India’s Mahindra Launches Electric SUVs Based On VW Platform

Indian carmaker Mahindra & Mahindra is to launch a range of five electric SUVs based on Volkswagen’s MEB platform, making the firm the second major customer for MEB after Ford.

Ford is to begin manufacturing an MEB-based electric SUV at its state-of-the-art EV plant in Cologne next year.

The Mahindra vehicles are to be sold under its existing XUV brand and the new BE brand, the company said.

Both vehicles are to be designed at the Mahindra Advanced Design Europe centre in the Banbury, Oxfordshire, which was formally inaugurated on Monday.

Custom platform

Mahindra is using a custom-built platform called Inglo for the vehicles, which is based on MEB components.

VW and Mahindra on Monday signed a term sheet under which the German firm is to supply electric components to Mahindra, aiming for a volume of more than 1 million vehicles by 2030.

“The partnership not only demonstrates that our platform business is highly competitive, but also that the MEB is well on track to become one of the leading open platforms for e-mobility,” said Volkswagen management board member Thomas Schmall.

The Inglo platform offers 60-80 kilowatt hour (kWh) battery capacity and fast-charging of up to 80 percent in under 30 minutes, Mahindra said. It didn’t specify the range of the EVs.

Electric expansion

Tata Motors, which currently dominates India’s EV market, says its Nexon EV’s 40.5 kWh battery offers a range of 437 kilometres.

Mahindra has said it expects electric models to make up 20 to 30 percent of its total SUV sales by March 2027.

The first Mahindra electric SUV should launch by the end of 2024 for the Indian market with the other three out by 2026, the firm said.

Indian ride hailing firm Ola Electric said on Monday it plans to begin producing electric cars in 2024 with a range of up to 500 km and priced at less than $50,000 (£41,000) in a sign of how crowded the country’s EV market is becoming.