MG Motor India, owned by China’s SAIC Motor Corp, will launch its first car in the country in June this year, followed by three other launches over the next two years.
On Tuesday, the company showcased the pictures of its first car named Hector, along with its iSMART Next Gen technology developed in partnership with global technology players including Microsoft, Adobe and SAP.
“This will be the first internet car in India,” MG Motor India president and managing director Rajeev Chaba told DNA Money. The connectivity service will be free for the first three years and has been designed to work on even 2G and 3G networks, apart from the 4G network. Currently, the company has tied up with Airtel to offer internet connectivity.
Last year, MG Motor India said it will invest over Rs 5,000 core in the next five to six years. After Hector, the company will launch an electric vehicle eZS later this year.
“India is a tough market. Not many western players have succeeded here. But, we will create a disruption in a meaningful way. Technology innovation is one of the pillars for our foundation,” Chaba said. We will challenge existing ownership brands, we are building from scratch and won’t repeat the mistakes made by others, he added.
“We know the pattern of failure in the auto industry. We are conscious of those factors (failures of others) and we will establish trust with our brand. No doubt, we are like a dark horse but we will succeed,” Chaba further said.
The connectivity system in Hector will help the car owner to stay connected on the go as the vehicle will have an embedded machine to machine (M2M) eSIM. The platform will be IPV6 and 5G-ready and comes preloaded with music.
It will also enable users to receive real-time entertainment content and application updates, besides giving live traffic navigation, locating cars remotely and geo-fencing.
TECH-DRIVEN
- MG Motor India said it will invest over Rs 5,000 core in the next five to six years
- The company will launch an electric vehicle eZS later this year
