The price of MG (Morris Garages) Motor’s Comet has just been announced, and to our surprise, it is not Rs 10 lakh, but would be India’s cheapest electric vehicle (EV), with prices starting from Rs 7.98 lakh (Rs 798,000).
Earlier, it was perceived that Tata Motors’ Tiago would be the cheapest EV in India with prices starting from Rs 8.65 lakh (Rs 865,000) onwards.
 |
| The MG Comet EV will have a range of 230 km. |
Comet EV design, colour details
The Comet EV comes with a boxy look with a full-width LED light bar, which is an interesting design addition.
The charging port of the MG Comet electric is in the front under the light bar. In the flap, there is an illuminated MG logo.
At the rear also, the electric Comet has ‘Extended Horizon’ connecting lights. The Comet EV has 12-inch alloy wheels, the smallest wheel size among all passenger cars.
It is offered with asymmetrical window design where the rear windows are mounted vertically.
The EV comes in five colours along with multiple graphics packs. They are categorised under sticker styles and lit packs.
MG Comet electric’s interiors, features
The Comet EV comprises a white and grey interior with two 10.25-inch screens. One of them is the infotainment system and the other is the digital instrument cluster.
The front passenger seats comprise a unique one-touch tumble-and-fold feature, while the rear seats get a 50:50 split. The Comet has a rotary drive selector.
The MG EV comes with a slew of features — manual AC controls, keyless entry, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, steering-mounted controls, three USB ports and there are over 55 connected features.
MG Comet’s safety features adequate?
There is also a litany of safety features on the MG EV, including ABS, EBD, tyre pressure monitoring system, reverse camera and sensors along with dual-front airbags. This is adequate, considering its pricing.
Bookings for the Comet EV
Bookings for the Comet are set to start from May 15 and the micro car will be MG’s second EV in the Indian market.
With the Comet, MG hopes that the share of EVs in its own sales will rise from 11 per cent to around 30 per cent, this financial year itself.
The total sales target MG has set, including its EVs, is 100,000 or 1 lakh units this year.
Its first electric vehicle was the ZS EV, which is an SUV, with prices starting from Rs 22 lakh and this is on the steeper side.
MG Comet’s range vs Tata Tiago range
The two-door MG Comet will offer a lower range of 230 km while the Tata Tiago (a four-door car) is believed to offer from 250 km to 315 km.
Advantage Tiago or Comet?
But the Tiago may still be at an advantage as a buyer’s choice because its features are superior to the Comet and since it is not a micro car.
E-Vroooom’s views
We have seen that the small car, Tata Nano, has come a cropper in India despite being the country’s cheapest car with prices starting from Rs 1 lakh (Rs 100,000) when it was first launched.
Tata’s plan was to wean away motorcycle owners but this strategy did not work as bike or even scooter riders did not want to replace their two-wheelers with the Nano. Hence, it went into oblivion.
Perhaps, MG is also experimenting with a micro car in India, despite its failures, and by keeping the pricing high, it may have been a recipe for disaster for MG, which perhaps the company may have realised.
So, with MG Motor’s pricing surprise, the auto giant hopes that India’s cheapest EV will find many takers, and pep up the company to launch more budget electric vehicles in the country.
No comments:
Post a Comment