After Kona EV, Hyundai to launch Electric SUV to take on Nexon EV
In the last one year, we have seen a growing trend for electric vehicles in the country. Many manufacturers are working on electric vehicles whereas some have already launched them. Hyundai was the first manufacturer in the country to launch an electric vehicle Kona EV last year. Later the MG Motors and Tata Motors also followed the path by launching products like eZS SUV and Nexon EV respectively. Hyundai has now confirmed that they are working on another electric vehicle for Indian market which is aimed at competing with the Tata Nexon EV which is currently the least expensive electric vehicle one can buy in the country.
As per the report from the Autocar India, Hyundai is working on developing a new product which will be a mass market Electric vehicle and will be a lot more cheaper than the Kona EV which is priced at Rs 23.7 lakh, ex-showroom currently. Talking to Autocar Professional, Seon Seob Kim, the MD and CEO of Hyundai Motor India said, “We will introduce the vehicle in the next two years. It will be a made-for-India and made-in-India product, which could be exported to other markets where it fits the requirements”
The upcoming EV from Hyundai will be based on a flexible platform that will allow the manufacturer to build an electric car and also accommodate a conventional Internal combustion engine or a hybrid powertrain if needed. The upcoming EV will be an SUV and as it is aimed to be a mass-market product and manufactured in India, the price will be pretty competitive. Hyundai is still working on the product and plans to bring out the product in the market by 2022.
Hyundai has also confirmed that the upcoming EV will have a driving range of around 200 km to 300 km on a single full charge. As Hyundai is looking at manufacturing the EV in India, they are also looking at the possibility of setting up a battery manufacturing plant which will further help them keep the cost or price of the car low the upcoming product as well as the future EVs.
Hyundai is not the only manufacturer who will be bringing in an electric vehicle in the future, Mahindra had launched the eKUV 100 at the expo and other foreign manufacturers like Haima and Great Wall Motors (GWM) also have plans to enter the Indian market with a range of electric and internal combustion engined vehicles.