- Could be priced from Rs 7 lakh
- Will be made at MG's Gujarat plant
- 300km range, 100km/h top speed
Yes, you read that right. If the Tiago EV seemed like a value proposition for you, wait till you hear about the upcoming small electric hatchback from MG Motor. This one is currently sold as the Wuling Air EV internationally but for India, it will get the Morris Garages name plate. Why? MG is part of SAIC (Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation) and Wuling operates a JV with SAIC already. Business formalities aside, the upcoming MG Air EV does promise a lot. Here are few things you should know about this 2-door, 4-seat electric EV.
Wuling / MG Air EV Price
The most affordable electric car in India is the Tiago EV. Priced from Rs 8.5 lakh onwards, it has been a runaway success for the company. The Air EV will clear under-cut the electric Tiago which means a possible starting price of about Rs 6.5 to 7 lakh for standard version with the smaller battery. If MG can pull this off, this could be a great green car for urban runs in India.
Wuling / MG Air EV Battery
Internationally, the Air EV comes with two batteries versions. The standard model comes with a 17.3 kWh battery that promises to offer a range of 200km under test conditions. The long range versions comes with a bigger 26.7 kWh battery pack that gives an additional 50% range - 300km! While the standard version takes 8.5 hrs for a full charge from a 2 kW charger, the long range variant takes only 4 hours for a full charge from a more powerful 6.6 kW charger.
Wuling / MG Air EV Motor
As per Wuling's international website, both the standard and long range models come with the same 40 bhp / 110 Nm motor. This is capable enough to push the Air EV to a genuine top speed of 100 km/h or 106 km/h as per the speedometer display. We were not able to find the 0-60 km/h acceleration timings anywhere. That said, we are sure the Air EV will come with driving modes of Eco, Normal and Sport.
Wuling / MG Air EV Features
MG or Morris Garages is known to offer feature loaded vehicles and the Air electric car will be no different. It will come a dual screen set-up on the inside. This includes one each for the infotainment system and the driver info display. There will be a keyless entry and start-stop system along with electric park brake, hill-hold, drive modes, dual airbags and ABS. The Air EV will also offer connectivity options include remote diagnosis and remote functions. There will also be a rotary knob as the drive mode selector.
Verdict : This 2-door 4-seater electric EV looks unconventional but might create a new benchmark in the mass electric space in India.
