MG HECTORTest location: Conoor
Photography: Rohit G ManeMG Hector
The Compass, Harrier, XUV500, even the Creta have a
high-decibel new rival from a new brandHIS IS ONE OF THE MORE
important tests of recent
times — the MG Hector is a
brand new car from a brand
new manufacturer; one that is a complete
unknown! We always go into a test with
some perspective. The Wrangler had properly
sensitised us to the Jeep brand and laid down
expectations for the Compass. With the
Tata Harrier and its Land Rover platform we
knew things would take a big jump forward
over the Hexa. But in the Hector’s case we
have no prior experience of the brand. MG
was all about small and affordable sporty
cars but what does the MG of today stand
for? What platform is it built on? Who are
the people behind its engineering? Where
was it engineered? Does MG have an SUV
backstory? We’re still not absolutely sure
who the Hector’s rivals even are because that
depends on its pricing and we will only know
that in the last week of June. This, then, is a
clean sheet of paper if ever there was one.
And MG parent SAIC’s huge bet on India,
following on from their short-lived partnership
when they bought half of GM’s Indian ops in
2010 following the global meltdown, depends
on the Hector making it big, on the Hector
drawing footfalls to MG’s 120 new dealerships.
So should you write that cheque?The Dragon in the room
As you are well aware, MG is owned by SAIC,
China’s largest and the world’s 12th largest
car manufacturer, and in China the Hector
is sold as the Baojun 530, a joint venture
brand between GM and SAIC. In some
markets the Hector carries Wuling badging
and in South America it is even sold as the
second generation Chevrolet Captiva. Of
course in India great lengths have been gone
through to blow bagpipes and emphasise the
Britishness of the MG brand, with a miniature
Big Ben alongside a London phone booth in
MG dealerships, both under a big Union Jack
emblazoned with a Keep Calm pun.
But, you know what, why should any of us
have a problem with a Chinese car? My iPhone
is made in China. I just bought a massive TV
that is made in China. Half of everything that
we import comes from China. In a country
that worships cricket, if a billion don’t have
a problem with a Chinese mobile phone
emblazoned across the national jersey, why
should we have a problem with owning and
driving a Chinese car? The Hector is made in
India, it has 75 per cent localisation and its
success or otherwise should purely rest on
the way it drives, its quality and of course the
pricing and after sales. So let’s get on with
what really matters.T