MG Motor India has launched the Comet EV starting at INR 7.98 lakh, ex-showroom, India, making it the cheapest EV to date in the Indian market. The bookings for the vehicle will commence from May 15, 2023 while the deliveries are set to begin from May onwards in select locations.
Targeted towards young customers looking for city commute vehicle, the Comet EV is based on the SAIC group’s GSEV platform. Interestingly, globally the GSEV platform vehicles which include the Wuling Mini EV have been sold over one million units till date, said Rajeev Chaba, President and Managing Director, MG Motor India.
The vehicle packs in an IP 67 rated 17.3 kWh lithium-ion battery pack with prismatic cells which aids the vehicle to travel a claimed distance of 230 kms. Chaba, during the presentation, noted that the new vehicle is suited for someone who is looking for a vehicle for city run drives and not for long distance travellers.
Moreover, the company survey finds that around 86% of the people in India drive less than 30 kms in a single day. With the Comet EV, the company aims ease up the congested city drive with compact design of the vehicle based on design concept of BICO—'Big Inside, Compact Outside’.
According to the report released by MG Motor India, which was conducted by Nielsen on the Urban Mobility Happiness Survey, the company noted that merely 26% of survey respondents found it easy to locate parking, while 74% struggled with the availability and management of parking spaces in their cities.
The two door EV comes with a seating capacity for four with 50:50 settings on the second row of seats. The cabin also features multi-function steering wheel along with rotary gear knob and dual 10.25 inch displays for infotainment and instrument cluster. The entertainment system is equipped with widgets with three fully customisable pages to give customers access to a range of entertainment, and connectivity options, while the iSmart system comes with 55 Connected Car Features & 100+ Voice Commands.
In a bid to attract the young customers, MG Motor India has also offered two special editions of the Comet EV, the Gamer edition and the LIT edition, while several personalisation options including over 250 decal options, graphics can also be availed.
Safety Is Key
In terms of safety, the company noted that the Comet EV uses high strength steel along with 17 hot stamping panels. Meanwhile in terms of battery, the company noted that the battery pack has undergone 39 stringent test including vibration test, thermal diffusion, fires test and temperature shock test among others.
The Comet EV comes with dual front airbags, ABS, EBD, front and rear three point seat belts, rear parking camera and sensor, TPMS (Indirect) and ISOFIX child seat.
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