MG Motor India made a bold move in 2020 launching the MZ ZS EV as its second product in our market. The company was just a year old and even the electric car market too was at a very nascent stage at just 0.3 per cent market share of the overall passenger vehicle volume. Well the EV market has expanded to single-digit share in the last two years and even MG Motor India has tasted success with the ZS EV. That said, the company had earlier shared plans about tapping lower segments with more affordable electric models and is now gearing up to launch a new EV in next year. Yes! MG Motor India's fifth launch in India will be an EV which is set to hit the road in Q2 2023.
Also Read: MG To Debut Air EV In India; Launch Expected By Mid 2023
Speaking with Siddharth Vinayak Patankar, Editor-In-Chief, carandbike on the sidelines of the 62nd SIAM Convention, Rajeev Chaba, President and Managing Director, MG Motor India said, "Definitely it's not going to be a normal product or a mainstream product. It is going to be a new urban mobility solution frankly. So I am sure that there're a lot of guys who will not like it and there'll be a lot of guys who'll love it. So there'll be polarised reactions but we're quite confident. So we'll provide a new urban mobility solution to a new generation. In the new world, the naming, the segmentation, the formation, all will change. So let the market and you all experts name the car. It's how you see it, but it'll be a very different product.
Referring to the market response Tata Motors received for the Nexon EV, Chaba had earlier mentioned tapping the subcompact and entry level EV space citing more volume and price competitiveness. The MG Air EV is undergoing testing in Gujarat and it is expected to debut at the Auto Expo 2023 in January. And MG Motor India's next or the fifth launch too is likely to be the Air EV. The MG Air EV is derived from Wuling Honguang EV sold in China. It will reportedly come with two battery options, with expected range being 200-300 km. The EV will be powered by either a 30kW (40.23 bhp) or a 50kW (67.05 bhp) single-motor setup. MG is expected to locally source battery packs from Tata AutoComp, which has a joint venture with Chinese battery supplier Gotion for the design, manufacture, supply and service of battery packs in the country. The MG Air EV looks quite similar to the Mahindra e20 EV once sold in our market but is likely to offer more tech, better range and performance, and a more spacious cabin.
