MG Motor opens production unit in India

Chinese automobile giant SAIC, through its Indian subsidiary MG Motor India, inaugurated its first car manufacturing facility in India at Halol near Vadodara in Gujarat. UK-based car maker MG Motor, owned by Chinese auto giant SAIC has set up its first manufacturing facility at Halol in Gujarat investing Rs 2,000 crore. With an initial capacity of 80,000 units a year in the first phase, MG Motor India will roll-out its first product from the plant in 2019.

“We aim to contribute to the ecosystem here in Gujarat by generating employment opportunities for local talent, leveraging the capable supplier base and contributing to the overall benefit of the society and community here,” Rajeev Chaba, President and Managing Director, MG Motor India, said.

The MG (Morris Garages) brand, which originated as an iconic British Racing Sports Brand in 1924, has evolved into a modern-day innovative brand in the last 93 years. “The MG brand has 500 owners in India since 1924, when the brand was first established in the UK. These owners and many passionate fans have expressed their curiosity, keenly anticipating the brand’s return to India. The first product will roll out from here in 2019, blending MG’s true DNA with modern British design language,” Chaba added.

“We greatly appreciate the pro-active approach displayed by the Gujarat government in facilitating the smooth transfer approval of the Halol plant and granting us the required approvals to re-start the operations. With this, we are very proud to play our role to the ‘Make in India’ initiative, contributing to the overall positive and sustainable development of the society here. With the takeover and other transfer formalities having completed, we will start refurbishing the entire plant very soon, with MG’s state-ofthe-art manufacturing tools, equipment and processes,” P Balendran, Executive Director, MG Motor India, said.