MG E200 'Cost Effective' Electric Car Could Launch in India

MG Motor India plans to expand its vehicle line-up in the Indian market. The British-origin automaker launched the all-electric ZS EV in our country earlier this year. Recently, Gaurav Gupta, Chief Commercial Officer, MG Motor India, while speaking to a media publication said that they are considering a “cost-effective EV”. The new affordable MG EV is expected to be priced under Rs 10 lakh. Interestingly, the company showcased the MG E200 EV at the Auto Expo 2020 to gauge the reponse of the show-goers. While there's no official word on the launch of the mini-car in India, we won't be surprised if it's actually the cost-effective product that the executive has talked about. 

For the uninitiated, the MG E200 is a rebadged Baojun E200 that has been on sale in China as a cost-effective 2-seater mini car. It's the updated version of the E100 with more than 100 changes. In fact, the predecessor of the E200 has already been spied in India many times in the past. In China, the Baojun E200 is priced between RMB 54,800-64,800 (INR 5.67-6.71 lakh). However, before brining this model to our shores, the automaker will first review the demand for an affordable EV in the market and then make a decision at a later stage. MG has invested around Rs 5,000 crore, to establish a battery manufacturing plant in India. This will surely help the carmaker price the upcoming electric vehicles more aggressively. The carmaker has already partnered with eChargeBays to install AC and 50Kw DC chargers at customer’s homes or workplaces and MG dealerships.

For now, the MG dealerships with EV-charging facilities are only available in five cities across the country, namely- Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Bangalore. The carmaker is also establishing AC fast-charging stations on main roads in select satellite cities to offer the charge-on-the-go facility. The MG ZS EV is getting quite popular among the customers around the country.

MG E200, which is simply a re-badged Baojun E200, was showcased at Auto Expo 2020 to gauge the public interest

Before the nation-wide lockdown, the carmaker retailed 400 units of the EV and gained over 3,000 bookings. MG has plans to sell between 3000 - 4000 units by the end of this year. MG ZS EV derives power from a 44.5kWh liquid-cooled battery, which puts out 143bhp of power output. The electric SUV offers a range of 340 km in one full charge. The power is transmitted to front wheels via a single-speed automatic gearbox. It is offered in two different trim levels namely Excite and Exclusive and is priced between Rs 20.88 lakh to Rs 23.58 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).