The automotive industry has become a hot topic of discussion even among the common folk of Pakistan due to the several developments that have taken place recently. One of the names that come up in these discussions quite often, is Morris Garages [MG].
Recently, Javed Afridi sat down with a UAE-based media outlet for a brief discussion, where he stated that the company is set to largen the magnitude of its impact on the Pakistani automotive industry. He added that two of the company’s local assembly plants are in the works, one in Karachi and the other in Lahore, with the latter almost near completion.
He added that both plants will allow the company to sell locally assembled EVs to the Pakistani public at a reasonable price. He also said that in the coming days, the company will add three more vehicles to its lineup, including a “surprise” budget friendly family car.
Although Afridi didn’t share any details about the vehicles that are to be launched, we have a reason to believe that these three vehicles will be the following:
MG Gloster
MG Gloster is a full-size 7-seater luxury SUV that is larger in size than both, the Toyota Fortuner and KIA Sorento, which implies that it would be in a class of its own after launch.
The Gloster is also a proper body-on-frame SUV that comes equipped with a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol engine that makes 211 horsepower and 350 Newton/meters of torque and can be mated to a 6-speed manual or an 8-speed automatic transmission. In Australia and New Zealand, the vehicle is also offered with turbocharged and twin-turbocharged 4-cylinder diesel engines as well as an all-electric motor.
The SUV offers several impressive features such as front collision warning system, automatic emergency braking, automatic park assist, hill start assist and descent control, power-tailgate, 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto connectivity, 6 airbags among many other features.
Being a full-sized 7-8 seater luxury SUV, it is hard to determine a price point for the Gloster SUV. However, it is likely that the Gloster would be priced almost the same as a locally assembled Toyota Fortuner, between Rs. 8 million and Rs. 9.5 million.
MG Extender
To recap, the Extender is MG’s midsize sports utility pickup truck that shares almost 75 percent of its underpinnings with the MG Gloster SUV. In Pakistan, it is likely to go up against the Toyota Hilux, the Isuzu D-Max, and the upcoming Volkswagen Amarok.
The truck is most commonly available in the international market with a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder diesel engine that puts out 161 hp and 375 Nm of torque. It comes with two drivetrains, a 6-speed manual that sends power only to the rear wheels, and an all-wheel-drive 6-speed automatic.
MG 3 (The Budget Car)
Quite possibly the car that everyone is most excited about is the MG 3. A compact, modern, and attractive-looking vehicle, the MG 3 won the hearts of the people instantly.
The MG 3 can be had with several modern features including a standard eight-inch touch-sensitive infotainment screen, Sat-Nav, rear parking sensors, a reverse camera with dynamic guidelines, multi-media controls on the steering wheel, Bluetooth connectivity, cruise control, AC with dust and pollen filter, a four-speaker premium sound system, and USB/AUX connectivity, 6 airbags, various driver-assist modes, among other features.
