Always being the segment-first, MG introduced Astor with these stunning features

We still remember very well that when MG (Morris Garages) launched the Hector in India back in June 2019, it took everyone by surprise. Such a handsome-looking, feature-loaded big SUV. That was quite remarkable! The Hector triggered the growth of MG, with the story being taken forward by the ZS EV and the Gloster.  Later, MG Motor India has introduced a Car-as-a-Platform (CAAP) of endless possibilities, with software at the heart of vehicle development.CAAP enables customers to engage with third-party partners across different fields such as entertainment, insurance etc., to avail economic benefits and experience personalized engagement throughout their ownership period as per their choice, need and selection.

The OEMs is driven by its purpose as its Digital-First approach and the upcoming iSMART Next-Gen Auto-Tech infotainment and connected-car system are in line with its vision of CASE (Connected, Autonomous, Shared, and Electric) mobility.And now, MG is ready with the Astor, which marks the entry of the automaker into the country’s hotly contested mid-size SUV segment.Let’s check out the top 5 features of the new MG Astor.

The phone is the key

MG has introduced a segment-first digital key for the Astor. In case you lose your physical key or forget it somewhere, you can easily unlock/lock and start your car through the digital key feature, which is available in the i-Smart app and is operated via Bluetooth. What if someone steals your smartphone and tries to unlock your MG Astor using the digital key? You need not worry. After you lock your car, just disable the digital key. When you will use it next, it will first ask for a password, as it is password-protected. Just for safety purposes, do not share your digital key password and lose your phone at the same time.

Car with brains

The Astor features a small robot on the dashboard that will work as your personal Al assistant. It takes the place of idols on dashboards. Designed by US-based company Star Design, the robot responds by displaying emotions portrayed in the form of emoticons. It also turns its head towards the person with whom it is speaking, like voice assistants, the robot speaks in the voice of a woman. Besides, it can sing a song for you, can crack a joke and clear your doubts by checking Wikipedia and read out the news. The robot also keeps a tab on the condition of the vehicle. It can open the sunroof and turn on the navigation. These are among the around 80 connected car features in the Astor.

Level 2 ADAS

The Astor also gets a segment-first advanced driver assistance system (ADAS). The system includes advanced cruise control, forward collision warning, auto emergency braking, lane keep assist, lane departure prevention, blind-spot detection and speed assist among 14 autonomous features. Besides, the car also comes with six airbags, hill hold, hill descent, disc brake on all four wheels, 360-degree camera, cornering assist foglamp and electric park brake.

The Astor gets a trio of lane assist functions

The carmaker is offering three features under Lane functions- Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Lane Keep Assist (LKA) and Lane Departure Provision (LDP). LKA works through a camera mounted in front of the vehicle which monitors lane markings and assists the driver in sticking to the lane on which the car is being driven.LKA aids the driver in sticking to one lane while driving, LDW sends a notification to the driver during lane changes, and LDP prevents the vehicle from changing lanes by applying brakes.They are activated when the vehicle hits 60km/h. LDW gets activated when the driver starts to move out of its lane without an indicator and the driver is sent out an alert.

Active Cruise Control(ACC)

Adaptive cruise control (ACC) is an advanced version of regular cruise control which has become a very common feature in modern cars. The system matches the speed of the car with the vehicle in front and accelerates and decelerates depending on the speed of the vehicle moving in front. ACC is activated when the driver pulls the yaw stick behind the steering wheel towards themselves. For activation of ACC, the minimum speed of the car needs to be at least 30kmph. The cruising speed of the car can be increased or decreased by pushing the lever up or down respectively. The set button on the end of the lever fixes the cruising speed. The car hits a constant when it reaches the set speed or the speed at which the vehicle in front is moving.