MG Astor Unveiled With AI Assistant, To Rival Creta Upon Launch

MG Astor will come with level 2 autonomous driving (ADAS)

MG Motor India has partially unveiled its upcoming mid-size SUV, the Astor. The SUV will come with a bunch of interesting technologies like Level 2 ADAS and AI Assistant. The OEM has partnered with Jio for providing AI and better connectivity. MG India aims to further stress its focus on the concept of Car-As-A-Platform (CAAP) with the Astor. The Astor will face competition from the likes of Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Renault Duster, Skoda Kushaq, VW Taigun etc.

What’s So Special About It?

A personal AI assistant remains the most notable highlight of MG Astor. Called DriveAI, this system can be operated through voice commands and would be quite good at understanding natural human accents. The system gets a small dashboard-mounted screen as its primary user interface, which can also swivel to face the person interacting with it. This system has been designed by the American firm ‘Star Design’ and will have a host of partnerships/subscriptions, and offer services like navigation, music, wiki, jokes, news, etc.

The Astor will also have Level 2 autonomous technology. This is a more advanced form of ADAS which would offer higher degrees of 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, a significant improvement over the one in the Gloster.

MG Astor dashboard
MG Astor dashboard

Other Details

The Astor could be considered the IC engine counterpart of the popular MG ZS EV. It shares the same platform as the ZS and would most likely come with a 1.5 L inline-4 mild-hybrid engine, churning out 142 hp and 240 Nm. A 6-speed manual and CVT are expected as transmissions.

Morris Garages has not yet revealed the design details fully. However, we do know that the SUV will have a restyled front fascia with LED headlamps, a desirable grille design, and reworked bumpers. The car would come with new alloy wheels as well. Though very few details of the interior are known yet, we expect it to have a Sangria Red colorway and an overall layout that is the same as the EV’s. Key features include an 8-inch infotainment display, voice-operated sunroof, digital instrument cluster, and more.

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