5 New MG Cars Confirmed For India: Majestor to Starlight 560 Hybrid
JSW Group-owned MG Motor India is planning to take over the Indian automotive market with a number of new vehicles. The company will be launching a few SUVs and electric cars in the country, and if you want to know which new MG cars are coming, then here are the details of each of them.
Next month, in April, MG Motors will be officially launching the Majestor D+ segment SUV in India. This SUV will take on the Toyota Fortuner, Skoda Kodiaq, and Jeep Meridian in India. The Majestor is based on the current Gloster full-size ladder-frame SUV but has been heavily redesigned and has now become much more premium. It now gets a split headlight design with a massive grille, new alloy wheels, and rear-end design.
On the inside, the Majestor takes things up a notch and features dual 12.3-inch screens for infotainment and digital driver's display with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. It also gets 12-way powered front seats with 8-mode massage, heating, and ventilation, and a premium 12-speaker JBL sound system.
Powering the Majestor is a 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel engine, which produces 215 PS and 478.5 Nm of torque. It will come standard with an 8-speed automatic gearbox and will be available in both Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD) and Four-Wheel Drive (4WD) configurations. Pricing is expected to be in the range of Rs 45–50 lakh.
MG is also planning to bring the Chinese automaker SAIC Motor's premium electric car brand IM Motors to India with their popular IM6 electric SUV. This SUV is expected to make its debut around October of this year with a price tag of around Rs 60 lakh. It will take on the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 GT, Tesla Model Y, and the BYD Sealion 7 in India.
The IM6 in the international markets is offered with both RWD and AWD configurations. The former gets a single electric motor making 408 bhp, meanwhile the latter gets a dual-motor setup producing 778 bhp and 802 Nm of torque, capable of doing a sprint of 0–100 kmph in 3.4 seconds. On the outside, the IM6 boasts a very sleek and modern design, and the interior is very futuristic yet minimalistic with connected panoramic screens and vegan leather upholstery.
Apart from the Majestor, MG is also gearing up to launch the Wuling Starlight 560-based hybrid and electric SUVs in India. Both SUVs will boast similar exterior design but will be offered with different powertrains. The upcoming Starlight 560 hybrid will become the first affordable plug-in hybrid SUV in India.
It will come offered with a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine with a front-mounted electric motor. This setup will produce 197 bhp and 230 Nm of torque and also get a 20.5 kWh LFP battery offering a pure electric range of up to 100–125 km. The combined range of this SUV will be around 1,100 km.
MG will also be launching the Starlight 560 with an electric powertrain as well. It will be offered with a front-axle-mounted electric motor producing 136 bhp and 200 Nm of torque. As for the battery pack, it is expected to get a 56.7 kWh battery pack and offer a range of 500 km on a full charge. The Starlight 560 is expected to be launched around October of this year.
The MG ZS EV was one of the very first mid-size electric SUVs in India and helped MG a lot in establishing its EV presence in India. However, it will be replaced by a new SUV based on the SIGMA (SAIC Intelligent Global Modular Architecture) platform. The exact details of its electric powertrain have not been announced as of yet. However, most likely it will offer a range of around 500 km on a single full charge.
In addition to the ZS EV replacement, MG will also be utilising the same SIGMA platform as the base for the replacement of the ageing Astor mid-size SUV. This SUV will boast a much more modern design to make it competitive with the newly launched Tata Sierra, Kia Seltos, and the upcoming Hyundai Creta. The Astor replacement is also expected to make its debut by 2027.