You might be surprised to know that the MG Hector, Chevrolet Captiva and Wuling Almaz are the rebadged iterations of the Baojun 530. MG Motors is a British carmaker which is owned by the SAIC Motor of China. In fact, SAIC is one of the largest automobile conglomerates in the world with tons of brands under its umbrella. Hence, it uses its Chinese models as donor cars to its partner global carmakers which are sold in the international markets. In this post, I shall take our readers through the details of SUVs derived from the Baojun 530.
MG Hector and Wuling Almaz as Rebadged Baojun 530
We already know the MG Hector. It has been around in the Indian market since 2019. It shares the tech, features, design and architecture of the SAIC brands. That is SAIC’s way of going global. In fact, the same model was launched in the Indonesian market as the Wuling Almaz. That bears a rather comprehensive inspiration to the Indian Hector. Furthermore, the Wuling Almaz even had a 7-seat version much similar to the Hector Plus on sale in our market. While the exterior is almost identical to the Hector siblings, even the features inside the cabin are mostly the same. These include a large Panoramic Sunroof, Voice Command, Large Touchscreen Infotainment Display, Leather Seats, Cruise Control and more.
Chevrolet Captiva as Rebadged Baojun 530
The Chevrolet Captiva is a prominent SUV which was on sale in the Indian market from 2008 to 2016. However, the versions of the Captiva in some international markets thereafter were inspired by the Baojun 530. The most prominent markets to get this model include Chile, Colombia, Uruguay, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. Thereafter, we witnessed this Captiva in the Middle East and Indonesia. In fact, in these markets, it was based on the smaller Baojun 510. Still, the similarities in design, features, demeanour and road presence are uncanny.
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Now, it is quite common for car companies to get into joint ventures to reach more markets. In this process, they often create badge-engineered versions of some of their cars. Hence, the two cars could look identical save for the company logos. In India, Maruti Suzuki and Toyota are in one such partnership where they sell each other’s cars under their brand name. That is exactly what happens across international markets as well. Instead of setting up shop in every market, SAIC Motor joins hands with other carmakers and offers, essentially, their products to the world.
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