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  • EU Prepares Hybrid Quotas as Chinese Imports Surge to 50,000 Units

    EU Prepares Hybrid Quotas as Chinese Imports Surge to 50,000 Units

    The European Commission is preparing import restrictions on Chinese hybrid vehicles after monthly shipments surged from 3,800 units in October 2024 to around 50,000 units by July 2026.

    Brussels moved toward safeguard procedures after China rejected requests for voluntary export curbs, as Chinese automakers including BYD and MG Motor increasingly pivot toward hybrid models in Europe.

    Safeguard Quotas Replace Pure Tariffs

    Under the proposed framework, Chinese hybrid models will enter the European Union under the standard 10 per cent automotive tariff up to an agreed volume ceiling. Any shipments exceeding that quota will face an additional special duty.

    Safeguard instruments apply to whole product categories rather than individual manufacturers, unlike the anti-subsidy duties on battery electric vehicles. European authorities can deploy them rapidly if sudden import surges threaten material injury to domestic car plants.

    China’s Ministry of Commerce rejected earlier requests for voluntary limits. The ministry stated that “so-called voluntary export restrictions seriously violate WTO rules and run counter to market principles and fair competition”.

    Hybrid Surge Bypasses Battery EV Duties

    Chinese automakers shifted their export focus toward plug-in and full hybrids after the European Union enacted anti-subsidy duties of up to 35.3 per cent on pure electric models in October 2024. That regulatory gap left hybrid powertrains exposed only to standard baseline import duties.

    Volume surged immediately. BYD registered 11,291 units of its Seal U DM-i plug-in hybrid in Germany alone between January and September, while SAIC Motor’s MG brand expanded its European presence through full-hybrid drivetrains.

    Total hybrid arrivals from China climbed from 3,800 vehicles in October 2024 to roughly 50,000 units by July 2026. For EU policymakers, the influx sustained price pressure on domestic carmakers while increasing fleet emissions contrary to regional climate targets.

    Local Assembly Accelerates Across Europe

    Trade barriers on fully built imports are driving Chinese investment into European production hubs. BYD begins series production at its new manufacturing plant in Szeged, Hungary, before the end of the year.

    Chery is assembling vehicles alongside Ebro at a joint facility in Barcelona. Xpeng has established semi-knocked-down assembly operations with Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria. These footprints mirror agreements Japanese manufacturers struck with European authorities four decades ago, trading import caps for regional factory investments.

    For Asian supply chains, the pivot from finished vehicle shipping to local assembly shifts freight demand toward battery cells, sub-assemblies, and specialized automotive components.

    Talks Underway in Beijing

    European Union Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič opened direct negotiations in Beijing with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao. The two sides are discussing export caps and minimum price undertakings across both electric and hybrid categories.

    EU trade officials want an enforceable ceiling that shields domestic manufacturing while local factories ramp up competitive electrified powertrains. Bernd Lange, Chairman of the European Parliament’s Trade Committee, stated: “The goal is to flatten the import curve and give the European automotive industry time to do its homework.”

    Negotiators must now settle terms before the European Commission formally launches the safeguard procedure. Import volumes through the final quarter will determine the quota baseline.

  • MG Motor Introduces Waiting Period Benefits For Its Existing Customers

    MG Motor Introduces Waiting Period Benefits For Its Existing Customers

    MG Motor has come out with an interesting and unique approach for those customers who have already booked the Hector but are waiting to get the delivery. It has started a new reward scheme under which it is giving 1000 points per week to its customers till the time they get their SUV delivered. The points can be redeemed to purchase MG’s range of accessories the company is offering on the Hector or can be spent on the prepaid maintenance package it had announced at the time of launch. However, the company has not clarified the value of these points in terms of Rupees which may vary.

    Commenting on the new initiative, Rajeev Chaba, President & Managing Director, MG Motor India said, “As part of our commitment to customer satisfaction, our ‘Worth Waiting For’ programme has been further augmented with a unique rewards initiative. Apart from driving the cause of girl child education, the rewards initiative brings delight to our HECTOR customers as they take deliveries.”

    The latest initiative is in succession to the IIMPACT NGO scheme MG had announced earlier according to which it would educate one girl child for every two weeks’ waiting period. MG Motor had stopped taking bookings for the Hector after it bagged 28,000 bookings. The company has said that it wants to prioritise the deliveries first for its existing customers and then proceed ahead with further bookings. On an average, there is a six month waiting period for MG Hector.

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  • MG Motor India Introduces Annual Maintenance Package For The Hector

    MG Motor India Introduces Annual Maintenance Package For The Hector

    The MG Hector has finally hit the showrooms. It’s the stepping stone for MG Motor in our market and the company is going the whole hog to ensure that the Hector doesn’t fail to appeal to prospective customers on any front. The car has been packaged really well and has upped the ante in its segment in more than one way. Besides being the first connected compact SUV it also packs in several segment-first features and is offered with multiple powertrains and gearbox options. And now MG Motor has come up with pretty reassuring after sales service plans as well.

    The company offers Five years unlimited kilometers warranty, Five years unlimited kilometers roadside assistance, Five labor free scheduled services and medical assistance via 24×7 pulse hub in case of an emergency are among the services which will be standard with the car. Other than these, the company has also introduced four annual maintenance service packages- Classic, Classic 360, Premium and Premium 360 for Hector customers. The service packs can be purchased at a premium of ₹ 8000 for the base Classic pack which will be applicable for five years. The Classic and Classic 360 provides additional scheduled maintenance plans for the Hector. The Premium and Premium 360 plans on the other hands also cover wear and tear of parts (excluding tyre, battery and accidental repair) along with scheduled maintenance plans.

    In addition to these services, MG Motor will also offer 60 percent assured resale value after three years of ownership if customers are willing to upgrade to a new model. The company is also planning to launch four new SUVs by 2021 including an electric SUV and a seven-seater version of the Hector. The after sales services and annual packages are expected to be standard across the range.

  • MG Motor Opens Its First Flagship Showroom In India

    MG Motor Opens Its First Flagship Showroom In India

    MG Motor India today inaugurated its first showroom, or as the company likes to call it, flagship experience store in Gurugram, Haryana. Located at Milestone Experion Centre, in Sector 15 Gurugram, the new flagship showroom from Morris Garages (MG) Motor India is the first of the 120 centers that will be activated across India. Having said that, the MG India plans to further expand its network to a total of 250 centers across India by September 2019. Today the carmaker also commenced the official bookings for the company’s first car in the country, the MG Hector for a token of ₹ 50,000. The customer test drives will commence from June 15 onward.

    Talking to carandbike.com, Rajeev Chaba, President, and Managing Director, MG Motor India, said, “This is in line with our brand purpose of enabling exciting experience every time. So, we thought we will have an experience center or a flagship store, as well call it, of our own and we tried to give a very different experience.” He further added, “This is different than other places, and it goes back to the same thing that, if we need to be successful in this market, which is very tough, we need to do things in a different way, in a disruptive way and make sure that our employees are satisfied, dealers and dealer employees are satisfied, and if this set of people are ok, they will take care of customers. This is not a typical showroom, this is very different!”

    Being the company’s first flagship showroom in India, MG Motor has worked towards building an outlet completely different from a typical car showroom, based on the brand’s “Emotional Dynamism” philosophy. The visual cues include a unique facade grill in the shape of an “Upturned Mountain”, at the entry, while inside MG has made use of some creative elements to attract all the 5 senses of its prospective customers who visit the showroom.

    The new showroom has been designed to give its customers a taste of both, MG’s past and the present, divided into special sections. This includes a special zone at the entry that pays homage to the brand’s British Heritage, showcasing cultural icons such as the Big Ben, the Union Jack, telephone booths and streetlamps, incorporated as design elements. In fact, there is also a 1965 MG Midget on display inside the showroom. The showroom also comes with a special “LED Video Wall” – a large video wall made from 36 connected TVs plays artfully-created brand videos to further engage visitors. Furthermore, the center also has the MG Cafe within the showroom.

    The store also has a special section called the “Engineering Corner” with various vehicle components and the revolutionary 48V Hybrid engine, on display, along with engravings of other state-of-the-art features integrated into MG’s range of internet vehicles. In addition to that, there is also a “Live Vehicle Configurator”, a digital wall that allows prospective customers to select their choice of model, transmission type, and fuel variant, and customize the look and feel, and accessories the SUV accordingly. At 55 inches per screen, the configurator wall has the largest live configurator screen and is set up in a 6-by-6 format (36 screens).

    The new facility will also have MG Motor India’s corporate office above it, and the whole company-owned facility has been built under an overall investment of ₹ 150 crore. The carmaker’s first model – the MG Hector SUV is set to be launched in India later this month, and it will be the company’s first connected car for the Indian market. The Hector SUV will be made available in both the petrol and the diesel engines and there’ll also be a petrol hybrid offering up for grabs. The petrol version will get a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine, while the hybrid version will additionally come paired with 48-volt mild-hybrid architecture, as well. The diesel model will get the 2.0-liter engine in the MG Hector is the Fiat sourced Multijet unit which also powers other models in the segment like the Tata Harrier and Jeep Compass.

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  • MG Motor To Offer Free Data For First Few Years On The Hector SUV

    MG Motor To Offer Free Data For First Few Years On The Hector SUV

    MG Motor India announced first in segment connectivity features on the new Hector. Touted as the company’s first internet car, the upcoming MG Hector will come with a new advanced connectivity system called i-Smart next-generation system, a complete integrated solution that combines software, hardware, connectivity, services and application. The command centre is a 10.4-inch ultra large full-HD infotainment system that comes with pre-loaded entertainment content. The company says that the Hector SUV will help the owner stay connected on the go. The Hector has an embedded Machine to Machine (M2M) eSIM. The platform is Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPV6) and 5G ready. This is the first car in the segment to be launched with such a sim.

    Of course, all this will require data and the company today announced that it will offer data for free for the first few years. The company has tied up with Airtel to offer these services to the owners of the Hector SUV and this will make sure that you stay connected with the car as also the world on the move. The system has been developed in collaboration with several technological partners like Cisco, and Microsoft among others.

    MG Motor India has also introduced over the air updates for the first time in India which will make sure MG cars get updated as when new updates are available a function which we are familiar with on smartphones or tablets. Thus, the system would periodically receive new look and themes for the screen, new infotainment content and updates to maps to keep them latest always. The updates would also include updates for OS and Firmware. The vehicle will have the ability to receive new features and upgrades from time to time.

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  • MG Motor India To Launch Its First Electric SUV In Phased Manner

    MG Motor India To Launch Its First Electric SUV In Phased Manner

    We already have told you that MG Motor will launch an all-electric SUV in India and according to the latest news reports the company is planning to launch the upcoming electric SUV in select cities to begin with. “We will be launching the pure electric SUV in the fourth quarter (October-December) this year. It will be launched in some select cities across the country,” said Gaurav Gupta, Chief Commercial Officer, MG Motor India to the reporters.

    The company will be launching two models in India- starting with the Hector SUV and then a fully electric SUV, over the next nine months and has plans to launch one model in India every year. The company further shared that its electric vehicles in the country would have over-the-air (OTA) technology and would go over 250 km in a single charge. However, he refrained to comment on the selected locations.

    OTA technology is still an alien concept in India and MG Motor will be the first to have it in their models. OTA technology allows the auto maker to update its operating system in the vehicle helping refresh the content including entertainment features. OTA is a standard for the transmission and reception of application-related information in a wireless communication system.