In this video, we review the MG Astor using the concepts of management theories (SWOT Analysis) to review Cars, based on their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities for the manufacturer’s to make the car better & the threat it faces from its rivals.
MG Astor is basically the ZS EV, but with a petrol powertrain. MG has carried forward the cosmetic traits from the EV and added a few styling elements like the roof rails and celestial grille ,which gives the Astor a premium crossover stance.
As you step inside the cabin, The Astor greets you with an airy cabin, credits to the presence of the Panoramic Sky Roof. Other two most striking features of the Astor would be the Personal AI Assistant & the Sangria red leather interior. But in case you prefer a subtle interior, there’s also an option for all black or a black-ivory dual tone interior.
Overall, the Astor is well stanced like a Cross-Over Urban SUV, without being intimidating or bulky. But even with it’s subtle stance, it manages to beat the rivals, in terms of dimensions and that’s a win for MG.
Strengths
- Pricing: The Astor is launched at Rs 9.78 lakhs, which is lesser than the rivals pricing of The Creta & the Seltos. Even the price of Astor’s top end variant at Rs 17.38 lakh, is priced lower than the competition. So, The Pricing of the MG Astor gives it a competitive edge over the Hyundai Creta & the Kia Seltos.
- Autonomous Driving Assist Features: Astor offers Level 2 autonomous driving assist features, which are not yet offered by any other rival in the segment. This sets a new benchmark for safety features in the segment and becomes a unique selling proposition for the Astor. MG says that these features are optimised according to our indian roads and infrastructure. Which is a great deal, as Autonomous features earlier were not very effective in our country with animals and two wheelers swerving suddenly in our lane.
- AI Assistant & Connected Car Tech: The Astor comes with another segment first feature- the Personal AI Assistant. Which is linked with wikipedia and a few tech websites. So, it can crack you with jokes and operate 30 voice commands on your request to operate the sunroof or door windows etc. Many cars are offered with voice commands, but what makes this one special is that the commands are accepted in the hinglish language, making it easier for Indian customers to actually use this feature.
- Digital Key: Now, If you are one of those, who often forgets carrying their keys. The Astor has you covered as it comes with a digital key, so you can unlock and drive your car via MG’s mobile app, without the need of a physical key. This feature works via bluetooth, so you do not have to rely on the network coverage and can use this feature anywhere.
- Dimensions: The Astor due to its lines and subtle design language might not look very intimidating or bulky in dimensions, but on paper it is the biggest in segment, from all aspects. It is longer, wider & taller than- the Creta and the Seltos.
Weakness
- No Diesel engine: With diesel prices skyrocketing, there’s no major difference in the driving costs of petrol or diesel cars. But still, there are buyers who enjoy the grunt of a torquey diesel engine & Numbers don’t lie, The Creta sells more of it’s diesel variants than the petrol. So I hope the idea of a petrol only powertrain does not blow back at the MG.
- 3 Cylinder Engine: The Astor comes with a 3 cylinder turbo petrol engine as compared to rivals 4 cylinder engines. The 3 cylinder engine matches the power figure of the rivals, but isn’t it always better to have one more cylinder?
- No ventilated seats & No wireless mobile charging: Although Astor comes with a long list of segment first features, it does miss out on the ventilated seats and wireless mobile charging and Both the Kia Seltos and Hyundai Creta offer these features.
Opportunities
- Replace the spare steel wheel with alloy wheels, to offer a premium segment ownership experience
- Offer a Diesel engine
- Telescopic adjustment for steering wheel
- Can be offered in more colour options
Threats
- Its direct threat is the Hyundai Creta which has been the segment leader with more than 6 lakh customers, since 2015. & The segment leader as of now, The Kia Seltos,. The Seltos offers more colours and customization options than the Astor, which gives the customers a unique presence on the road with their SUVs.
- Then there are the new entrants in the market the Skoda Kushaq & the Volkswagen Taigun -which offer more torque, better driving experience with a promise of german build quality.
- Lastly, one of the biggest threats to the MG Astor, is the Astor itself. Confused, how ? well the market has a very tough competition in the segment and no matter how intriguing the features are, its primary objective is to take you from point A to point B and if the fuel prices see such incremental graph, consumers could overlook few comfort features and opt for a diesel SUV to reduce their driving costs and this is not my personal opinion, this is what statistics say, even for the Segment leaders like the Hyundai Creta.
So, in our SWOT analysis of the MG Astor, we can conclude that If you are a tech savvy person and like the segment first features that the Astor has to offer and are not inclined towards a diesel engine, then the MG Astor is a great value proposition for the price you pay.
