MG Motor India has officially announced that its upcoming Hyundai Creta-rivalling SUV will be called the Astor and will get segment-first personal AI (artificial intelligence) assistant and Autonomous Level-2 Driver Assistance Systems. It is essentially a petrol-powered facelift version of the ZS EV that is expected to be launched around the festive season.
MG Astor – Advanced Features and Technology
The personal AI assistant in the MG Astor has been designed by the American firm ‘Star Design’. It will come with an interactive robot head placed on a dashboard. Powered by the i-Smart Hub, the AI assistant can be activated by saying ‘Hello Astor’ and it will begin to portray human-like emotions on the screen. This has been done to make the customer's experience more engaging and enjoyable. In fact, it even turns to listen to you when you talk to it.
The AI assistant of the upcoming MG Astor will also be capable of providing detailed information on every topic through Wikipedia and will deliver you the latest news and crack jokes. Additionally, it also supports voice commands in Hinglish language to perform various functions like opening/closing the sunroof, navigation, online music streaming, and much more.
It will also serve as a platform for the CAAP-based (Car-as-a-Platform) services, allowing customers to have a subscription-based personalization service option. For this, the brand has also tied up with several companies, including Jio, Map By India, and Park+ to offer in-car connectivity, real-time traffic updates, and facilities like parking reservations in malls, etc.
Another segment-first feature on the MG Astor will be its Level-2 ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) that will come with several autonomous features like Adaptive Cruise Control, Forward Collision Warning, Automatic Emergency Braking, Lane Keep Assist, Lane Departure Assist, Intelligent Headlamp Control (IHC), Rear Drive Assist (RDA), Speed Assist System, Blind-Spot Detection, etc. Besides, the SUV will also get a 360-degree camera, electronic stability program (ESP), multiple airbags, and so on.
MG Astor – Design Details
Being a facelift version of the ongoing ZS EV SUV, it will get a redesigned front grille with chrome embellishment, revamped bumper with wider air dams, and refreshed sleek LED headlamps with integrated LED DRLs.
Inside, its dashboard layout is pretty similar to the ZS EV, save for a dual-tone Black-&-Read cabin theme with the use of soft-touch material on the center part of the dash and some minor tweaks on the center console that now feature a floating touchscreen infotainment system. Besides, it is also expected to feature a panoramic sunroof, wireless Android Auto and Apple Carplay, wireless charging, auto climate control, fully digital instrument cluster, ventilated front seats with power adjustment function for the driver's seat, and more.
MG Astor – Powertrain
The MG Astor is likely to be offered with two gasoline engines- 120PS/150Nm 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol, paired with either a manual or CVT automatic transmission and a 163PS/230Nm 1.3-litre turbocharged petrol unit that could be mated to a dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT).
MG Astor – Expected Price and Competitors
Expect MG Motor India to price the Astor SUV from Rs 10 lakh (ex-showroom). Once launched, it will battle it out with the Hyundai Creta, Nissan Kicks, Kia Seltos, Skoda Kushaq, Maruti Suzuki S-Cross, Renault Duster, and the upcoming Volkswagen Taigun and the 5-seater variants of Mahindra XUV700, which will also get ADAS features at an attractive price tag.
