The deliveries of the Astor will commence from November 1\R, 2021\R, and the company aims to deliver the 5,000 units within this year, MG Motor India said in a statement. 

The company had last week announced its foray into the fast-growing mid-sized SUV segment in India with the launch of the new model Astor priced between Rs 9.78 lakh and Rs 16.78 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). 

Commenting on the consumer response, MG Motor India President and Managing Director Rajeev Chaba said, ''We are ecstatic about the response we have received from the customers.'' The company said the 5,000 units were sold out in less than 20 minutes of the opening of bookings. Chaba, however, added, ''Given the global chip crisis that the industry is undergoing, we can only supply a limited number of cars this year. We expect supplies to become better from Q1 next year.'' The MG Astor, which will compete with the likes of Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Sokda Kushaq, and VW Taigun, comes with a personal AI assistant and first-in-segment Autonomous (Level 2) technology. 

The model is based on the company's global platform, ZS, and comes with two engine options the 220 TURBO petrol engine with a six-speed AT (automatic) delivering a 140ps of power and VTi Tech petrol engine with a manual transmission and an eight-speed CVT, delivering 110ps of power. 

The company had said the current prices are introductory and would hold for deliveries this year.