India launches a China-made SUV, slaps a British name on it

MG – a carmaker with British origins which is part of the Chinese SAIC Group right now – unveiled its first body-on-frame SUV for India, the MG Gloster.

The company first entered the market in India last year with a production crossover/SUV named Hector, which used the Baojun 530 chassis and tech. In 2020, it released the Hector Plus seven-seater and the electric crossover named ZS. The Gloster revealed today was originally shown as a concept car at the India Motor Show in Delhi in February.

The vehicle is not new, however, being almost completely based off the Maxus D90 Pro. Badges constitute the only exterior difference, and at 4,985 millimeters long, the newcomer is marginally shorter than the D90 Pro with its 5,005 mm. The wheelbase stays unchanged at 2,950 mm, and the ground clearance remains unannounced (D90 Pro: 210 mm).

The interior has two major modifications. First, the Gloster is a right-hand-drive car. Second, it can have six or seven seats, depending on whether you want individual seats or a sofa for the third row; the D90 only ships with up to five seats.

The top spec lists adaptive cruise control, multimedia, all-around view cameras, a three-zone climate control system, a panoramic glass roof, AEB, head-on collision warning, automatic parking, lane control, and blind zone monitoring.

Indian media are reporting that the production has already started. Prices remain to be announced, but pre-orders are already running starting at 1 Lakh (100,000 Rupees, or $1,365 USD at current conversion rates).