MG Astor launch in festive season, to offer level-2 A-DAS

NEW DELHI: MG Motor India on Wednesday revealed the technology aspect of its upcoming SUV Astor, and a top company official confirmed the launch is scheduled for the festive season.
“Our target is to bring the Astor during the festive season. We hope the global chip and semiconductor situation don’t play a dampener on the timing,” said Gaurav Gupta, COO, MG Motor India.
Gloster, revealed last year, was the most affordable A-DAS (advanced driver assist system) vehicle in India.The SAIC-backed company has gone a step ahead with the Astor, claiming level 2 autonomous features in the SUV.

The Autonomous Level 2 MG Astor is powered by mid-range radars and a multi-purpose camera that can realize a series of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS). These include Adaptive Cruise Control, Forward Collision Warning, Automatic Emergency Braking, Lane Keeping Assist, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Departure Prevention, Intelligent Headlamp Control (IHC), Rear Drive Assist (RDA) and Speed Assist System amongst others.
Astor will span over 4-metre in length but will be smaller than the Hector in terms of size. A personal AI assistant will engage with people in the car and is powered by i-Smart Hub. It is a platform on which the partnerships, services, and subscriptions of CAAP will reside. Astor in terms of features will be superior to Hector.
Rajeev Chaba, President and MD, MG Motor India, said, "As an auto-tech brand, we’ve always introduced breakthrough technologies and now, we are moving forward with Artificial Intelligence. Astor is a step further and a catalyst for disruption with first-in-the-industry and best-in-class features that customers only get in premium/luxury segments.”
When asked about the price and positioning of the Astor, Gupta said, “We are excited to bring the product and currently are evaluating the segment. We are focussing to offer the best-in-class experience to our consumers.”
He didn’t rule out the upgrade of Hector to attain autonomous features and artificial intelligence, and said, “For us, the journey continues. We will seek customer feedback, and see the response over a period of time.”