MG Motor India’s Air EV to take on the Tata Tiago electric

MG Motor India is set to bring in its fourth electric vehicle (EV), the Air, to India and this car is rumoured to be taking on the Tiago electric, which Tata Motors is slated to launch around early next year for a price tag starting Rs 8.49 lakh (Rs 849,000).

 

India will witness a mega roll out by the British auto giant (Morris Garages or MG) and this ‘budget electric car’ would be based on the Wuling Air EV.

MG Air electric could be launched around Q1 of 2023.

Rival Tata Motors would be launching the Tiago EV, which would come in four trims. The prices of these Tiago variants would range from Rs 8.49 lakh to Rs 11.79 lakh (Rs 11,79,000).

 

MG had earlier hinted that its new electric vehicle would be priced below Rs 10 lakh (Rs 10,00,000). 

 

But if the EV being launched is a micro car (like the one in the photograph with two doors), it should be priced cheaper, say in the range of Rs 6-7 lakh (Rs 600,000-700,000), because small cars (like the Tata Nano) had failed to gain acceptance in India.

 

The upcoming MG Air EV may take away a share of Tiago’s market provided the launch is not delayed, pricing is smart and the performance as well as distance travelled (on a single charge) is commendable.

 

Globally, the MG Air electric car comes in two variants — the Standard Wheelbase (SWB) and the Long Wheelbase (LWB). Both the EV variants have the same dimensions — that is, they are 1,505 mm wide and 1,631 mm tall.

 

Length of the SWB and LWB variants are a tad different — around 2,599 mm and 2,974 mm, respectively. 

The SWB version comes with a two-seat layout while the LWB is offered with the four-seat configuration. In India, Morris Garages may come out with the two-door body variant.

 

The China-specific Wuling Air EV has two electric motors — 30kW (40bhp) and 50kW (67bhp) — that come with ranges of up to 200 km and 300 km, respectively, on a single charge. The duo is paired with a single-speed automatic gearbox.

 

For the Indian version of the Air EV, MG Motor India is set to source the battery pack from Tata AutoComp.

 

In the recent past, Tata AutoComp had inked a joint venture agreement with China’s battery supplier Gotion for designing, production, supply and servicing of Li-ion battery packs for electric vehicles in India.

 

Although the MG Air has a boxy look, it is equipped with a litany of features — a large touchscreen infotainment system, a digital instrument console, wireless connectivity, connected car technology and many more. 

 

As per information, it is likely that MG’s manufacturing team will alter the battery’s thermal management system to suit Indian weather conditions. This would be done to avoid any fire incidents or explosions.

 

Even the air conditioning system is set for a change, to adjust to Indian weather conditions and this MG car could be brought in with a different nameplate altogether. 

And, the car could be rolled out around the first quarter of next calendar year.

 

MG Motor India’s affordable EV must be cheaper than the Tata Tiago electric (considering the former’s smaller size) and its performance as well as features should also match Tata’s upcoming car to stand a fighting chance in India’s mass-market electric vehicle space, which is set to hot up in a few years from now.