[Oomph11]

Originally Posted by CarguyNish

Regarding Engines, I am expecting a 1.5 NA Petrol and 1.3 Turbo Petrol with choice of Manual and Automatic Gearbox. There are reports that the 1.5 Will come with CVT option while the Turbo will get a Aisin Sourced Torque Converter. They better avoid that DCT as it's not efficient and neither responsive.

The 1.5l will have the Manual and the CVT, however I did see a post from @ram87pune where he mentioned that the 1.3l will be exclusively paired with the DCT, I guess we will have to just wait for the launch to get the exact specifications, however a torque converter with the turbo would be a perfect combination.

[manpreetsj]

Latest article from Autocar - Mr. Chaba seems to be taking jabs at Zac Hollis's recent tweet on why Skoda won't bring ADAS anytime soon to India.

MG, however, has a different perspective. “Okay, they don’t work in all kinds of chaotic traffic conditions, so should we wait for traffic to be properly normalised and civilised before we launch? I don’t think so. There are some very good roads in India, there are good traffic conditions in various places, and at least in those areas, people can use ADAS. Wherever there is absolute chaos, people can disable these features so that they don’t annoy them,” justified Chaba.

https://www.autocarindia.com/car-new...segment-421799

[fhdowntheline]

Just wanted to add to my knowledge about ADAS/AEB systems - are there any disclaimers mentioned in the owners manual about limitations of the technology under certain circumstances. i.e. there may not always be a 100 % activation of the function depending on unforeseen circumstances, which may result in risk of collision? To that extent, do they advise the driver to always be ready to apply the brakes based on personal judgement ? This could be a grey area with respect to accidents and insurance. I am definitely sure that the average Indian driver may afford a 7OO or an Astor , but is not ready for the overwhelming tech on board.

[ron178]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

MG offers 6 airbags as standard on the ZST in some international markets like Australia. Although very unlikely - I hope they do that here too!

Not only would it be a big differentiator for MG, it will also be their entry into the government's good book - being the first to implement Gadkari's recommendation of six airbags across variants.

It would indeed be fantastic if they did. The Hector already gets ESC and 3-point seatbelts all-round as standard and it looks like MG has a commitment to standard ESC (at least SAIC does in China, and every product they've launched in India till now has it standard-fit). Coming to 6 airbags, they might follow the Government directive and fit them standard. Maybe at least 4. The Honda City already does it (though the base variant misses out on head curtains) so I don't think MG should have a hard time implementing it considering the car is already ready for curtain airbags.

It's worth noting that the ASEAN-market petrol ZS that scored 5 stars was equipped with only 2 airbags. I hope at least that they don't sell the Indian car with an inferior crash structure.

We don't know MG's attitude to safety regulations and crash tests yet. My thoughts? They know people think of them as Chinese and will hence try to keep their reputation for safety strong so that people don't think they're making a compromise. But it's a personal opinion. We'll have to wait for at least one NCAP test of an Indian MG product and observe MG's statements on the result to see what their attitude really is (of course, if the result is good there is no question of lame PR statements but I'll keep my fingers crossed). Though MG refuses to confirm it, I hope the Hector is indeed tested by Global NCAP soon.

This 2018 article is a good indication, although it talks about the Bharat NCAP tests and not Global NCAP.
https://www.autocarindia.com/car-new...n-india-410308

I came across this article today that says that MG plans to launch the Astor with a 5-star safety rating. Not a 100% reliable source, but it's a good sign. I hope they mean a Global NCAP rating for India and don't just advertise an ASEAN NCAP rating like Nissan is doing with the Magnite (the stars in both NCAPs have different meanings, and we need confirmation that it's the same car). I also don't know whether 'launch with a 5-star rating' means that they'll sponsor a test on a type-approved car from early production and advertise it at launch or whether they plan to score 5-stars whenever it is tested.
https://www.rushlane.com/mg-astor-ta...-12410159.html

Astor will be one of the safest car in the segment. As per source, MG is planning to launch Astor with 5 Star NCAP safety rating. It will get 6 airbags, TPMS, ABS, ESP, EBD, Auto Hold, HSA (hill start assist), HDC (hill descent control), etc.

What source? Which NCAP? I wish we had more details.

The Kia Seltos (which I'm guessing will be this car's main competitor) is a winner everywhere else and MG should know that if there's an Achilles' Heel it can shoot at, it's the poor crash rating. Should be a wake up call for Kia to start selling safer cars - their cars are otherwise excellent but they shouldn't sell unsuspecting customers cars that are far less safe than they are thought to be.

[hummer]

MG Astor seem to be leagues ahead in the crowded CSUV segment, atleast looks so by the publicity.

I drive the Duster AMT currently and looking for a change early next year. With the boot of 470 liters in Duster, sometimes I feel short of space when I travel with my family (2 adults and 2 teenage kids). Especially schools being online, they take their books, laptops, gizmos apart from clothing, shoes etc, I definitely need a big boot.

I am disappointed hearing latest MG ZS having only 359 liters, I would definitely consider MG Astor AT with the boot atleast with 430+ liters in the league of Creta/Seltos, if not matching Duster's 470 liters.

With the price game started with XUV7OO, hope there would be a disruption in pricing of automobiles in Indian auto industry, definitely interesting days ahead, finger crossed !!

[Venkatesh]

Meet the voice behind the personal AI assistant.



Paralympic athlete and Khel Ratna Awardee Deepa Malik has been revealed as the voice behind MG new AI assistant for the upcoming Astor.





Link

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by Venkatesh

Paralympic athlete and Khel Ratna Awardee Deepa Malik has been revealed as the voice behind MG new AI assistant for the upcoming Astor.

Yet another instance where Rajeev Chaba and his team showed that it is thoughtful Indians behind the wheel at MG India. Might be all too easy to dismiss SAIC as a Chinese brand - but really can't deny that the Indian management sure runs a tight ship.

Some excerpts -

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.”

[Carz77]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Yet another instance where Rajeev Chaba and his team showed that it is thoughtful Indians behind the wheel at MG India. Might be all too easy to dismiss SAIC as a Chinese brand - but really can't deny that the Indian management sure runs a tight ship.

MG is taking all the right steps to prove that they mean business in India and the products are truly global and not perceived as Chinese.
I am sure they will package Astor better compared to German twins to capture the market. Astor will be a difficult choice to be ignored if it proves its capability in ride and handling dept as well.
CD / Mods: Any auto journalist test drives planned shortly ?

[07CR]

Originally Posted by Venkatesh

Meet the voice behind the personal AI assistant.

Paralympic athlete and Khel Ratna Awardee Deepa Malik has been revealed as the voice behind MG new AI assistant for the upcoming Astor.

Another masterstroke by MG team. Any MBA marketing student should should aspire to work in such companies !

[JoshMachine]

Originally Posted by Venkatesh

Meet the voice behind the personal AI assistant.
Paralympic athlete and Khel Ratna Awardee Deepa Malik has been revealed as the voice behind MG new AI assistant for the upcoming Astor.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Yet another instance where Rajeev Chaba and his team showed that it is thoughtful Indians behind the wheel at MG India. Might be all too easy to dismiss SAIC as a Chinese brand - but really can't deny that the Indian management sure runs a tight ship.

Indeed, a very nice gesture

In fact, this is not the first instance that MG India top brass are doing something stellar.

They have launched some very inspiring initiatives in the recent past:-

* MG India launches 'Genesis' to train & hire young women (link)

* MG India introduces "Womentorship" initiative to encourage social women entrepreneurs (link)

* MG India launches "Worth Waiting For" programme to extend focus on girl child education (link)

[prajwalmr62]

For a company with 3-4 cars in market, they are in news all the time, for all the right reasons.

[TorqueIndia]

Hey, here we go this is NIO GLOBAL's NOMI the personal AI assistant, noticed it quite earlier, was following them. MG assistant is a blatant copy of it or patent sharing ? nevertheless its funny and interesting.

NIOGLOBAL

[AnnaRocks]

Originally Posted by Venkatesh

Meet the voice behind the personal AI assistant.

Attachment 2198376

Link

Hey this also presents a dilemma as to where to place our idols and figurines now since this AI asst. seems to have occupied the usual spot on the dash.

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by AnnaRocks

Hey this also presents a dilemma as to where to place our idols and figurines now since this AI asst. seems to have occupied the usual spot on the dash.

Not to worry, the AI will display all types of idols/figurines based on preference. AI will also help with prayer when needed.

[shibulijack]

Under the hood, the Astor is expected to come with a 120hp, 1.5-litre petrol engine and a 163hp, 1.3-litre turbo-petrol engine. The car is expected to be launched sometime after mid-September.

Source: https://www.autocarindia.com/car-new...-beyond-421869