MG Motor India launches Hector, India’s first connected car

MG Motor India Pvt. Ltd., the local unit of the iconic British car maker that is now owned by China’s SAIC Motor Corp. Ltd., is all set to launch India’s first connected car christened ‘The Hector’. Available for sales by June, the Hector is expected to cost Rs17-20 lakh. The OTA feature would be standard in all MG cars enabled with iSMART Next Gen for connected mobility, starting with MG Hector.

Industry sources say this technology was developed about 3 years ago between Chinese tech giant Alibaba and SAIC.

Chaba shared several “industry-first" features of Internet-enabled cars that will be available in Hector. Similar to Tesla, Hector will have a 10.4" Head Unit – a touch screen that is the biggest in the auto market in India. The screen is designed with a vertical interface that allows the driver to control the entire car system with just a touch or voice command. The unit will be pre-loaded with entertainment content--there will be10 pre-loaded videos downloaded, a pre-loaded Gaana app with a Premium Account and Accuweather which will help the customers to access music and weather forecasts. All apps have been specially customized for Hector’s large Head Unit.