MG (Morris Garages) Motor India on Thursday finally launched its first product, Hector, at an introductory price of Rs 12.18 lakh to Rs 16.88 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi).

MG has already received 10,000+ bookings for the Hector in 23 days since pre-orders began on June 4. It will compete with the likes of the Hyundai Creta, Tata Harrier, Mahindra XUV500 and Jeep Compass.

The 'internet car', has been launched with a vehicle ownership package - the ‘MG Shield’ that provides private owners a free-of-charge five-year comprehensive manufacturer warranty for unlimited kilometers.

It also includes round-the-clock roadside assistance (RSA) for five years and no labour charges for the first five scheduled vehicle services, the company said.

The Hector further offers prepaid maintenance plans starting at as low as Rs 8,000 for the first three years. Its total cost of ownership is also one of the lowest in the segment, starting at 45 paise per km for the petrol and 49 paise per km for the diesel, it said.

Commenting at the launch, Rajeev Chaba, President and Managing Director, MG Motor India, said, “As MG’s first product for the Indian market, the Hector comes with ‘MG Shield’, a first-of-its-kind package in the Indian auto industry which provides complete assurance to our customers, as we continue to remain focused on disruption and differentiation. With the very distinctive design that also packs in safety, best-in-class features and competitive pricing, the MG Hector will make an impact with buyers looking for something very different from the normal array of cars.”

Deliveries to customers who have pre-booked the MG Hector have been slated from the first week of July through its network of 120 centres across India, which the carmaker aims to expand further to 250 centres by September this year.

The ‘Made in India’ MG HECTOR is available in 11 combinations across four variants -- Style, Super, Smart and Sharp. It comes with three engine options - Petrol, Petrol Hybrid and Diesel. The petrol is available in both manual and automatic transmissions.

The Hector’s 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine delivers 143 PS power at a peak torque of 250 Nm, while the 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel engine delivers 170 PS at a peak torque of 350 Nm. It comes with best-in-class fuel efficiency for both petrol and diesel variants, with the petrol hybrid MT returning 15.81 km/l and diesel 17.41 km/l, according to ARAI, the company added.

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