MG Motor India revealed the three-row variant of the Hector SUV at the AutoExpo 2020 held earlier this year at Greater Noida. The SUV maker recently confirmed that Hector Plus has gone into production and the launch is expected in the month of July.
Now, the company has listed the Hector Plus on its official website after manufacturing commenced at the Halol facility in Gujarat. While originally its launch was slated to take place in the second quarter this year, the event was postponed due to the virus outbreak.
Moreover, the three-row version of the MG Hector was captured on camera at the dealership stockyards, hinting that the company has commenced despatches ahead of the launch. The upcoming MG Hector Plus is based on the same platform as its smaller sibling.
Exterior Design
Coming to changes in comparison to its smaller sibling, the MG Hector Plus gets a few cosmetic changes upfront. The company has replaced the chrome border around the grille with a glossy black grille, which is flanked by new LED daytime running lamps. It also comes with a new pair of headlamps accentuating the front design. On the sides, it will feature roof rails, blacked-out B-pillars, body-colored ORVMs, and alloy wheels. The SUV also gets new front and rear bumpers, new rear tail lamp design, revised skid plates and more. The overall design of the car’s rear end looks more rounded than the 5-seater version. In profile, there is not much difference between the two vehicles.
Interior Design
Inside the cabin, the longer Hector gets new tan faux leather upholstery, beige headliner, a revised dashboard, air vents for the third-row passengers, rear AC vents, adjustable headrests and more. While the standard Hector comes with a five-seat configuration, the Hector Plus will come with captain seats in the middle row and a third row to suit family needs, most likely offering a 6-seater layout. It also gets air vents for the third-row passengers, rear AC vents, adjustable headrests for all passengers. The interiors will receive an upgrade in the form of new faux leather upholstery in tan colour. The dashboard will also get matching tan panels.
Features Expected
As far as features are concerned, it is likely to borrow most of the tech from the younger sibling including the connected car technology, which includes a 10.4-inch touchscreen unit. Like the 5-seater Hector, the new Hector Plus will also be a connected car, and it will receive Over the Air (OTA) updates allowing customers to update software or firmware, themes, infotainment content and more. Further, in terms of safety, six airbags, ABS with EBD, Follow Me Home headlamps, and a 360-degree view camera is expected.
Likely Powertrain & Transmission Options
The MG Hector Plus SUV will be powered by the same Fiat-sourced 2.0-litre diesel and in-house developed 1.5-litre mild-hybrid petrol unit. Both the engines will be mated to a six-speed manual gearbox as standard along with the dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT) as optional on the petrol model.
Also READ: MG Hector Plus Enters Production: What’s New?
Expected Price
The details about the pricing of the MG Hector Plus SUV will be announced at the launch event in July. The new Hector Plus will be the brand’s third product in the country, which will be positioned above the five-seater Hector SUV in its product portfolio for the Indian market. However, it is likely to carry a significant premium over the Hector, which starts at Rs. 12.74 lakh and goes up to Rs. 17.73 lakh. In India, it will rival the likes of the upcoming Tata Gravitas, 7-seater Creta and Mahindra XUV500.