India is one of the biggest?potential markets for the budding electric vehicle (EV) industry. To monetise on it in time, all the major auto makers have announced their hybrid or battery EV (BEV) vehicles lineup in the country. While many of them are to begin selling the EVs by 2020, Jaguar Land Rover has now confirmed that it will be doing so within this year.
One of the top names in the luxury car maker segment, Jaguar Land Rover will be bringing its electrified products to the country as a part of its global push towards an electric drive-train powered portfolio by 2020. For this, the company will be unveiling multiple products, both all-electric as well as with hybrid engines. And as per the latest statement by the top exec of the company, the first hybrid offering will make its way to India by the end of this year and it will be under the Land Rover banner.
The entry of the EV lineup will be followed by the company¡¯s much renowned all-electric BEV, the Jaguar I-PACE, due for launch in the latter half of 2020.
Jaguar I-PACE (Image: Jaguar)
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The confirmation has been provided by none other than Rohit Suri, President & Managing Director - Jaguar Land Rover India Ltd. (JLRIL). He said, ¡°Jaguar Land Rover's focus is to commit itself to a more sustainable future and our engineers have developed just the right products to lead us on this path. The introduction of electrified vehicles in Jaguar Land Rover India's portfolio is in line with the government's thrust towards electric vehicles.¡±
The company sees the recently announced FAME-II incentives as a big backing factor. Suri clarifies this, ¡°The company is encouraged by the introduction of FAME-II by the Government of India and its focus on expansion of the charging infrastructure in the country. This is bound to help with faster adoption of all kinds of Electric Vehicles in due course."
Range Rover Sport PHEV (Image: Range Rover)
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That is exactly what the other OEMs are also eyeing for, an increased adoption of EVs in the country. With the FAME-II being set in place, there is a wide window of opportunity for the same. As the industry wide set up for EVs gains momentum, both in terms of local production and imports (thanks to subsidies), there is a positive outlook in sight. Auto makers, especially the big ones, do not want to be left behind in this major transition.
A look at what the others have promised easily reveals this. Audi had earlier announced its e-Tron to make its debut in the country in 2020, alongside Porsche which is ready to bring its electric Taycan. Even Volvo and Tesla have confirmed that they are eyeing India as a real market and will be launching their all-electric vehicles in the country soon.
Indian majors Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra are already ahead in the race with their respective EV offerings finding their way into use by Indian authorities. As the market for EVs grows, more and more such products are sure to be made available in the coming years.