Despite the recent slowdown in sales, the push for electric vehicles doesn’t seem to dim out. A slew of EV launches are planned for the upcoming years, hinting at the possibility of EVs co-existing with hybrids. The general fondness towards SUVs seems to penetrate the EV space as well, as most of the upcoming EVs will have this body style. Here are four affordable electric SUVs launching soon in India.
Hyundai Creta EV | Early 2025
Hyundai is working on an electric SUV based on the popular Creta. The EV will be underpinned by an electrified version of the regular Creta’s platform and will likely have a 45 kWh battery pack, made by Exide for Hyundai. It will likely sit below the floor and could potentially affect the ground clearance of the car. The electric Creta is likely to borrow its electric motors from the outgoing Kona EV.
Since it is a derivative of the regular Creta’s K2 platform forming the base, the EV is mostly going to come with a single motor setup. Accommodating dual motors will demand Hyundai to do a major reengineering of the architecture, which might not be the best financial decision at the moment. The Creta and its EV will share a lot of components.
There is no clear clue on the design to be expected on the EV. Rumours suggest that it could in some way, resemble the outgoing petrol/diesel Creta in some areas of design. Things like a closed-off EV grille, EV-spec wheels etc are to be expected. Test mules spotted so far have all been heavily camouflaged. There will be slight design revisions in the interior. The vehicle will have more features and a different, EV-spec steering wheel that resembles the one on the IONIQ 5.
The launch of the Hyundai Creta EV is expected in early 2025.
Mahindra XUV 400 Facelift | Late 2025
The XUV 400 is Mahindra’s first try at making an electric SUV. It has been on sale for a while now. A facelift is expected to be out in the second half of 2025. It will feature a host of styling changes, and will likely have a design that stands close to that of the XUV 3XO. Mahindra would mostly retain the XUV 400 name and will not go for a 4XO nomenclature.
Other than styling revisions, the XUV 400 facelift is also expected to come with a bunch of feature additions. It will likely get bigger screens (10.25-inch touchscreen and large digital instrument cluster), a restyled climate control panel, and rear AC vents- like the 3XO.
Minimal changes are expected on the powertrain and safety fronts. The facelift could be priced higher than the outgoing model, upon launch.
Mahindra BE.05 | Late 2025
A highly anticipated electric SUV launch from Mahindra is that of the BE.05. The vehicle has managed to amass massive public attention and ardour since the time it was first showcased. The launch seems imminent as the carmaker has lately been testing the BE.05 extensively. A late 2025 launch seems the most probable, although there is no official data on launch timelines yet.
This EV will have an extremely attractive design- edgy and coupe-like. It will come with flush-fitting door handles, a rising window line, aerodynamic wheels, vertical LED tail lamps, chiselled body panels and low-resistance EV tyres.
On the inside, it will have a lot of features and equipment, along with a new-age design and layout. Things like a floating centre console, twin digital displays, panoramic glass roof, rotary control for the infotainment, integrated AC vents, plastic partition between the driver and co-driver etc are to be expected.
The BE.05 will be based on Mahindra’s new-age INGLO (skateboard) platform and will be able to support battery packs that deliver 400-500 km in range. Battery specifications are unknown at the moment. Reassuring is the fact that Mahindra has taken the Hyundai IONIQ 5 for benchmarking, during the R&D of this vehicle. The actual product should thus be interesting. Further spawning hope is the fact that this vehicle could also use VW parts in its powertrain, courtesy of the JV between the manufacturers.
Maruti EVX | 2025
Maruti is readying its first-ever EV for India- the production form of EVX. It will likely have LED projector headlamps, a closed front grille with the Suzuki logo, and bold front and rear bumpers. There will be pillar-mounted door handles for the rear doors, electrically adjustable ORVMs with integrated turn signals, and LED tail lamps. Inside, the electric SUV will come with a large floating touchscreen infotainment system, perforated leatherette upholstery, a newly designed dashboard, automatic climate control, a two-spoke steering wheel, and rotary switches for drive mode selection.
The Maruti eVX is expected to house a powerful electric motor and large battery pack with an anticipated driving range of 500-550 km. Unconfirmed reports suggest the EV to come with a 55-60 kWh battery. The EVX will likely be priced between 20-25 lakh. Toyota could launch a rebadged version of it, post-launch.
