MG Astor to launch this festive season: Price expectation

MG Motor is all set to launch the Astor SUV this festive season. Astor is MG's fifth product in India and aims to take on compact SUV segment heavyweights like Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos and Tata Harrier with features on offer as well as its price, which is likely to be competitive.

MG Astor, which will be available in as many as eight trims and offer around 20 variants to choose from, will offer loads of features, many of them will be segment-firsts. These includes the advanced driver assistant system (ADAS) with autonomous level 2 driving technology, the digital key technology, personal Al assistant and much more.

The ADAS feature will help drivers with host of information and assists to make driving a lot safer. The features include advanced cruise control, forward collision warning, auto emergency braking, lane keep assist, lane departure prevention, blind-spot detection and speed assist. For better control and safer driving, the MG Astor will also offer features like hill hold, hill descent, disc brakes, 360-degree camera and cornering assist foglamp.

MG Astor's autonomous level 2 features like Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Lane Keep Assist (LKA) and Lane Departure Provision (LDP) helps keep the SUV steady. The LKA monitors lane markings to assist in sticking to one lane, the LDW notifies drivers in case of lane changes, and the LDP applies brakes to prevent the vehicle from changing lanes.

The AI personal assistant makes driving experience a lot easier with the help of voice commands. It can operate the sunroof, climate control, navigation and music controls and offer information.

The 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. MG has packed the system with several apps for entertainment, option to play videos at high resolution and also as the screen to show the 360-degree camera.

MG will offer Astor SUV with two engine options. The 1.3-litre turbocharged petrol engine is capable of churning out 140 PS and 220 Nm of peak torque. The engine is mated to a six-speed torque convertor gearbox. The 1.5-litre petrol engine can produce 110 PS and 144 Nm of peak torque. The engine will be mated to two types of transmission. There is a 5-speed manual transmission as well as an 8-speed CVT unit.

The turbocharged 1.3-litre petrol variant of the MG Astor will be offered in seven trims, including Super, Smart STD, Smart, Sharp STD, Sharp, Savvy, and Savvy Red. The manual variant of the 1.5-litre model will have just five trims, while the automatic version will come in seven trims.

MG is likely to price the Astor from around the ₹10 lakh mark. However, the top-spec Savvy and Savvy Red trims, which are expected to be loaded with most of the features, may cost closer to the ₹18 lakh mark or more.