Finance
The Auto Expo in the first month of 2023 kicks off the year with a bang. The rise of electric vehicles has been quite noticeable, with more players entering the fray, ranging from electric cars to two-wheelers. Let’s take a look at what’s coming in the EV department before we start the new year.
Citroen eC3
Expected arrival: January 2023
Expected Price: Rs. 10-12 lakh
The electric version of the ICE-powered Citroen C3, the eC3, looks similar to the C3 but has a charging port on the front fender and a drive controller in place of the gear lever. It will almost certainly have more features than the C3, such as cruise control, automatic climate control, rear wiper and washer, and so on.
Citroen’s latest electric vehicle will also include a 3.3kW onboard AC charger and CCS2 fast charging support.
Audi Q8 e-tron
Expected arrival: Late 2023
Expected price: Rs. 1.05 crore to 1.25 crore
The Audi Q8 e-tron gets a choice of two batteries, 89kW and 104kWh, with a claimed range of 505-600kms globally. The majority of the design is carried over from previous models, but the Audi Q8 e-tron gets refreshed bumpers, a new front grille, and redesigned head- and taillights.
The cabin features recycled upholstery and new multimedia interface (MMI) features such as MMI Navigation plus, which includes an e-tron route planner as standard. The 10.1-inch touchscreen screen at the top is followed by an 8.6-inch screen at the bottom, which also controls the air conditioning functions.
Hyundai Ioniq 5
Arrival: January 2023
Expected price: Rs. 50 lakh
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 will be assembled in India and will be the brand’s flagship model. The EV shares a platform with the Kia EV6, but the EV6 is imported as a complete vehicle. The Ioniq 5 is available in 58kW and 77.4kW battery packs in the international market, but in India, it will only be available with a 72.2kWh battery pack that claims to return 631km (ARAI-claimed) and will only be available in real wheel drive guise. Power and torque figures for the India-spec model are 217hp and 350Nm.
Mahindra XUV400
Arrival: January 2023
Expected Price: Rs 18 lakh-20 lakh
Although the Mahindra XUV400 is inspired by the XUV300 and the eXUV300 concept shown at the 2020 Auto Expo, it can be distinguished by its copper-colored accents and closed grille. The electric SUV claims a range of 456 kilometers. It claims to sprint from 0 to 100kmph in 8.3 seconds and has a top speed of 150kmph.
MG Air EV
Expected arrival: May 2023
Expected Price: Rs 10 lakh-12 lakh
Don’t be fooled by the low price, because despite its small size, this MG is not a low-cost EV. The MG Air EV, based on the two-door Wuling Air EV, will be shorter than the Maruti Suzuki Alto! It claims a range of 200-300 kilometers and will most likely include a battery pack with a capacity of 20kWh to 25kWh. The Air EV is expected to produce around 68bhp thanks to a front-axle motor.
Skoda Enyaq iV
Expected Arrival: Mid 2023
Expected Price: Rs 60 lakh
Skoda is likely to bring the top-spec 80x powertrain to India with the Enyaq iV. It has an 82kWh battery with 125kW DC fast charging and a range of up to 513km. The Enyaq iV is equipped with all-wheel drive and dual electric motors, one on each axle, producing a total of 265hp. Skoda may also offer two-wheel drive variants of the Enyaq iV at a lower price point with fewer features.
Source:FE
