How will this SUV be positioned in the market in terms of segment and pricing? How would you differentiate it in the market?
While the dimensions of our soon-to-be-launched SUV will be the best in the segment, we also aim to create differentiation in terms of size, looks, features and safety. We want to create an overall value proposition that will help our first India product to stand out against the competition in the market. More details of the SUV including price will be announced closer to the launch of the product due to competitive reasons.

What kind of localisation can we expect in the first vehicle of MG Motor in India? Tell us something about your supply chain.
With our focus on owning the end-to-end supply chain for our vehicles, we aim to achieve over 75 percent localisation for our vehicles produced at the Halol manufacturing facility. We have also established a dedicated vendor park in the state of Gujarat, with some captive vendors setting up shops at our facility. In the longer term, we aim to ramp up manufacturing activities in India and the vendor eco-system will support our expansion.

I understand that the first SUV has been primarily designed in UK and China. Do you foresee MG Motor India having design and engineering capabilities soon?
All our vehicles will be designed and engineered in UK and China with the support of Indian engineers, with deep localization and manufacturing in India. We believe that having a local R&D setup is crucial to ensuring the long-term success of MG Motor India. It will provide us with a deeper understanding of the current and future market dynamics and demands, as well as the specific requirements and expectations of Indian consumers. This, in turn, will lead to more relevant products and competitive pricing of spare parts, service, and logistics.

The Indian Government is pushing for the growth of the electric vehicles in the country. What can we expect from MG Motor India on this front?
As a global leader in the EV space, our parent organisation SAIC has already built extensive capabilities when it comes to manufacturing environment-friendly mobility solutions. It is currently one of the few automobile manufacturers in the world which is capable of producing all three types of new-energy vehicles, be it plug-in hybrid, pure electric, or fuel cell. We do plan to leverage our parent company's in-depth expertise to launch state-of-the-art EVs in India and have already marked our global electric SUV to be introduced as our second product in India in 2020. However, we are also closely tracking all developments within the domain - be it in terms of policies/regulations or market demand - to gauge the readiness level of the country's EV ecosystem. The success of EVs in India will depend upon the creation of a dedicated pan-India infrastructure for EVs and related technologies, as well as the acceptance levels from the end-users.

China-based SAIC Motor Corp., the parent of MG Motor India, also owns the Roewe brand. Will MG Motor India consider launching vehicles under this brand in India?
We have no plans to launch the Roewe brand to the Indian market. The MG brand with its global recognition as a famous British sports car brand of the yesteryears, is sure to gain resonance and relevance in India.

What kind of portfolio is MG Motor India envisioning by 2022?
At present, we are mainly focusing on the fast-growing SUV market. That being said, we will continue to monitor emerging trends across different categories, with a view of tapping into any future market demand with our range of innovative offerings.
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