JSW MG Motor India, which has lined up five new launches over the next few quarters, is all set to roll out an electric Crossover Utility Vehicle (e-CUV) Windsor in the near term. Positioned between the Comet EV and ZS EV, the new model will be hitting the market around September or October this year.
"We are launching MG Windsor shortly. We are positioning this as an intelligent crossover utility vehicle. The USP of this car is it would give you the functionality of an SUV and the interior space of a sedan. This is going to be an EV. For more details, just wait for a few more weeks,” JSW MG Motor India CEO Emeritus Rajeev Chaba said on August 6.
There has been a lot of buzz that MG’s next model will be Cloud EV, which is sold in other countries. While Chaba did confirm that the same model will be brought to India as "Windsor”, he maintained that design elements will be different.
When queried if Cloud has been renamed as Windsor for the Indian market, he maintained, "It is not exactly the same vehicle. We have done lots of changes in the car. So, in India, we would be launching Windsor," added Chaba. Without sharing the price points, he confirmed that it will be positioned between its Comet and ZS EV electric cars.
Talking about the localisation plans for its EVs, Chaba indicated that while for ZS EV, it is 30-40 percent owing to higher level of imports , it is 60 percent in Comet EV. However, he affirmed that the Windsor will have around 80 percent indegenisation levels.
“Our endeavour would be for the new product (Windsor EV) for localisation to go up to 80 percent plus. I know it will take some time. Obviously, at the start of the operation, it will be less. But ultimately, we want to take it 80 percent plus,” noted Chaba. He also clarified that the company has no plans to leverage on the EV Policy and will continue to build EVs.
Meanwhile, JSW MG Motor India expects its EVs sales to grow by about 250 percent in 2024 due to new launches and unprecedented demand.
“Last year, our growth of EV was 150 percent and this year, we would grow by almost 250 percent. So, our story is that our EV sales are growing because they are a very compelling and very trustworthy and reliable EV solution to consumer,” said Chaba.
According to Federation of Automobile Dealers' Association (FADA), JSW MG Motor sold 9,078 electric cars in India in 2023, registering a 165.3 percent annual growth. “If you look at the sales data of last five to six months, overall EV sales are going down. But I'm happy to say our EV sales are going up," stated Chaba.
At present, BEVs are contributing around 40 percent of the company's total sales. “It is reasonable to guess or estimate around first quarter during the Jan-March, it was 27-28 percent. Now, we have gone to 37-38 percent last month," added Chaba.
Meanwhile, JSW MG Motor India launched its superapp eHUB, in its bid to reduce the anxiety of electric car owners who had to deal with multiple apps and incomplete information. Additionally, it has also launched "Project Revive", a programme to repurpose used electric car batteries, and "Evpedia", an education platform for electric cars.
JSW MG Motor India, in which JSW Group owns a 35 percent stake, aims to sell one million electric vehicles in India by 2030. It is also in the process of increasing its production capacity from 100,000 units per annum to 300,000 units per annum.
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