A car with 'Internet Inside'

This new vehicle boasts connectivity, smart AI and user analytics.

Morris Garages' (MG) flagship SUV in India is the Hector whose tagline is "It's a human thing"; and yet, the vehicle has technology written all over it. In fact, the words, "Internet Inside" are actually written on the vehicle.

The MG Hector ad film

The ad film for the SUV in India, featuring British actor Benedict Cumberbatch, flaunts the vehicles AI capabilities and its ability to communicate with the driver and adapt accordingly. The ad copy reads -"Learning to learn about each other." Throughout the film, Cumberbatch highlights his interactions with the SUV, just like he would with another analytical living being. This is one of the core ways how MG is marketing the Hector aka, 'The Internet Car'.

ALSO READ: "For youngsters, a car is a gadget": Hyundai's Puneet Anand

In a step to further the Hector's connectivity attributes, apps like Gaana (music streaming) and TomTom (navigation) come preloaded. The vehicles are also equipped to become an extension of other smart devices like a smartphone, to communicate and understand the user better. This is MG's way of stating that its vehicles are aimed at providing more than ergonomics, comfort, cost-ffectiveness, and mobility.

"Today, when you think of a car, it's not just a vehicle; it's more of a gadget. Young people don't treat a car as a mechanical thing," said Hyundai's marketing head, Puneet Anand during an interview around the marketing mix for Hyundai's new SUV 'Venue'.

"With connected cars, the internet is inside the car and the humble automobile turns into a computer on wheels. With cars interacting with its environs, there are new business opportunities like data-centres, in-car streaming services, new business models for monetising driving data - from insurance to maintenanc, and a lot more," stated Kaushik Prasad, GM - Consumer Marketing, Ford India in an afaqs! post.

Speaking of MG Hector's 'Internet Inside' tag, the most memorable tagline on these lines, probably came from tech company and computer processor maker Intel and its famous "Intel inside" tag that marks devices equipped with the brand's processors. The vehicle supposedly also provides driver analytics, i.e. data about a user's driving habits etc. via an app. MG has partnered with tech companies like Cognizant, Microsoft and Adobe, among others for these services.