New Delhi: MG Motor, the British brand owned by the Chinese car giant SAIC, is betting big on electric vehicles or EVs as it plans to introduce one electric car every year to cash in on rising demand to go green in the country.
It has already sold more than 10,000 units of its first electric car MG ZS EV introduced in Feb. 2020 in India. It is a five-seater SUV with a starting price of Rs 23.38 lakh at Delhi showroom.
Now MG Motor will introduce the new fun-to-drive MG Comet EV hatchback, with a futuristic design, and distinctive look in May when the price will be announced and deliveries start.
This locally produced mass market Comet EV is estimated to be priced between Rs 8 to Rs 9 lakh.
The two-door, compact Comet EV finds itself in a segment completely of its own. However, it will squarely rival the Tata Tiago EV which is priced between Rs 8.69 lakh and 11.99 lakh and Citroen eC3 between Rs 11.50 lakh-12.43 lakh.
With its smallest electric car, MG will target buyers who are looking for an urban city runabout with a small footprint.
MG Motor also plans to bring in the EV SUV version of the Comet which is likely to go on sale in India by 2025.
“We have a huge range of EV in our portfolios such as hatchbacks, sedans, SUVs, vans and more and we will bring more electric cars as the market picks up and matures here,” Gaurav Gupta, chief commercial officer at MG Motor India, told Financial Chronicle.
He said the company was targeting EVs to contribute 25 per cent of the total retail sales this year. “We sold 250 to 300 units every month of MG ZS EV last year which has doubled to 500 to 650 units monthly this year,” Gupta said.
He said this year the sales volume will be more than 80,000 cars, up from 48,000 sold last year.
Last year, car makers sold a total of 47,000 electric cars in India, which is likely to rise three-four-fold to 1,50,000 to 1,70,000 units this year, Gupta said.
