MG (Morris Garage) Motor India on Wednesday unveiled its first product for India — the compact SUV Hector — that the Chinese-owned British brand will commercially launch in early June.

“Bookings will start early June and deliveries too,” Rajeev Chabra, president and managing director of MG India, said at the unveiling of the Hector which has many India-first features.

Calling it the country’s first internet car which is 5G-enabled, Chaba said: “The MG Hector, as India’s first internet car, has been built with a 75-per-cent localisation and comes power-packed with features, inside-out.”

The Hector will be available in three engine options — a 1.5-litre turbo-charged petrol engine, a 2-litre diesel engine and a 48-volt mild hybrid engine.

Entering the Indian market amid a 16 per cent drop in passenger vehicle sales, MG India, which has taken over erstwhile GM India’s Hallol and Talegaon plants, is eyeing the premium segment.

“The Hector will be operating in the segment where the Honda CR-V, the Jeep Compass and the Hyundai Tucson operate,” said Gaurav Gupta, chief commercial officer, MG Motor India. That puts the Hector in the Rs 15-20 lakh segment.

He said MG would be able to stand away from its rivals on account of its novel features, enabling it to thrive in a depressed market. On whether the depressed market conditions will impact sales, Gupta said: “We are coming with a product that will be a chief differentiator from the rest of the industry and we think that will help us in such tough market conditions.”

Hybrid model

Citing the example of the 48-volt mild hybrid engine that the Hector will have, Gupta said: “This will be an industry-first. No one had a 48-volt mild hybrid engine. It was first introduced in Europe. The battery itself cannot drive the car but it will provide up to 20 Nm (newton metre) torque whenever required.”