[07CR]

Originally Posted by clementj

The Gloster has started to arrive at the showrooms. We visited the nearby MG showroom and was able to check out a 6 seater Sharp variant in white color.

The car is mammoth in size, especially in white. Was impressed with the quality and feels very premium. The sharp variant itself appears to be very well equipped but it skips out on the following
- ADAS
- Electric boot close
- Auto park
- Massage function

Test drive isn't available yet.

Only the above mentioned features or are there are any more feature deletions ?
If you received any brochure of variant breakup, please do post on the forum.

[ruzbehxyz]

The Gloster has 7 modes with rock mode but no 4x4 low range. Very surprising, as even the 4x4 Scorpio use to get it.

[GTO]

If MG gets over optimistic with the pricing, it will end up like the Chevrolet Trailblazer. The brand shouldn't try punching above its weight. What worked for the Hector - being an unknown brand - is the VFM quotient. Based on what I heard, the Gloster isn't exactly the last word in depth-of-engineering either (e.g. gearbox, suspension tune, engine behaviour).

[Hayek]

Quite a brilliant launch video - very innovatively done, with two Desi executives, emphasising British heritage and trying to get us to forget the Chinese ownership. And at least in the videos, the interiors seemed superlative - my son said it looks better than a BMW. Given the SAIC GM connection, I presume this is the updated Trailblazer. Good car, launched well - and can succeed if priced well.

Agree with GTO - this needs to be priced below the Fortuner, and offer “more for less” to have a chance at success. Long term reliability will also need to be assessed, cars in this segment are expected to survive in very tough, hot and dusty conditions - let’s not forget that the Fortuner sells at least in part because of how it retains value. That will take years to establish here.

[Nalin1]

The Gloster looks fantastic .

Great looks, imposing road presence, very well put interiors and a rich feature list.

They do have a bench seat version, right? That will make it an excellent 7 seater. Hope it is not priced exorbitantly. That is a problem with some manufacturers. Whenever they launch a flagship product, suddenly they become greedy!. They just do not wait to see the market response by pricing it somewhat reasonably. That is, reasonably from our perspective.

[arzala]

Being a CKD, I don't think it will be cheaper than rivals Toyota and Ford, unless MG decides to bear loss initially and start manufacturing here if response is good.

[niruvrs9669]

Unique launch video ! Nicely done.
Like someone mentioned "The top execs made us forget about it being a 'Chinese' brand".

[07CR]

I am actually waiting desperately for Team BHPs review. Irrespective of the ownership, foreign companies coming to India benefits the country a lot. So I would encourage more of these big wigs coming to India and would await reviews for them, especially when the product itself is so much competent.

[TorqueIndia]

Found this vivid blue MG Gloster along with slightly modified one sans the internet inside badge

Pure inspirations , everybody does that . By the way it’s a great attempt by SAIC pushing Gloster into the Indian market with hand picked exclusive features. My bet is the base 2WD variant may come at 24 Lakhs ex.showroom , which will please the enthusiastic MG dealers !

[CarNerd]

Design is too bland. Not at all aggressive. And that Gloster badging is an eyesore. But impressed with the space & features. I hope the ride quality is good on bad roads. Now coming to price, it has to be below both the Fortuner & Endeavour. No way this will sell above 25 lakhs.

[Gannu_1]

Guys, please refrain from discussing about patriotism and such on this thread and taking the discussions off-topic.

Thanks!

[avishar]

This is not the first time we are driving around SAIC products.

Remember the GM's last few cars in India? The Chevrolet Sail, the Sail UVA and Enjoy MPV?

Where do you think they came from? China and SAIC.

All three models were part of GM-SAIC JV in China and developed in China itself. Back in 2010 after years of struggling GM turned to its China portfolio to try and make a last ditch attempt in India.

SAIC AND GM ANNOUNCE EXPANSION OF COOPERATION IN ASIA

Shanghai – SAIC Motor Corporation, Limited (SAIC Motor) and General Motors Company announced today that the two automakers are expanding their cooperation in Asia.

SAIC and GM, which currently operate eight joint ventures in China, have formed a new 50-50 joint venture investment company, General Motors SAIC Investment Limited. Situated in Hong Kong, it will facilitate their expansion efforts. They also announced plans to leverage their resources to support expansion in emerging markets, beginning with India.

Based on the automotive industry’s long-term potential for growth in India, SAIC and GM have formulated a joint strategy for investment in the country. They will utilize GM’s two vehicle manufacturing facilities and a powertrain facility in India and GM’s nationwide distribution network in the formation of a new joint venture.

Small cars from Shanghai GM and mini-commercial vehicles from SAIC-GM-Wuling, SAIC and GM’s manufacturing joint ventures in China, will be produced and sold in India. These products will join GM’s global vehicles, allowing GM India to quickly add entries in growing market segments. The establishment of the India joint venture is expected to be finalized in the first quarter of 2010. GM believes the additional models and potential volume growth will result in the creation of more jobs in India



Autocar:

Chevrolet Sail U-VA launched at Rs 4.44 L


General Motors India has launched the new Chevrolet Sail U-VA at Rs 4.44 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The new Sail U-VA is the first model in India from the GM-SAIC joint venture.


From Wiki:


On 11 January 2010, Shanghai-GM introduced the all-new Chevrolet Sail.[15] The car was designed and engineered by the Pan-Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC). A 1.2-litre S-TEC II 64 kW engine and a 1.4-litre 76 kW S-TEC III engine are available.



The Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (or PATAC) is a joint venture between General Motors and SAIC Motor. It is a design and engineering center in Pudong, Shanghai, China, and is involved in engineering for Shanghai GM products




Later SAIC bought out their partner in GM in India. But in China they still hold a JV with GM called SAIC-GM-Wuling automotive company in which GM has a 44% stake. The Baojun 530 (MG Hector) sells as the Chevrolet Captiva in many markets.

So, yeah its totally upto people to buy what they want, but say if GM-SAIC continued their operations in India with the New Chevrolet Captiva, would it have bothered anyone?

[vigneshkumar31]

The car looks massive and definitely turns heads. Its lines are even a departure from the brute styling that the existing ladder frame SUVs have been gunning for. Macho, or not, it does look 'fresh' and it can easily be confused for a more expensive vehicle on the roads.

Since the Hector's launch, MG has been desperately trying to alienate itself from its Chinese ownership and has been screaming British on the customers faces so loudly hoping we would overlook SAICs rebadging of the Wuling /Baojun Chinese SUV as Hector here. They went so far as to make Benedict Cumberbatch the quintessential Brit to sell it to us. Despite the shrieks, the Chinese dna will hurt the car in the current
Economic Environment prevalent in the country.

The Gloster's size and interiors definitely makes one not brush it off aside in comparison to the competition. Especially, the interiors in videos, look truly best-in-class. And look at that third row and luggage space!, which has been a gripe amongst most other cars which have an excuse of a third row. MG has gone the extra mile and ensured that the Gloster has the 'best-in-class' tag in multiple categories, because that's the only way you can be taken seriously at this price bracket for a relatively new company.

There's no choice, but to undercut the rivals in pricing if MG hopes even for a moderate success. I don't see it as a runaway success against Fortuner but what it does, is suddenly challenge the lethargic and established competition not to take us for a ride and skimp on essential kit they provide internationally but cut down when they come to Indian versions. In that regard, I welcome any worthy competition in this segment regardless of who its from. For this reason a moderate success of Gloster is actually beneficial to the Indian car buyer.

I am still not swung by the long term reliability or how these shiny bits will hold up with some age. And though the specs sheet has lots of bragging rights, we need to wait and watch if its only a paper tiger. The mechanicals in this car have still not proven their worth to earn our trust.

MG Gloster is going all guns blazing in its typical Chinese formula...awe the customer with the laundry list of features and a big screen with internet. The only question is...
If you had 35 lakhs, would you buy an all specced out Xiaomi or would you rather buy an established Apple /Samsung ?

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by 07CR

Maybe the first comparo on Youtube for the Gloster

Is it only me or the front grille of the Gloster is heavily "inspired" by that of the Endeavour?

[motorworks]

I saw a couple of You tube reviews on the Gloster and it does seem to make a strong case for itself. For a moment, forget its country of origin or the fact that its got nothing to do with British heritage or whatever. As a car, if it does get all its fundamentals right and also is priced right, then it does deserve a fair run. Also, I feel that the Gloster could make Toyota and Ford sit up and take notice. The Fortuner and the Endeavour have seen their prices rising steadily over the years and for about 35-40 lakhs they do not look that feature loaded actually. For a moment compare the Gloster or even a non direct rival like the Kia Carnival with the Fortuner and the Endeavour, and you will know that these cars are not that well kitted. I mean a Kia Carnival with all the bells and whistles in spite of it being imported is almost at par with the Fortuner and the Endeavour! I know they are different cars, but in terms size and price they are close. And similarly the Gloster seems to have a lot of things going for it. We do not know yet if its got the reliability of the Fortuner or the fantastic feel good factor of the Endeavour, but it surely would make some inroads in this segment and make sure that the other two dont take customers for granted.