Chinese MG Motor To Make In India: To Manufacture And Launch First Electric SUV In India By 2020

MG Motor will launch its first electric vehicle in India by 2020 as it prepares to start operations in the country by 2019, Financial Express has reported. The company is owned by Chinese SAIC Motor Corp which plans to invest over Rs 5000 crore as part of its plans for the Indian market. The company has acquired the General Motors' plant in Halol, Gujarat for the purpose.

The electric vehicle will likely be an SUV and follow the government’s Make-In-India initiative which means that there will be a higher level of localisation while also helping with the pricing as the initiative promotes product affordability.

The eRX5 electric SUV was recently showcased to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by MG Motor India at the MOVE Global Summit held in September. The eRX5 has an electric range of 425 kilometres on a single charge and can be charged up to 80 per cent in less than 60 minutes while also supporting a fast charging system. The new electric SUV is likely to be based on the company’s Marvel X platform.

The company will begin their Indian endeavour by June 2019 and as per estimates will have around 45 dealers and 100 touch points initially. They also confirmed that the SUV would be 75 per cent localised supplemented by inputs from designers and developers in the UK and China.