MG Motor teases the launch of MG Hector Internet car; unveils iSMART infotainment system in India

On Tuesday, Morris Garages (MG) Motor unveiled the infotainment system which will power the company’s upcoming MG Hector. It was also one of the rare presentations by a company where user experience was at the forefront of the discussion. The iSMART infotainment system is an amalgamation of some of the best car technologies available in the world right now which will be powering the MG Hector when it launches sometime in June 2019 in India.

“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,” said Rajeev Chaba, President & Managing Director, MG Motor India.

iSMART infotainment system features

MG Hector’s infotainment system is a result of collaboration between MG Motor and technology companies such as Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco, TomTom, Nuance, Gaana, SAP, Unlimit and Airtel among others. As such, the iSMART Next Gen is feature rich and comes with a host of utilities for the ease of users.

The infotainment system consists of a 10.4-inch HD display that has been mounted vertically. It runs on an operating system designed by MG Motor India and comes preloaded with voice assistant, navigation, concierge services in addition to pre-loaded music and videos. The company has partnered with Ganna in India and will provide a Gaana premium account with every MG Hector.

MG Motor has developed a first of its kinds connectivity solution in partnership with Cisco, Unlimit and Airtel embedding the MG Hector with an e-SIM based on IPV6 supporting 5G network. As the iSMART system supports Over-The-Air (OTA) updates, further development will be done globally and firmware or OS updates will be seeded to the car via the internet.

The iSMART system comes with an AI voice assistant which has been developed by Nuance for MG Motor. The company has made sure to optimize the voice assistant and make it familiar with the Indian accents. It recognizes more than 100 commands such as open/close sunroof, switch on/off AC and remote climate control (automatic transmission only) among others.

For navigation, the iSMART system utilizes TomTom’s IQMaps which provides real-time traffic information on the Head Unit. For up-to-date weather data, iSMART depends upon Accuweather to provide real-time updates.

The concierge service dubbed as Pulse Hub is a physical I-call button that connects the user to the MG Motor helpline. From answering general queries such as finding a location to suggesting points of interest along the route, this one service does it all. There is an E-call safety feature as well which initiates a call to the response team if airbags are deployed and subsequently contacts the designated emergency number.

Every MG Hector user will also be provided with an iSMART app which allows real-time monitoring and remote control.