MG Hector spied testing in Mumbai ahead of India launch

- The MG Hector will be the first connected SUV in India. It will have a custom operating system.

- It will offer real-time information and will receive over-the-air (OTA) updates.

- The MG Hector will come with many segment first features.

Yesterday, MG Motor India released a teaser video of the Hector, which gave us a glimpse into the features that the premium mid-size SUV is expected to get. Although the car is yet to be launched in India, a test mule of the MG Hector was spotted testing in Mumbai on the Sion-Panvel highway near Kalamboli. The images are courtesy of CarWale reader Aditya Janorkar.

The Hector will feature a honeycomb mesh grille that will be connected with LED DRLs, while the SUV will get quad-LED projector headlamps that will be placed on the lower part of the bumper. The rear will feature wraparound LED taillights. The MG Hector is likely to feature a 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system that may very well be the largest in its segment and a panoramic sunroof.

MG Motor India is all set to showcase internet capabilities of the Hector on 2 April. The MG Hector is being billed as the first connected SUV to be launched in India. The company has appointed British actor, Benedict Cumberbatch, as the brand ambassador for MG cars in India. The Hector will be launched in the country this summer, possibly in May. The SUV is based on the Thai-spec 2019 Chevrolet Captiva, Baojun 530 and the Wuling Almaz.

The primary highlight of the MG Hector is that it will be the first car in the country to gets its own operating system until Hyundai introduces the QXi compact SUV. The Hector will come equipped with an eSIM card, which will connect the SUV to its India-based servers and provide information like real-time car health status, traffic information, navigation, AI assistance, biometrics, and over-the-air (OTA) updates.

The MG Hector will source power from a Fiat-sourced 2.0-litre Multijet diesel engine that makes 170 bhp and 350 Nm on the Jeep Compass. The car will also get an in-house developed 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol motor that develops 149 bhp and 250 Nm. Both the engines will be offered with a six-speed manual gearbox. A six-speed DCT will be available as an option, however, we aren’t sure whether the diesel motor will get an AT.