Top News

New Delhi: The Wuling Starlight 560 SUV’s design has been patented in India. The filing lists SAIC GM Wuling Automobile Company Limited as the applicant, with the design registered in March 2026. Notably, the patent images do not come with the Wuling badge, which indicates that it will be a rebadged MG Motor India here, which is a joint venture between SAIC Motor and JSW Group.

The overall design closely matches the international-spec Starlight 560 on sale overseas. 

The patented model, which has been spied being tested in India, comes with a boxy, upright stance with a big blacked-out grille, squared-off wheel arches and a high bonnet line. The front end comes with LED headlamps with LED DRL strips above and below them, while the bumper gets a prominent skid plate element. It gets 18-inch dual-tone alloy wheels and comes with roof rails and cladding along with lower sections.

The back, too, comes with an MPV-type upright design, with LED tail-lamps, and a roof-mounted spoiler. More or less, the proportions and styling are similar to the global-spec model, which in China is sold as Xingguang 560 in China and the Wuling Eksion in Indonesia. It comes with a 5-seat and 7-seat (3-row) layout. In terms of measurements, it gets a 2,810mm wheelbase and measures 4,745mm in length, 1,850mm in width and 1,755mm in height.

Wuling Starlight 560 SUV interior used for representation only

Inside it the Starlight 560 comes with a minimal dashboard with a 12.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, an 8.8-inch digital driver’s display and a two-spoke steering wheel. The bulk of the functions, including the climate control, are put into the touchscreen, with physical controls limited to the steering wheel, a slim strip on the centre console and the door armrests. It also gets things like automatic climate control and a 6-speaker audio system.

The SUV, which currently is codenamed ‘520’ in the international market, comes as a plug-in hybrid or all-electric, although it is yet to be seen which of these powertrain arrive in India as the patented images look like the PHEV version. That uses a 1.5-litre petrol engine combined with a 20.5kWh battery, which together make 197hp and 230Nm. The EV comes with a 56.7 kEh battery with a front-mounted motor making 136 bhp and 200 Nm of torque. Claimed ranges for Phev include 100 km of electric-only range with 500 km in the EV as per CLTC.

MG have confirmed to enter the plug-in hybrid space in India, and the SUV could be making that push, with the model likely to arrive by October 2026. It is likely to come at a competitive price, and it will be competing with Mahindra XUV 7XO and Tata Safari, with the EV version likely taking head-on with Mahindra XEV 9S.