MG Motors has officially announced to launch the petrol derivative of the ZS EV in the Indian market before the end of this financial year. Showcased at the 2020 Auto Expo, the MG ZS petrol is rumoured to be called the MG Astor. The company has trademarked the Astor nameplate in India.
The MG Astor has been spotted testing numerous times in India. A latest set of spy images reveal the front and rear profiles of the Astor SUV. The SUV’s front features a massive front grille, which looks slightly bigger than the one offered in the ZS EV. In fact, the lower air-dam seems bigger and different than the regular model.
The grille has a massive chrome surround, while the sweptback headlamps come with integrated blinkers. The fog lamp housing has also been changes. It gets skid plate placed lower on the bumper. Also visible is the re-shaped ORVMs with integrated blinkers. The rear profile of the Astor mid-sized SUV looks identical to the ZS EV; however, the vehicle gets different-looking tail-lamps with different internals.
Big changes will be made inside the cabin, as the Astor will have a bigger touchscreen and fully-digital instrument console. The central console is dominated by a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system, which is compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Silver trim will be added around the AC vents, door panels, around the automatic gearbox and on the multi-functional steering wheel.
The MG Astor is likely to be the first model in its category to offer ADAS (Advanced Driver-Assistance System) with features like blind spot detection, adaptive cruise control, lane assist, emergency braking, etc. Expected to be priced between Rs 10 lakh to Rs 17 lakh, the MG Astor will directly rival the Hyundai Creta and the Kia Seltos.
The MG Astor is expected to be offered in petrol version only. The SUV is expected to come in two engine options – a 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.
