As Mahindra tightens its grip on the segment, MG prepares a technology-led counter with hybrid and EV firepower.
16 Feb 2026 | 1 Views | By Ketan Thakkar and Sergius Barreto
With a strong presence in the B SUV space with the Windsor, JSW MG Motor India has now set sight on the growing D and C segment SUV market.
While the Majestor will look to challenge Toyota Fortuner in the D SUV space, what follows will be an aggressive ...
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With a strong presence in the B SUV space with the Windsor, JSW MG Motor India has now set sight on the growing D and C segment SUV market.
While the Majestor will look to challenge Toyota Fortuner in the D SUV space, what follows will be an aggressive entry into India’s high-volume midsize SUV battleground with the upcoming Starlight 560 C SUV.
Internally codenamed 520 on the flexible F150 platform, the aim would be to offer a C-segment SUV that will directly challenge the Mahindra XUV 7XO and 9S with its own electrified powertrains at an aggressive price – following a template of lower segment price, higher segment space and features.
People close to the company say the F platform is central to MG’s strategy of differentiating itself in the crowded C-SUV space.
Speaking to the media, Anurag Mehrotra, Managing Director, JSW MG Motor India said, “Potentially it is going to be a platform which is very unique, because that platform allows for multiple powertrains on new energy vehicles. So it can have an EV, it can have a plug-in, it can have an ICE,” without giving details on the product, brand, or pricing, stating that these details will be revealed at a future date.
By enabling EV and PHEV variants within the same architecture, MG aims to attack a segment where rivals such as the Mahindra XUV 7XO continue to draw volumes primarily from conventional petrol and diesel offerings and very recently an EV in form of 9S.
“This year you will see us bringing a plug-in hybrid as well,” Mehrotra said, while adding that hybrids will be introduced selectively. “The business case has to prove out… It is a trade-off you do between go-to-market and profitability.”
The strategy aligns with MG’s larger ambition to derive at least 75 percent of its future volumes from new energy vehicles.
“In the product plan and in our volume plan, we do not see NEVs dropping below 75%,” Mehrotra said.
“It’s 80, 75, 80% of our center of gravity of our business will continue to be on new energy vehicles.”
India’s C-segment SUV continues to be dominated by Mahindra & Mahindra with a pre-dominant share of over 50-60%, with Harrier and Safari from Tata Motors contributing another 30% to the segment. Other vehicle makers have offered multiple models in the past, but it is Mahindra who has been able to get the value proposition right offer its model to the buyers seeking size, premium positioning and technology at accessible price points with the XUV 700 over the year. With the XUV 7XO and 9S, Mahindra has further raised the bar as one of the benchmark products in this space anticipating fresh competition.
MG believes its product planning capabilities will allow it to carve out a distinct identity against such entrenched competitors.
“Many a times people underestimate the power of a good product planning setup… understanding your consumers, understanding their unmet need is the 80% of the job honestly,” Mehrotra said.
He pointed to the Windsor EV’s positioning strategy as a template for the Starlight 560’s market approach.
“That’s exactly the way we will approach every other product that we are getting into the market.”
Rather than expanding indiscriminately, MG says it is carefully selecting segments and powertrain combinations where it sees clear white spaces. In the case of the Starlight 560, that white space could be electrification in a segment still largely ICE-led.
To support vehicles like Majestor and SUVs based on the F platform, MG has begun reconfiguring its Halol facility in Gujarat.
“In body shop, there is a huge amount of tweaking required. And we are doing it now,” said Biju Balendran, who oversees manufacturing operations.
He clarified that the changes go well beyond minor derivatives, so some of the manufacturing lines may be stopped to bring in the critical changes during 2026 to prepare for a capacity unlock at Halol.
The first step is to take up the capacity to 1.8 lakh units in 2026 and then bring in an additional line to take up the capacity to over 3-3.5 lakh units post 2027.
“We want to scale to 3,00,000 very shortly,” Balendran said. “We have to be ready by end of this year for next year’s volume.”
The Starlight 560 is expected to be one of around six new models MG plans to introduce across 2026 and 2027.
“Last year we brought three, this year we will bring anywhere between three and four,” Mehrotra said.
MG maintains that faster electrification in India hinges more on supply expansion than on demand constraints.
“The new energy unlock is not the demand side issue. It is a supply side issue. More products that come to the market… will bring more consumers,” he said.
With the Starlight 560, JSW MG Motor India is not merely adding another C-SUV to its portfolio. It is looking to add another strategic technology in plug in hybrid to challenge Mahindra XUV 7XO and address fuel economy aspect.
If executed well on pricing, positioning and performance, the Starlight 560 could redefine competitive dynamics in the midsize SUV category, accelerating electrification while intensifying pressure on established ICE-led incumbents.