MG has just set foot in the country with its first offering, the Hector SUV. Even two years ago when they announced the set up of a factory in Halol (brought from the erstwhile General Motors), the public was skeptical. After all, MG while being a British brand was still owned by the Chinese. In India, the perception of Chinese products overall is low. The first major hindrance for MG salesmen will be to convince people that this is a British brand and not Chinese. The same way that JLR still remains as English as it can be though it is owned by Indians. The second aspect that MG should be worried about is of course the aftersales. Many-a-time, aftersales mar a company’s fortunes in the longer run. Ask Skoda or GM. The latter is the topic that we will be covering in this story.
During our first drive experience, MG did tell us that they have a surprise in store. The initial assumption was that the price will be way below our expectations. However, even though the introductory prices are fantastic, they are nowhere near the ones people expected (Rs 10 lakh). The surprise element was in the warranty. MG offers a standard warranty of five years and unlimited kilometres. This it calls the MG Shield. It is however different for private as well as commercial users.
Private owner
There is also the five years/unlimited kilometres roadside assistance too. In this the customer, in case they are stranded, will get a home drop as well as can keep the loan vehicle for a day. Medical assistance, if required, will also be provided via the 24×7 pulse hub care.
In the case of service, customers will be offered five free services which also includes labour. This is much higher than what the others in the segment offer. There are different three or five year service plans to choose from as well. These are called Classic and Premium. The Classic petrol three years/30k kms service plan costs Rs 8,000 while the five years/50k kms plan costs Rs 5,000 more. For the Premium plan, the prices are Rs 30,000 and Rs 55,000 respectively. If you have a diesel Hector, the three year/45k kms plan will cost Rs 15,000 while the five year plan is priced at Rs 28,000. However, for the diesel, the five year plan also includes the protection up to 75k kilometres. In the Premium plan for the diesel, one has to pay,50,000 and 80,000 respectively. MG did mention an Elite plan too and it seemingly covers even labour as well. However the details of the same are not available on the website and an MG dealer will be able to guide you better. You will be flummoxed to know that the service cost is 45 paise/km and 49 paise/km for the petrol and diesel respectively. This service cost is calculated based on preventive maintenance for up to one lakh kilometres and includes parts, labour, consumables as well as taxes.
There is also a buyback scheme through which personal owners are assured, of course with terms and conditions, of a 60 per cent buyback value for their Hectors. In case, you want to try out the vehicle for sometime, there is also the Myles subscription that enables you to drive the vehicle for a nominal fee. In case you don’t want to buy the vehicle, within the first six months of subscription, Myles will withdraw the program.
Commercial owner
MG has kept it transparent for both private and commercial owners. In the case of the standard warranty, the commercial vehicles will only have a limit of up to 1.5 lakh kilometres and five years, whichever is earlier. The roadside assistance part stays the same as that of the private owner. However, these Classic and Premium service plans are not available for taxi owners.
How does it look overall?
We believe MG Motors has got a solid product on its hand and this one should help them cement a place in the Indian market. With the kind of warranty as well as roadside assistance promised, we think the Hector is here to stay. However, only time will tell us about the reliability of the product and how effective all those promises are.