MG Motor India, which recently has entered the competitive midsize SUV segment with its tech-laden Astor, has delivered 500 units on Dhanteras, the first day of the auspicious Diwali festival.

The company aims to sell around 3,000 units of the midsize SUV a month.

The OEM says the deliveries is particularly special considering the acute shortage of semiconductor chips and aims to improve the availability to meet its initial target of 4,000-5,000 deliveries by end-2021.

As is the case, with semiconductor shortages impacting production for OEMs, the Astor has been sold out for 2021 and bookings are now open for Astor delivery in 2022.

The segment, which is home to the likes of the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos, is growing at a robust rate, prompting MG to further tap the potential in the Indian market when it is averaging sales of over 4,000 units every month (July 2021: 4,225; August 2021: 4,315) in the ongoing fiscal.

The Astor is 4.3 metres long and gets distinguishing styling elements such as the celestial front grille, all-LED lamps and a set of 17-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels that set it apart from the ZS EV.

On the inside, the Astor gets a unique AI assistant mounted at the centre of the dashboard, along with a 10.1-inch HD infotainment system and a 7-inch full-digital instrument cluster. It also gets an electronic parking brake, heated ORVMs and a PM2.5 filter.