Best of the Bharat Mobility Expo - Day 1

Bharat Mobility Expo

The Bharat Mobility Expo kicked-off with a barrage of electric vehicles,

Maruti Suzuki e-Vitara 

Finally making its India debut, the Maruti Suzuki e-Vitara launch officially kicked-off the 2025 Bharat Mobility Expo. Although we are far from knowing the price of the vehicle, all we know is that the vehicle will be launched in the next financial year. The e-Vitara is Maruti Suzuki’s first electric offering whose born-electric skateboard platform, dubbed e-Heartect has been co-developed with Toyota. Using LFP Blade cells from BYD, the e-Vitara will be available in 49 kWh and 61 kWh battery packs, the latter delivering 173 hp of power and 192.5 Nm of torque. Although Maruti didn’t specify an exact figure, its MIDC range is expected to be around 500km - a USP for mid-size e-SUV that’s expected to be priced like the Creta EV.

Available in FWD and AWD configurations, the e-Vitara will be locally manufactured and exported to South Asian, Japanese and European markets. However, at the moment Maruti Suzuki hasn’t specified whether the more expensive and off-road capable all-wheel-drive version will retail in India. What we do know is that it will receive a 10.5-inch infotainment screen and a 10.1-inch instrument cluster, seven airbags and Level 2 ADAS.

Tata Sierra concept 

Those expecting to see the production-ready Sierra EV may have felt a bit let down but at least the near-production-ready Sierra ICE concept broke cover. Tata Motors say that this is just about production-ready, which is reassuring because the Sierra ICE is quite a looker. With the exception of the grille and the alloy design, this is pretty much what the EV version will look like. The Sierra makes it to the list purely because of its affiliation with the EV and the fact that it’s based on Tata Motors’ powertrain agnostic ATLAS architecture. Powertrain options weren’t revealed but it stands to reason that the Sierra ICE will get the brand’s new 1.5-litre turbo-petrol and 2.0-litre diesel options. Level 2 ADAS, large touchscreens, 6 airbags and 360-degree cameras are all par for the course but it’s really the powerful nostalgia angle that will have customers rallying towards the Sierra in ICE or EV form.

Mercedes-Benz CLA Class concept 

Although the Mercedes-Benz G580 was unofficially the showstopper at the Bharat Mobility Expo, the Mercedes-Benz CLA concept garnered much intrigue. Based on a modular platform, the CLA Class concept represents the face of entry-level luxury mobility for Mercedes-Benz. According to the brand, it directly transfers technology from Merc’s Vision EQXX concept car and as such is capable of delivering a WLTP certified range of 750 km on a single charge. This is done partly via a more efficient battery system on the top-trim which will get an all-new silicon anode battery system and partly by using lighter, more sustainable forms of aluminium. According to Merc, the silicon-anode technology has been produced in-house and can deliver up to “93 percent energy efficiency from the battery to the wheels in long-distance driving”.

The CLA Class concept also debuts Merc’s cutting-edge MB OS which will feature proprietary chip-to-cloud architecture enabling AI-assisted supercomputing. At a relatively low cost, the CLA Class will attempt to provide a new entry point for Merc’s EV clientele, promising efficiency, a low C02 footprint and more.

MG Cyberster 

In terms of visual highlights, it didn’t get more compelling than the MG Cyberster – headlining JSW MG Motors India’s new “MG Select” division – the carmaker’s dedicated premium retain network–  the Cyberster is a bonafide electric sports car and the fastest one that MG Motors currently produces. With a design inspired by the yesteryear MG B roadster, the Cyberster is a stunning vision of electric performance. Power figures aren’t superlative, but the Cyberster’s relatively compact form ought to make up for it. Available in single and dual motor configuration, the Cyberster gets a 77 kWh battery pack producing 335 bhp in the long-range RWD configuration, while the dual motor version makes a solid 496 bhp and 795 Nm of torque. Featuring flamboyant supercar-esque scissor doors, the Cyberster is expected to be priced around the Rs 80 lakh mark and will be the most expensive product from the brand.

Hyundai Creta EV

The Creta EV finally got a price tag. With an introductory price of Rs 17.99 lakh to Rs 19.9 lakh for the Creta EV’s smaller battery pack (42 kWh) variant, the Creta EV enters the market with a competitive edge. Hyundai didn’t reveal the price of its higher 52 kWh battery pack variant although in terms of features the top trim on the 42 kWh variant has all the bells and whistles that the long-range Creta EV does. This includes Level 2 ADAS, in-car payment for charging, fast charging capabilities. The smaller battery gets a 135 bhp motor mounted to the front-axle and a real-world range of 300km. Although not built on a born-electric platform, it does get the Ioniq 5’s active air flaps, helping make it more aerodynamic, along with a vehicle-to-load feature which helps charge small to large electronic items. Hyundai is confident that the Creta EV will double EV sales by 2026.