Two days ahead of its global debut in India, the all new MG Hector premium SUV has been spied fully undisguised by automotive enthusiast Deepak Tushir in Gurgaon. Launch of the SUV will take place next month, ahead of that, dealers have started receiving the Hector SUV for mechanic training. MG Hector measures 4,655mm in length, 1,835mm in width and 1,760mm in height. It gets a wheelbase of 2,750mm and is tweaked to cater to the demands of buyers in India with over 300+ India specific changes.
The 5 seater MG Hector has been spied on test on many occasions. The company claims that tests were undertaken across 1 million kms (10 lakh kms) under varied climatic and road conditions across the country. It will come in as the first connected SUV in India with several segment first features.
The iSmart technology comes in with segment first 10.4” vertically stacked touchscreen infotainment system, Over The Air technology, high end features such as panoramic sunroof, leather seats, a Harman Infinity audio system and a 360 degree camera along with electrically adjustable driver seat, climate control, keyless entry, cruise control and tyre pressure monitoring system.
Among the host of connected technologies is the Voice Assist which as the name suggests is a voice application that works on the cloud and Head Unit. It has been developed by Nuance for MG Motors India and is designed with Indian accents. The voice assistant is activated with ‘Hello MG’ and accepts over 100 commands among which are opening and closing of windows, sunroof and AC controls and is activated even under poor connectivity.
iSMART Next Gen is supported by iSMART mobile app. The car gets scanned every time the app is opened and offers information with regard to location of the car, tyre pressure and signals the owner if doors are locked or unlocked. The Hector also gets TomTom navigation system which updates maps and routes and locations via IQ Maps while a preloaded Gaana app with Accuweather allows for access to music and weather forecasts.
iSMART is completely safe in terms of cyber security as it is hosted by Microsoft Azure Cloud. Adobe and Cognizant have also partnered with MG Motors for offering the first ever Adobe Experience Cloud while SAP with iTelligence has built a Dealer Management System – Magnet for all information regarding dealers, service centers and customers for a better post sales experience.
It is with these outstanding first in class features, on board connectivity and technology along with fuel efficient engines that the MG Hector plans to take on segment rivals such as the Jeep Compass, Tata Harrier and Hyundai Tucson. Will this translate into sales success, only time will tell.
