Skoda India’s director, Zac Hollis went on a field trip to study the brand’s newest competitions—Kia Seltos and MG Hector. In a series of tweets, Hollis spoke about his visits to both the showrooms.
He appreciated the design and layout of MG showroom, and ‘British heritage’ corporate image, but pointed out that the Hector is “very Chinese” and the fit and finish are let downs.
Hollis found the Kia showroom “quite plain in design”, but was impressed with the vehicle. “I think they have a winner on their hands in Seltos. With India 2.0, we need to raise our game,” he said.
The Skoda India director has taken down the tweets. He confirmed that the Skoda Karoq will be launched in the 1st half of 2020 and a mid-size heavily localized SUV is expected in 2021.
Is Hollis correct about the “very Chinese” remark on MG Hector?
Yes, while Morris Garages Motors is based in the UK, it’s owners are China-based SAIC. Also, the MG Hector has been selling as Baojun 530 in China for a long time now. General Motors and SAIC partnered to produce it in 2017. The vehicle is also sold as Chevrolet Captiva in South America.
The Hector is manufactured at the former General Motors factory at Halol, Gujarat, which was bought by Chinese automaker SAIC recently.
Kia, on the other hand, is South Korean and owned by Hyundai. The Seltos is expected to share many components with Hyundai’s cars.
Both Hector and Seltos have generated immense interest in India. The Hector has received more than 10,000 bookings, while the Seltos has notched 23,000 bookings.
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