May 2026 was the first month in which JSW MG’s new Majestor SUV began reaching customers, and the early read is promising for the brand. The Majestor outsold both the Skoda Kodiaq and the Volkswagen Tayron in its first delivery month, staking an early claim in the full-size premium SUV segment that has been Toyota Fortuner territory for years.
Skoda sold 5,760 units total in May, down 14.5 per cent year-on-year from 6,740 units in May 2025. The Kodiaq, Skoda’s largest SUV offering, accounts for a small portion of that total. Volkswagen’s numbers were weaker still, with the Tayron a relatively recent entrant that has not yet found consistent monthly volume. The Majestor clearing both in its debut month says as much about their limited volumes as it does about the Majestor’s early pull.
The MG Majestor is a body-on-frame seven-seater SUV positioned above the discontinued Gloster in MG’s lineup. It is priced at Rs 40.99 lakh for the 4×2 AT and Rs 44.99 lakh for the 4×4 AT, both ex-showroom. The 4×4 variant undercuts the Toyota Fortuner 4×4 AT by approximately Rs 29,000, a tight gap but a deliberate one.
The Majestor is built around a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine producing 224 bhp, paired with an 8-speed automatic gearbox. It comes with a dual-screen dashboard setup, a panoramic sunroof, 360-degree camera and Level 2 ADAS features. The 4×4 variant adds a proper transfer case with low-range gearing, which is a direct play on the Fortuner’s off-road identity. At Rs 44.99 lakh, it is positioned to attract buyers who want Fortuner-level capability with fresher interior technology.
The Jeep Meridian, which sits in the same price band starting around Rs 37 lakh and going up to Rs 46 lakh, is the Majestor’s other immediate competitor. May 2026 was not a strong month for Jeep’s overall volumes, which makes the Majestor’s first-month entry relatively uncontested in the second-tier battle for the segment.
Despite the early wins against Kodiaq and Tayron, the Fortuner’s position in this segment is a different conversation entirely. In January 2026, Toyota’s Fortuner sold 3,046 units in the same segment where the Kodiaq moved 139 units.
That scale difference did not compress meaningfully in May. Toyota sold 26,294 units overall in May 2026, growing 6.5 per cent year-on-year, and the Fortuner remains its anchor product in the premium SUV space. Estimates put Fortuner’s May volume at roughly four times the Majestor’s first-month numbers.
The Fortuner’s dominance is built on trust, resale value and a buyer community reinforced over nearly two decades of consistent sales. Its resale values at the three and five-year mark are among the strongest in the segment, regularly holding 60 to 65 per cent of on-road price after three years of ownership. That is a practical financial argument that no first-month sales comparison can override.
For MG, the Majestor entry is important for a different reason. The brand’s earlier flagship, the Gloster, never really broke through against the Fortuner in terms of consistent monthly volume or mindshare.
The Majestor arrives with a more aggressive price point, a fresher specification sheet and the benefit of early deliveries generating real-world buyer visibility. Whether it sustains these early numbers past the initial booking delivery phase is the only test that matters.
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