Hyundai & Kia to launch six electric vehicles in India by 2024

Hyundai was the first automobile manufacturer to launch an electric vehicle in India. They launched the Kona Electric in our country. Despite being the first vehicle in the segment, Kona Electric is currently the least selling electric vehicle in India. This is because of its high price and comparatively low range. However, now Hyundai and Kia are all set to change the electric vehicle market in India. Both manufacturers will be launching a total of 6 electric vehicles in the Indian market.

According to Autocar India, Kia will launch 3 electric vehicles and Hyundai will also launch 3 electric vehicles. There will be a lot of component and platform sharing between the models so that they can be priced competitively and the costs of research and development could be saved. It will be just like both the manufacturers do with the Kia Sonet-Hyundai Venue and Kia Seltos-Hyundai Creta.

Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6

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Hyundai recently unveiled the Ioniq series of their electric vehicles globally. The first set of vehicles will be Ioniq 5 and EV6. Both the vehicles will use the same E-GMP platform. It is a new modular architecture designed specifically for electric vehicles. It will come to India as a Completely Built Units. The Ioniq 5 is expected to come in 2023 and Kia EV6 will be launching in 2022.

The Kia EV6 has a modern design, whereas the Ioniq 5 have a futuristic design. The new platform pushes the wheels towards the corners of the vehicle. This helps in maximising the cabin space for the occupants. The Ioniq 5 has a longer wheelbase. It measures 3,000 mm, whereas the EV6’s wheelbase measure 2,900 mm.

The entry-level variants of both the vehicles are two-wheel-drive. There is a 58kWh battery pack that delivers 170 hp of max power and 350 Nm of peak torque. They can hit a ton in 8.5 seconds. There is also an all-wheel-drive variant that has a larger battery. In Ioniq 5 the motor delivers 301 hp and 321 hp in Kia EV6. The torque output stays the same at 605 Nm and the acceleration times drop to 5.2 seconds. Kia also has an EV6 GT that is a high-performance variant. It produces 585 hp of max power and 740 Nm. According to the WLTP cycle, the lower variants have a driving range of 400 km, whereas long-range variants deliver 481 km for Ioniq 5 and 510 km for EV6.

Hyundai Kona EV and Kia e-Niro

We already have the Kona EV in the Indian market. In the foreign market, Kona has already received a facelift. The same facelift now will be coming to India. Kia will also be bringing their e-Niro to our country. Both the vehicles share components and will come as CKD or Completely Knocked Down unit. The Kona EV facelift is expected to launch in 2022 whereas the e-Niro is expected to hit the Indian market sometime in 2023.

Both the vehicles get a 39.2 kWh or a 64 kWh battery pack. The smaller battery produces 136 PS of max power while the larger one produces 204 PS. According to the WLTP cycle, Kona delivers a driving range of 305 km or 484 km depending on the battery pack whereas the e-Niro delivers 289 km or 455 km.

Made in India Mass-market EV

Both the manufacturers are also working on mass-market electric vehicles for our country. These will be a lot more affordable than other electric vehicles that we have mentioned. Both of them will be based on a low-cost platform and will rely on heavy localization and FAME subsidies to lower the prices of the vehicles. Both manufacturers will be making an electric SUV with a small battery pack that should deliver a range of around 200 to 220 km. They should cost around Rs. 15 lakhs and will be going against the Tata Nexon EV which has been highly successful in the Indian market. Both the electric SUVs should launch in 2024.

Source

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