MG Motor India is all set to launch its next EV offering, the Air EV, in the next few weeks, an industry source confirmed to Mobility Outlook.
Earlier, during the inauguration of the MG Nurture, Rajeev Chaba, President and Managing Director, MG Motor India, mentioned that the next EV from the SAIC-owned British brand will be affordable and will be priced in the range of INR 10 lakh to INR 15 lakh.
Based on the Wuling Mini EV, the MG Air EV is powered by a 30 kW single magnetic synchronised motor generating 41 PS to the rear wheels and 110 Nm of torque.
With options for 9.2kWh and 13.8 kWh lithium-ion battery packs, the micro e-hatch covers 200 km and 300 km on a single charge, respectively in the international market.
Although not showcased at the Auto Expo 2023, the Air EV did debut in the 2020 edition of the motor expo in the form of an E200 EV.
With an expected length of 2920mm, width of 1493mm and height of 1621mm and a wheelbase of 2010mm, the Air EV will not only be the smallest EV in the country but also the smallest four-wheeler on the road.
Interestingly, Wuling Motors' Air EV was an official car partner for the G20 Summit in Indonesia. About 300 units of Air EV with special livery were in Bali, welcoming the delegations of G20 members and international organisations. According to Fortune Business Insight, the global micro electric vehicle market is projected to grow from $9.57 billion in 2022 to $22.11 billion in 2029, growing at a CAGR of 12.7% in the forecast period.
The report suggests that micro EVs have started experiencing staggering growth worldwide in the post-pandemic world. Due to their smaller form factor, these vehicles are seen as the best mode of city transport, especially in cities of Asia Pacific, the report said.The report suggested that the Asia Pacific region is expected to dominate the micro EV because these vehicles are cheaper in countries in China.
The concept of micro EV was introduced in India in 2004 with the Reva, which was designed and developed by Chetan Maini and later bought by Mahindra and Mahindra. Although M&M tried to upgrade the vehicle from time to time, the product didn’t get enough market response as was intended, perhaps due to the fact that the product was way ahead of its time.
The last avatar of the Reva to hit the road was the Mahindra e2o, which was discontinued in 2019. It will be interesting to see how MG Motor India positions the Air EV to get the desired results given Tata Tiago EV has already been launched and is priced much lower than the forthcoming EV from MG Motor India.
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