MG Hector Tomahawk PHEV integrates StarManch karaoke app for a connected singing experience
The app offers a catalogue of more than 8,000 karaoke tracks across Bollywood songs, devotional music, regional tracks and children’s content. What began as a digital platform for music lovers has now found a place inside the newly launched MG Hector Tomahawk PHEV in India, marking an unusual move for a homegrown karaoke app into the connected-car space.
Speaking about the journey, Bhattacharya said, “Kolkata has always been a city where music is woven into everyday life. That belief eventually led him to build StarManch, a karaoke and social music platform designed to make singing more accessible to everyday users. The idea came from a simple observation: many people enjoy singing but rarely get the opportunity or confidence to do it beyond informal settings. Bhattacharya wanted to create a platform where users could sing along to familiar tracks, record themselves and connect with others through music, regardless of age, training or professional background. Its integration into the MG Hector Tomahawk PHEV takes that idea into a new environment — the car cabin. Occupants can use it to sing along and record performances during a journey, turning the vehicle’s entertainment system into a participatory music space rather than a passive listening setup. The development also points to a broader shift in how connected vehicles are being positioned in India. In-car entertainment has largely been dominated by music streaming and video-led features, but StarManch’s inclusion shows how Indian digital products are beginning to enter more specialised use cases within automobiles. Growing up here inspired my love for music and storytelling. Our vision has always been to make singing more accessible and more social. Taking karaoke beyond the smartphone and into everyday journeys is another step towards making music a natural part of people’s lives. We don’t just want people to listen to music — we want them to become a part of it. ” For Bhattacharya, the move from a music platform to an in-car karaoke experience reflects the same impulse that shaped StarManch at the start: to take singing out of formal spaces and place it into everyday life.