Mahindra & Mahindra has been a pioneer in the electric vehicle industry in India and one of its initial EV products was the e2O plus. Launched in October 2016, the successor to the Mahindra e2O has had a run of less than 3 years but it seems Mahindra has now pulled the plug.
In a new report that has surfaced, Mahindra Electric Mobility, the electric vehicle unit of M&M has produced the last unit of the e2oPlus on March 31. The report cites Mahesh Babu, chief executive at Mahindra Electric confirming the news.
With the move, M&M is looking to reinvent its offerings in the electric hatchback segment, as per the top exec, and hence decided to discontinue the production of the four door hatchback. Other reasons might include the decline in sales of the vehicle as well as the stricter safety regulations.
Mahindra e2O Plus (Image: Mahindra Electric)
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As for its replacement, Mahindra will be gunning for the electric KUV100 next in the segment. The entry level EV offering from the house of Mahindra is set for a mid-2019 launch and is expected to fetch a price of around Rs 10 lakh on its arrival.
So what will happen to the E2O plus?
The electric car will still be sold in neighbouring markets, like Nepal. Mahindra took the e2O Plus to its global markets earlier in hopes of an increased sales number. It had to discontinue the model in some of these though, like UK and a few others. Other neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka are still expected to garner more sales for the cars.
As of now, Mahindra & Mahindra is the only auto major selling electric cars in India. It is soon expected to get a lot of competition though, with all the other players announcing the launch dates of their EVs in the country. As for the entry level hatchback segment, the KUV100 will have to compete with the likes of Renault Kwid electric, Maruti Suzuki WagonR electric and a few others post its launch this year.
Mahindra e2O Plus (Image: Mahindra Electric)
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With the company already having the ecosystem for EV manufacturing in place, Mahindra might have timed this move just right to not lose on its resources in producing a vehicle that would not really match the standards of others arriving soon its segment.
It is going to be an easy choice for the customers now as well, as the KUV100 is likely to attract much more sales than the e2O Plus. But there is no denying the fact that the electric car has been a great intermediate for the upcoming EV revolution in India over the years. A man in Noida recently claimed that he managed to cover 1 lakh km in less than Rs 1 lakh over a period of 5 years in his Mahindra e2O. You can read the story of how he saved his money in his commute through his electric car here.