With the advent of electric vehicles (EVs) in India, many new players have started aiming at the Indian market with their offerings. SAIC-owned MG Motors is one of them, with the company earlier announcing its MG Hector SUV (re-engineered version of China-spec Baojun 530) to be launched in the country by mid-2019. Now, the firm has confirmed its successive launch too, all-electric eZS SUV, which is lined up for an year-end release in India.
First unveiled at the 2018 Guangzhou Auto Show, the eZS SUV will first be rolled out in a testing phase in India, limited to 250 units to be imported as CBU. The move takes advantage of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways notification which spares OEMs from undergoing homologation for models that are imported in limited numbers.
MG ZS (Image: MG Motors)
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The company could soon make a switch to a local production though, once it notes the response for the SUV. For the local manufacturing, the automaker will be using its Halol facility in Gujarat for most of the parts of the vehicles, including the batteries. The ongoing incentives being provided by the Indian government in its push to bring EVs in India will also help the company in the local production.
As for the SUV, the MG eZS SUV is powered by 110 kW electric motor backed by a 45.6 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. The motor is enough to go from 0-50 km/h in 3.1 seconds, while the pack claims a range of 355 km?on a single charge as per NEDC (New European Driving Cycle). The Indian model, however, could come with a larger 52.5 kWh battery pack, seen in some SAIC products by the company.
MG ZS (Image: MG Motors)
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The battery pack is estimated to take around 8 hours for a full charge via an AC wall socket, while a DC fast charger will be able to charge 80% of the battery in 30 minutes.
Looking at its launch date and the expected price point, which for now revolves around the Rs 25 lakh mark, the MD eZS will be competing against the Hyundai Kona electric SUV.
It will be interesting to see whether or not the market capitalisation of Hyundai will give the Hyundai Kona electric an edge over a new player in the Indian market. It should also be noted that the MG eZS is the first all-electric offering by MG Motors, while Hyundai has had its share of experience in the category, also topping the sales with its Ioniq and Kona last year.
Once both the offerings roll out, Indian buyers are set to be spoilt for choice, as both the vehicles have been critically acclaimed in the global markets.
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