MG Motor has officially taken the covers off Astor SUV, its fifth product for the Indian market. 2021 MG Astor SUV, which is technically the ICE version of the ZS EV, has been unveiled loaded with advanced features such ADAS.
The exterior design of the MG Astor SUV remains quite similar to the ZS EV.
Even the dimensions are not too different, The Astor SUV stands The Astor SUV is 4,323 mm in length, 1,809 mm in width, 1,653 mm in height, and has a wheelbase of 2,580 mm which houses 17-inch dual-tone alloy wheels.
However, the major change can be noticed on the hexagonal grille which gets a unique pattern. The grille is flanked on either side by LED headlamps and projector set-up and LED DRLs doubling up as turn indicators as well as LED tail-lamps at the rear.
There is not much change on the side profile except the chrome lining on the windows and the blacked out B-pillar.
The interior of the MG Astor gets a two-tone colour theme. It comes with a 7-inch digital instrument cluster, a 10.1-inch infotainment system compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, heated ORVMs, electric parking brake, rear AC vents, rain-sensing wipers, digital key, connected car tech and much more.
Under the hood, MG will offer two engine options for Astor SUV. There is a Brit Dynamic 220 TURBO petrol engine capable of producing 140 PS of power and 220 Nm of peak torque. It is mated to a 6-speed automatic gearbox.
The other one is a VTi Tech petrol engine, mated to a manual transmission or an 8-speed CVT unit, capable of churning out 110 PS of power and 144 Nm of peak torque.
What will make Astor stand out against its rivals like Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos or Tata Harrier is some of the advanced driving technology it is packed with.
The Astor will offer industry-first personal AI assistant system and first-in-segment Autonomous Level-2 technology.
Rajeev Chaba, President and MD, MG Motor India, said, “We have introduced several industry-firsts with our SUVs to the Indian automotive market. This time we have Autonomous (Level 2), MG Astor, with a personal AI assistant.
With its elegant exteriors, luxurious interiors, and futuristic technology, we believe that Astor is a desirable package that will strike a chord with the customers.”
The personal AI assistance system is similar to what the Apple Siri or Amazon Alexa does. It can listen to voice commands and perform tasks such as playing music, making or receiving calls, texting etc.
The Autonomous Level-2 technology includes ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) functions, which will carry out several emergency safety measures like Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keep Assist, Forward Collision Warning, Automatic Emergency Braking, Lane Departure Prevention and Speed Assist.
MG Astor also gets industry-first feature of reserving a parking slot through a head unit. It is powered by Park+ and will go live in select cities for a start.
Astor also gets 80+ internet features residing on MG i-SMART technology. MG Astor also hosts subscriptions and services, including maps and navigation with MapMyIndia, Jio connectivity, the first-of-its-kind Blockchain-protected vehicle digital passport by KoineArth and more.
MG Astor is expected to be launched this festive season. The SUV likely to be priced between ₹10 lakh and 16 lakh (ex-showroom).
