MG Motor at the 15th edition of the Auto Expo 2020 in Delhi revealed the MG Gloster SUV that is expected to be launched sometime around the festive season in India. The full-sized SUV rivals the likes of the Toyota Fortuner, Ford Endeavour and the Mahindra Alturas in the Indian market.
The MG Gloster was speculated to come around the INR 50 lakh mark and was said to come via the CBU (Completely Built-Up Unit) route. But new reports suggest that the brand is likely to localise the MG Gloster in a bid to lower its end-user cost and enable it to take on the competition head-on by being able to price it effectively.
It is being speculated that the brand will choose the Completely Knocked Down (CKD) route, where the company will save on import duties, to bring the vehicle into bits in India, to be assembled at the brand’s Halol manufacturing facility in Gujarat. The CKD route will help lower the retail price of the MG Gloster which is expected to be round the INR 35 lakh mark.
The MG Gloster is essentially a badge-engineered version of the Maxus D90 which is sold by the parent brand SAIC in the Chinese market. Though MG did not reveal the technical specification of the MG Gloster at the biennial event where it was showcased the Maxus D90 which is currently for sale in China measures 5005mm in length, 1932mm in width and 1875mm in height and comes with a wheelbase of 2950mm.
On the exterior, the car showcased at the Auto Expo 2020 featured a large grille with three chrome-accented horizontal blades, air intakes that flank the bumper, a chrome-accented skid plate and a large air dam, air intakes that flank the bumper, LED headlights with integrated LED daytime running lights (DRL), 19-inch alloy wheels, chrome window beltline, a wide tailgate, chrome-tipped exhaust pipes and LED tail lamps.
The Maxus D90 in China is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine that generates 224.34 PS of power and 360 Nm of torque and an option of a 2.0-litre twin-turbocharged diesel engine that produces 218 PS of power and 480 Nm of torque both matched to options of a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed automatic. MG is likely to offer both these engine in the Indian market, needless to say in the BS6 avatar.
While the SUV is expected to be introduced around Diwali, due to the uncertainties in the supply chain the timeline could face delays.
