MG Motors has officially announced that its upcoming new mid-sized SUV will be called the MG Astor. It is basically the petrol derivative of the ZS EV. The new Astor will be the first model in its segment to feature the AI (Artificial Intelligence) driven in-car personal assistance system.
MG Astor comes equipped with segment-first ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System). MG Motors has joined hands with Bosch to develop ADAS for the new Astor mid-sized SUV. The company claims that the SUV comes with autonomous level II system. It offers features such as autonomous emergency braking system, ESP, forward collision warning, speed limit assist, adaptive cruise control, rear drive assist, blind spot detection, lane keeping assist and automatic high-beam lighting system.
The Astor also gets CAAP (Concept of Car as a Platform), which company calls it iSmart Hub. MG Motors has confirmed that the new SUV will be the first model to feature the IT systems enabled by Jio’s IoT solutions. Jio will support automotive solutions designed to deliver an array of consumer and enterprise services. The user can pre-book the parking slot using the iSmart Hub. In fact, user can also pre-pay the parking charges using the iSmart Hub.
With software at the heart of vehicle development, the carmaker is building an ecosystem of various in-car services and subscriptions in the areas of utility, entertainment, security, consumer payment and more. The company claims that the CAAP will create various possibilities which will evolve with time, creating safer and smarter driving experiences.
MG Motors has shared the front design and interior of the Astor mid-sized SUV, which is scheduled to be launched in September 2021. The SUV looks identical to the ZS EV; however, it gets some changes to keep things fresh in the market. The SUV gets a prominent and bigger front grille with chrome embellishment, sweptback headlamps with integrated LRD DRLs (Daytime Running Lamps), and new bumper with wider air-dams and new fog lamp assembly. Also visible is the sculpted bonnet, ORVMs with integrated blinkers and roof rails.
The MG Astor comes with a feature-loaded and premium interior, featuring AI personal assistance system, a large touchscreen infotainment system in the centre and the multi-functional steering wheel. The AC vents are placed above the touchscreen, while the controls are placed below the screen. The new MG Astor gets digital instrument console, leather finish on dashboard and on central tunnel, and silver finish around the AC vents and on the dashboard.
MG Astor is reported to come with two petrol engine options – a 1.5-litre 4-cylinder naturally-aspirated petrol and a 1.3-litre turbocharged petrol. While the naturally-aspirated petrol engine will produce around 120bhp and 150Nm of torque, the turbocharged engine is capable of producing 163bhp of power and 230Nm of torque. Both manual and automatic gearbox options will be on offer.
