Morris Garages India today conducted a drive-in event showcasing the connectivity technologies in their upcoming Hector SUV. MG Motors is calling it the iSMART Next Gen tech which they’ve developed in collaboration with various tech giants of the world. It also makes the MG Hector India’s first ‘Internet Car’.
Companies including Microsoft, Adobe, Unlimit, SAP, Cisco, Gaana, TomTom and Nuance, have provided their tech. The carmaker unveiled several industry-first features of Internet-enabled cars that will be available in the MG Hector. All the techno wizardry of the iSMART Next Gen is housed in a 10.4inch display which is designed with a vertical interface that allows the driver to control the entire car system with just a touch or voice command.
The system operates through a sim card, co-developed by Cisco and Airtel and is 5G ready. It provides real-time software, entertainment content and application updates. This makes MG the first few among the global leaders and the first in India to bring the revolutionary Over The Air (OTA) technology to cars.
On presenting the future ready tech of the Hector, Rajeev Chaba, President & MD, MG Motor India, said “The integration of internet with cars opens up a gamut of features that can ensure a seamless and updated ownership experience for MG customers in India. With an embedded SIM card and OTA, the MG Hector promises to do a lot more over time with constantly-expanding capabilities, to create a seamless driving experience, throughout the life of the car. Furthermore, with the advent of 5G connectivity in India, MG cars will have the potential to add new, breakthrough features to further enrich the car driving experience”
The MG Hector also sports Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) algorithms developed by Nuance for a Voice Assist feature. Activated with ‘Hello MG’, the voice assist allows over 100 commands, including opening and closing of windows and sunroof, ac control, navigation etc. and works even under poor connectivity. The car also gets real time navigation from Tomtom and weather updates from Accuweather.