T3 India

Cars

New Mercedes Campaign Targets AMG Customers

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India’s leading luxury car brand Mercedes-Benz has rolled out a new-age marketing campaign “Are you AMG-ready?”  The new campaign announces Mercedes-Benz India’s shift to new age performance marketing and underlines an important strategic move by the company to target social-media-savvy AMG customers who are highly active on Instagram, some of them being semi-influencers in their own right. The latest campaign redefines the marketing playbook by leveraging ‘Instagram’ as its hero channel for promotion.

The campaign is a departure from the regular media mix and leverages customer-insight driven performance marketing, catering to the lifestyle of AMG customers. It is designed to bind existing customers to the brand and conquer new target groups, while focussing on the AMG spirit. The campaign introduces a new imagery and a confident tone — freedom-loving and rebellious — offering a glimpse of upcoming product campaigns that are set to excite the AMG customers and performance enthusiasts during the course of the year.

Commenting on the new campaign, Santosh Iyer, Vice-President, Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz India remarked, “The “Are you AMG-ready?” campaign aims at making the brand more desirable while simultaneously reaching new target groups. It showcases Mercedes-Benz’s sharp customer focus by repurposing the media mix to ensure maximum engagement with customers. Our AMG customers are adrenaline loving, feisty spirited digital natives who seek instant reaction and constant engagement from the brand. They are performance purists whose passion for the AMG brand has led them to become semi-influencers in their own right. The campaign salutes our AMG customers, their inspiring AMG spirit and passion for performance, which will strengthen the AMG brand further.”

The campaign video has been ideated and conceptualized by renowned British star photographer and filmmaker Rankin’s agency, Rankin Agency London. The campaign includes numerous Instagram assets each telling an individual story. They focus on four highlight vehicles from the AMG model portfolio: two historic milestones in the shape of the SLS AMG Electric Drive and the 300 E 5.6 AMG (“The Hammer”) as well as two current vehicles in the form of the Mercedes-AMG G 63 and the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series.

Embraced with efficiency and sporty looks, the AMG models are the true adrenaline of the luxury car. It is a blend of luxury, sportiness, performance, and team spirit; qualities that customers always rely on. AMG is currently systematically driving forward the transformation of the company and redefining the future of Driving Performance. True to its qualities, the campaign is built on the principle of creating a strong relationship between the brand and the customers who are bold, highly spirited, and powerful just like AMG.

MG Motor India is making automobiles of the future: hybrids, EV’s, and more

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Newer technology is redefining the automotive industry, and with innovations needed to create vehicles also adhering to environmental policies of states. Since its inception just over two years ago, MG Motor India has been setting benchmarks by integrating state-of-the-art and industry-first tech features in their vehicles.

The vehicles that MG have launched which have innovative features are:

MG Hector

MG Hector is India’s first internet SUV. MG’s i-smart technology keeps the users seamlessly connected with over 60 features of the diesel or petrol-fuelled SUV which is also available in a ‘hybrid’ variant which consists of a combination of petrol and electric. These petrol hybrid models are equipped with an Engine Idle Start Stop System, Regenerative Braking, E-Boost, and an additional 48V battery.

MG Gloster

MG Gloster which is the first level-1 autonomous SUV is a diesel-fuelled vehicle which comes with an automatic power train, 70+ i-smart features, a 75L fuel tank capacity, 1996 cc of engine displacement, a max torque of 375/480 NM @ 1500-2400, and much more.

MG ZS EV

The ZS EV is MG’s first pure electric internet SUV. This zero-emission car doesn’t compromise on style and features. With a push button start stop with smart entry, the ZS EV comes with an electronic gear shift knob, i-smart features to help users track their CO2 savings (and more), auto headlights, an automatic power train a battery capacity of 44.5 KWH, and with a maximum estimated range of 419 kilometers. The ZS EV delivers a max torque of 353 Nm.

MG has redefined tech in mobility by offering internet-connected cars and has been working to make user experiences much better ever since its inception. MG believes that the ‘Internet Inside” badge is one of the main reasons for its success in the country. In these vehicles, what stands out in their tech features are:

* MG’s iSMART journey from 1.0 to 2.0

* The industry-first Hinglish voice commands

* Improvements in the MY MG APP used by customers

* The IPTV ready embedded sim technology also enables industry-first over-the-air (OTA) updates (OTA),

* The second brand globally to offer such updates without customers having to visit the service station to plugin and upgrade the infotainment systems.

For more information, please visit this page.

MG Unveils Astor SUV with AI Assistant and Autonomous Level 2 Tech

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MG Motor India today unveiled the industry-first personal AI assistant and first-in-segment Autonomous Level 2 technology, to be featured in their upcoming mid-size SUV – Astor. MG aims to further its auto-tech focus by building on the concept of Car-as-a-Platform (CAAP) of possibilities and services.

MG is working on emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enable the development and application of services and subscriptions to support the ‘on-demand in-car’ needs of the customers. Astor is the first car to get a personal AI assistant in the company’s global portfolio.

The personal AI assistant is designed by the acclaimed American firm ‘Star Design’. It depicts human-like emotions and voices and can give detailed information on every topic through Wikipedia. It will engage with people in the car and is powered by i-Smart Hub. It is a platform on which the partnerships, services, and subscriptions of CAAP will reside. It will allow customers to personalise their set of services.

Speaking about India’s first personal AI assistant and the first-in-segment Autonomous Level 2 car Astor, Rajeev Chaba, President and MD, MG Motor India, said, “As an auto-tech brand, we have always introduced breakthrough technologies and now, we are moving forward with Artificial Intelligence. Astor is a step further and a catalyst for disruption with first-in-the-industry and best-in-class features that customers only get in premium/luxury segments. With a relentless pursuit of innovation and software at the heart of the production, our vehicles will continue to provide a smarter and safer driving experience by leveraging AI.”

The Autonomous Level 2 MG Astor is powered by mid-range radars and a multi-purpose camera that can realize a series of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS). These include Adaptive Cruise Control, Forward Collision Warning, Automatic Emergency Braking, Lane Keeping Assist, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Departure Prevention, Intelligent Headlamp Control (IHC), Rear Drive Assist (RDA) and Speed Assist System amongst others. These functions can significantly improve driving safety and comfort, and they have been further optimised for Indian traffic conditions.

The name Astor is derived from Raytheon Sentinel, an airborne battlefield and ground surveillance aircraft formerly operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF), UK. MG Astor shares the popular ZS platform sold by MG across the globe in countries such as the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Middle East, Norway, Netherlands and other countries in Asia too.

For the first time in India, MG recently showcased CAAP with endless possibilities. Building an ecosystem of various in-car services, it hosts subscriptions and services, including maps and navigation with MapMyIndia, Jio connectivity, the first-of-its-kind Blockchain-protected vehicle digital passport by KoineArth and more. MG car owners will also get access to music on the JioSaavn app along with the industry-first feature of reserving a parking slot through a head unit (powered by Park+ – select cities to begin with) in the car. CAAP will create various possibilities which will evolve with time, creating a safer and smarter driving experience.

Pioneer’s new infotainment system transforms your in-car experience

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Known for producing quality entertainments systems for cars, Pioneer has launched the SDA-835TAB Smart Unit Receiver and the SPH-T20BT, in conjunction, at a price of Rs. 33,890. Apart from providing all the multimedia functions each and every tech-savvy individual of today’s day-and-age desires, this infotainment system also comes with smart security features.

The SDA-835TAB is a detachable multi-purpose tablet and can be used both inside and outside the vehicle. Powered by a quad-core processor, this tablet runs on Android OS 9.0 and has an impressive 4000mAh battery, making it suitable to use over long-drives. More so, the SDA-835TAB comes with pre-installed apps such as YouTube, Gmail, Google Maps and Pioneer’s very own – Pioneer Smart Sync App which connects to a wide variety of apps including Spotify and more. The tablet is equipped with an 8-inch 1280×800 IPS screen with a 5-point capacitive touch panel.  

The tablet factors in driver and passenger safety and its utilitarian design enables it to be connected to the universal read-view camera. The rear camera footage also springs up automatically when the driver shifts the gear to reverse. The SDA-835TAB also connects to Pioneer’s parking sensors (ND-PS1), if installed. Due to its detachable nature, the tablet’s Anti-theft feature offers security options even when one’s not in the car.

Meanwhile, the SPH-T20BT is an audio receiver with fresh features and design. Apart from being equipped with a tablet mount cradle for the SDA-835TAB, the SPH-T20BT features a MOSFET 50Wx4 amplifier, 3 RCA pre-out, a rear camera input, Bluetooth connectivity and a 2-DIN receiver. Along with a wired remote that connects to the steering wheel and also a video output to connect rear screens. As all Pioneer systems tend to offer, the SPH-T20BT delivers superior audio quality and can be customised with the 13-band equaliser and other tuning features.

Amazon announces Echo Auto in India

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Amazon has finally launched the Echo Auto in India. A dedicated Alexa-enabled device for cars, it can be plugged into the car’s 12V charging socket or USB port while the audio is routed through the car’s stereo via 3.5mm cable or Bluetooth. 

Since the device requires a constant internet connection, Echo Auto needs to be connected to the user’s smartphone with the Alexa app that allows to play music, listen to audiobooks, make calls, ask for directions and even send text messages (Android). 

Echo Auto is priced at Rs. 4,999 and will be available from January 15.

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