MG Motor is gearing up for the launch of the much-awaited MG Astor mid-sized SUV in the Indian market. The SUV will come with a unique voice experience with a personal AI assistant. The company has announced that the voice could be powered by Paralympic athlete and Khel Ratna Awardee Dr. Deepa Malik.
Called ‘The Woman on Wheels’, Deepa has enlisted herself in record books for several driving feats across deserts & mountains. The woman extraordinaire will humanize the voice of the personal AI assistant in the soon-to-be launched SUV MG Astor.
Talking about the partnership, Rajeev Chaba, President & Managing Director, MG Motor India, said, “At MG, we strive to consistently create exciting and meaningful experiences for our customers. In another first, we are introducing a personal AI assistant in MG Astor. Having Deepa Malik, a woman of many firsts, as a voice for Astor, is in line with our commitment to both community and diversity. Deepa is the epitome of women empowerment and her voice in Astor is a message for everyone to be unstoppable.”
Deepa Malik, the first Indian woman Paralympic Medalist, said, “I am delighted to be the voice of the next MG SUV. I have closely followed MG’s journey in India, and I applaud their vision. MG has not only led the disruption in the automotive industry, but it has contributed to the empowerment of different sections of society. It is commendable that MG’s one-third of the active workforce is women. I am confident that MG will emerge as a champion with the industry-leading features of Astor.”
MG Astor will be equipped with several segment-first features such as ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System), 360 degree camera, multiple in-car services, digital instrument console and many more. The ADAS 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.
MG Astor is reportedly 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.
