Hector Plus

The six/seven seater variant of the Hector has been unveiled; to be launched later this year

MG MOTOR HAS UNVEILED THE HECTOR Plus, the six and seven seater variant of the popular Hector mid-size SUV. With the addition of a third row, the Hector has grown 40mm in size. The Hector Plus will be available in two configurations – six seater and seven seater.

Differentiating it from the Hector are cosmetic additions both inside and out which, include an new all-black grille, chunkier LED DRLs, redesigned front and rear bumper, new design for the headlight and fog lamps, new taillamps and revised front and rear skid plates.

Inside, the three-row Hector Plus gets two captain seats for the second row in the six-seater variant, while the seven-seat version gets bench seats for the second and third rows. The interior gets a few mild cosmetic updates to go with the vertically-oriented 10.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system, the large panoramic sunroof and MG’s connectivity suite.

Powering the Hector Plus will be the same 1.5-litre petrol unit and 2-litre turbo-diesel engine as the ones doing duty on the Hector. MG Motor India is expected to launch the Hector Plus later this year and it will be priced at a small premium over the Hector.

RENAULT INDIA SHOWCASED THE Triber AMT at the Auto Expo 2020. The Triber, that can seat up to seven people despite its sub four-metre dimensions, has been a game-changer for Renault, making it one of the few brands to have grown in FY20192020. Renault India has also been ranked third in the JD Power customer satisfaction survey. But let’s talk about the Triber AMT first.

The Triber AMT will continue to be offered with the same 1-litre, 3-cylinder petrol motor that has been doing duty since its launch. It makes 70bhp and 96Nm but we expect Renault to soon offer it with an all-new 1.0-litre, threecylinder, turbo-petrol, BS6-compliant motor which makes 95bhp and was also on display at the Renault pavilion.

In terms of cosmetics, the only distinguishing feature on the Triber AMT is the contrasting roof, like we’ve seen on the Captur. Other than that, the Triber AMT gets colour inserts on both the bumpers. 28,000 Tribers have already been sold in the country and Renault is betting big on its budget 7-seater by launching it in South Africa soon. Renault is also aiming to localise all its products up to 80-90 per cent to bring the costs further down.