if marketed properly.

Trends are changing
People look for new phones every next year
And look for new Cars every 4-5 years

There's huge potential in India
Just like Jio captured the Telecom market

The masses are looking for VFM options
Maruti's success too is built on the VFM image
But Today Maruti service costs have gone much higher
It is no longer cheap to own or maintain a Maruti or Hyundai or Honda
Just the Resale mentality and huge network facility is pulling the crowds to Major showrooms

Give the market a VFM product and it will Click, it will Sell,
be it a KWID or NEXON

If MG gets the strategy right, the potential is obviously there.
Wish them all the best.
More competition is Good. Welcome.
More the merrier !

[JS Kwt]

MG, Cisco to launch Connected Cars in India:
Now MG is betting big in the field of connected mobility.

MG Motor India has announced that are looking to make inroads into the Indian market through a collaboration with Cisco and IOT expert UNLIMIT who will develop an India specific technology for connected cars!

The first MG SUV is expected to launch in the months to come and is expected to be followed by an all-electric SUV. The vehicles will all conform to three key pillars for the company diversity, innovation and safety. Now we can also expect them to be among the first connected vehicles in the country. Although we will have to wait to understand the depth of the connectivity that they will offer.

Link

[shankar.balan]

MG was always an “affordable” sports car brand for the masses when it was still alive in the UK.
The brand floundered terribly and then the Chinese snapped it up.
Personally, I m not sure how much the mystique of this old Brit Marque will appeal to an Indian buyer now that the marque itself is under Chinese stewardship.
If you ask me, I would not wish to buy an MG SUV.
However if they do offer a well designed and elegant, well priced convertible sports car, then hey, that may actually become like an enthusiast’s “fun” vehicle.
But thats my penchant for nostalgia speaking - there’s is nothing quite like one of those old 1950’s, 60’s and even 70’s, convertible top, carburetted, growly engined, low slung, all metal, sports cars. And in this “age of political correctness and soul-less-ness” in which we now live, I dont see MG, or anyone else, indulging the above penchant...