The Chinese automobile giant also continues to engage with General Motors to acquire latter's Halol manufacturing plant in the state, which was shut down in April this year.

SAIC, which will operate in the country through its fullyowned subsidiary MG Motor India, is currently exploring different options for its facility in India, which include acquiring GM's Halol plant in Gujarat and setting up a greenfield manufacturing facility. On Wednesday, SAIC also named Rajeev Chaba as president and managing director of MG Motor India and P Balendran as its executive director. 

"Gujarat is the preferred option for our manufacturing facility. We are also looking at Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh as possible destinations for the plant," Balendran added. The discussion with General Motors (GM) for acqui ring Halol plant is progressing well and we will take over the facility if it is given encumbrance free and without any liabilities," P Balendran added.

However, the company did not disclose investment outlay stating it is in the process of finalizing its manufacturing faci lity and is firming up its product strategy for the Indian market, details of which will be announced at a later stage.

The operations of SAIC in India are expected to commence in 2019 with MG (Morris Garages) brand. "The introduction of the iconic British sports car brand 'MG' in India is an important part of SAIC Motor's global strategy," the company said in a statement.

The MG brand, which origi nated as a British racing sports brand in the year 1924, has evolved into a modern-day innovative brand through the last 93 years. "MG products, that are designed and engineered at its European and Global Design Centers, will now also be manufactured in India while conforming to global quality standards and aligning with the Indian regulations, emission norms and driving conditions," it added.