MG trademarking the ‘Gloster’ name in India sparked rumours that it will capitalize it for its first car in the country. IAB has learned that MG Motor India plans to announce the name of this model, whether ‘Gloster’ or otherwise, in 2-3 months’ time. At this point the former is unlikely.
The MG SUV arriving next year is originally the Baojun 530. For India, it has gone under some cosmetic changes and heavy re-engineering, and the different brand calls for a different name. Spy shots have revealed that on the outside, it has a different front grille in the ‘Star Rider’ style as seen on the MG3 and MG6.
The interior too is a little different from the Baojun product. The centre console of the MG SUV is in the same design as the Baojun 560. The designers responsible for the Indian-spec version may have done so to make the cabin look slightly more upscale.
Design is not the only aspect the Indian- and Chinese-spec versions differ. In addition to a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine, the MG-badged Baojun 530 will come with a diesel engine. MG has decided to source 2.0-litre MultiJet II diesel engine from FCA. The Italo-American automaker is currently in the process of upgrading this engine to meet the BSVI emission norms. These engines may send drive to the wheels via a standard 6-speed manual transmission or an optional 7-speed automatic transmission.
Also See: MG India's first SUV with production elements spotted up close
MG will launch its SUV in India in the second quarter of 2019 (April-June 2019). It will manufacture this model at GM’s Halol plant (Gujarat), which it acquired last September.
