- The camouflaged test mule of the SUV was an LHD.
- The RX5 could be the first model in MG India’s product plan.
- The British carmaker aims to be up and running in the country by 2019.
MG Motor India (Morris Garages) had announced its plans to enter India almost a year ago. Soon after, the legendary British automaker, now owned by Chinese manufacturer SAIC, inaugurated a manufacturing facility in Halol, Gujarat which will start production by 2019. The carmaker invested Rs 2000 crores in the plant and aims to produce 80,000 units per annum. And now, for the very first time, a test mule of the MG RX5 SUV was spotted testing in India.
The camouflage test mule was a left-hand-drive variant. We assume that the SUV is imported for testing in India and could be the first model that MG will introduce when they enter the market next year. The heavily cladded test mule appears to be the 2018 model year variant of the RX5 which is sold in the international markets. The stylish SUV comes with horizontally louvred grille with chrome finish. It has sharp headlights with LED DRLs and projector units. Even the taillights get fancy LED lighting signature. The silhouette is similar to modern-day compact SUVs with a raked D-pillar. The test mule spotted here had roof rails on top and was sitting on multi-spoke alloy wheels.
MG offers the RX5 with a choice of two TGI turbo-petrol engine options in the international markets. There is an SGE 1.5-litre four-cylinder unit with 166bhp/250Nm. The slightly bigger 2.0-litre NLE produces 217bhp/350Nm. The transmission options are six-speed manual, six-speed DCT and seven-speed DCT. An all-wheel-drive is available in the 2.0-litre variant. The India-spec car is expected to source the powertrain from FCA which could include a 2.0-litre diesel engine as well.
The MG RX5 is sold in international markets of Middle-East, China, and Latin America. The same car is also sold under the Roewe brand in some markets. When MG rolls into the Indian market, the RX5 could be produced at the Halol facility. Following the first product next year, MG plans to bring in a new car every year while expanding the dealership network and service centres across the country.
