Wuling Xing Chi SUV will be powered by either a 1.5L naturally aspirated or a 1.5L turbo petrol engine option with MT or CVT
MG Motor India is a subsidiary of SAIC Motor. MG Astor and ZS EV are produced in India at the company plant near Vadodara in Gujarat. But rebadged versions are on sale in many other countries. Same is the case for Hector, which is known as Baojun 530 or Wuling Almaz or Chevrolet Captiva – depending on the market. Gloster is known as Maxus D90 and is produced by SAIC. You get the point.
MG Motor India is keen on expanding its portfolio in India. In that light, we also saw a Wuling Air EV being tested on Indian roads too. Recently they launched Wuling Xing Chi in China, and the same is registered in Indonesia as Wuling Alvez. This vehicle is set to rival the likes of Hyundai Creta, Honda HR-V, MG’s own ZS and the likes.
The pictures are of Xing Chi S, a sportier variant at that. When we saw it for the first time, we couldn’t help but wonder if it could be the next generation of MG Astor in India. It would fit the bill perfectly as Maruti Suzuki and Toyota have heated up this segment with Grand Vitara and HyRyder. Let’s take a look.
New Wuling Compact SUV – Xeng Chi
For starters, it is a part of Wuling’s next-generation global portfolio including its bigger brother Xing Chen SUV (or Asta), Jia Chen and Victory MPV. Xing Chi will carry “Wing Dynamic Aesthetics” design language and also proudly wears Wuling’s new Global Silver logo. Xing Chi S was announced by SAIC-GM-Wuling and is very likely that both SAIC and Chevrolet are gonna have a version of their own, based on this.
The new sporty S trim was never seen with Wuling before and Xing Chi is the first to get it. In terms of looks, it is quite handsome. Non S variant also gets this lime green colour, though. But only S trims of Xing Chi will get red brake calipers, lime green accents on front and rear bumper, interior dashboard trims and also door trims. Not just that, lime green stitching is found on upholstery and it brings out the sporty element of the Crossover/SUV.
It gets twin exhaust outlets at the rear and not too shouty LED taillights. The fake diffuser is a bit much on a product like this, though. But it looks nice. The front gets a large grille which is chrome studded in non-S trims of Xing Chi. The LED headlights are sharp and get nice-looking LED DRLs too. The beltline gets a sharp kink near C-pillar and also gets 5-spoke alloy wheels. Interiors are well laid out too.
Specs & Powertrain
It gets sporty bucket seats and a digital driver’s display, touchscreen infotainment, sunroof and electronic parking brakes too. Wuling Xing Chi measures 4,365mm in length, 1,750mm in width, 1,640mm in height and has a 2,550mm wheelbase.
Xing Chi is very similar in dimensions to MG Astor that we have in India. In terms of powertrains, it gets a 1.5L NA petrol engine generating around 98 bhp coupled with MT or CVT. A similar powertrain already exists in India on Astor. Apart from that, it also gets a 1.5L turbo petrol unit with 145 bhp too. Wuling Xing Chi is likely to go on sale in China soon.
