For decades, India’s C-suite executives had a fairly predictable idea of what a luxury car should be. The chauffeur-driven sedan was the preferred choice: imposing enough to make an impression, comfortable enough to serve as a mobile office and sufficiently expensive to double as a badge of achievement. Then tastes changed. SUVs gradually took over, bringing a greater sense of occasion along with their commanding driving positions and imposing proportions. Now there is another shift under way, and this one is rather more interesting. Luxury MPVs are beginning to find their place among buyers who want comfort and exclusivity without following the usual formula.
The reasons are fairly straightforward. A senior executive spends an extraordinary amount of time travelling between meetings, airports, hotels and home, and the car becomes valuable personal space. It needs to provide somewhere to relax, catch up on work or simply switch off for a while. It also needs to feel different. When every other executive is being chauffeured around in a familiar luxury SUV, arriving in something as large and distinctive as the MG M9 makes a rather different impression.
The M9 is one of two products offered by MG SELECT in India, and it takes the luxury MPV concept seriously. At 5.2 metres long, it has the physical presence normally associated with full-size luxury SUVs, but its purpose is different. The space is concentrated where passengers can make the most of it, particularly in the second row, where the M9’s presidential seats turn travelling into something approaching a private lounge.
The seats recline generously, feature extendable ottomans and offer massage functions, giving passengers a place to stretch out between appointments. Instead of arriving at the next meeting having spent the journey fighting traffic, the M9 gives its occupants a chance to decompress.
The electric powertrain plays an important role in creating that atmosphere. With no conventional engine constantly idling behind the passengers, the cabin is remarkably quiet. There is very little vibration, either, and that makes the difference particularly obvious in a city that’s always buzzing. Outside, there might be horns, buses, motorcycles and the general soundtrack of urban India. Inside the M9, much of it fades into the background.
The battery sits beneath the floor, helping lower the centre of gravity, while the suspension controls body movement and absorbs potholes, bumps and broken patches. The result is a cabin that remains settled even when the road surface is anything but smooth. For passengers reclining in those large second-row seats, that matters more than outright handling ability ever could.
There is performance when you need it, too. That can be useful when a meeting has overrun and the next appointment is waiting on the other side of town. Despite its size, your chauffeur won’t feel tired driving the M9. It’s a car that serves the chauffeur with equal comfort as it does for the passengers. The steering is exceptionally light, making U-turns and tight manoeuvres surprisingly easy, while the elevated driving position gives you a good view of the road ahead.
Safety is another important part of the M9’s proposition. The MPV has earned five-star ratings from both Euro NCAP and Australian NCAP, giving buyers an additional layer of reassurance when transporting family, colleagues or clients. Driver-assistance systems and the car’s suite of safety technology further reinforce its role as a luxury people mover designed for everyday use.
Then there is the way the M9 is sold. MG SELECT operates through a separate retail network rather than conventional MG dealerships, creating a more exclusive environment around the purchase and ownership experience. That distinction is important because luxury isn’t confined to the vehicle itself. The way a customer is welcomed, advised and looked after forms part of the experience, particularly when the product occupies this end of the market.
The M9 also reflects a broader change in what Indian luxury-car buyers appear to value. The old symbols of success haven’t disappeared, but there is less emphasis on simply being seen in something expensive. Increasingly, comfort, privacy and individuality matter just as much. An MPV can provide all three while offering something that has traditionally been missing from the luxury market: an enormous amount of usable space.
It can function as a quiet workspace in the morning, a place to rest between appointments and, at the end of the day, a comfortable family vehicle. The six-seat layout means it doesn’t have to be reserved for business, either. There is enough room for a family to travel in genuine comfort, while the second row retains its sense of occasion.
Silence is one of the most immediate benefits of an EV, and in a luxury MPV it becomes part of the entire character of the vehicle. There is no need for the car to announce itself through an engine note or excessive mechanical drama. Its size, presence and design already make it impossible to ignore. Once you’re inside, the priority changes completely.
This is where the M9 feels like a product of its time. Luxury has always evolved alongside technology and changing tastes, and the luxury MPV is a natural progression of that process. The sedan gave executives status and comfort. The SUV added presence and versatility. The M9 brings privacy, space and a quieter way of travelling, while giving buyers an alternative to the increasingly familiar luxury-SUV formula.
For MG SELECT, that is what makes the M9 significant. It isn’t simply a large electric MPV with an impressive list of equipment. It represents a different way of thinking about what a luxury car should do for its occupants. The emphasis is on making the journey easier, quieter and more comfortable, whether you’re heading to a boardroom or home after a long day.
The M9’s revolution is therefore a fairly quiet one. There are no theatrics required. It simply arrives, closes its doors on the chaos outside and gives its passengers somewhere comfortable to breathe. For a new generation of Indian executives, that may be a more meaningful expression of luxury than any badge ever was.
