MG Motor India is preparing an entry-level electric car for the Indian market based on sibling brand Wuling's Air EV (Code: E230), which was recently unveiled at an Indonesian event. The E230 is the company's latest model to be constructed on its Global Small Electric Vehicles (GSEV) platform, which currently offers many body types.
While much of the GSEV platform-based car remains the same, according to a source MG might adjust features and equipment for India significantly. In particular, improved air conditioning and battery heat management systems.
A full-width light bar connects the nose via chrome strips that flow directly into the door-mounted wing mirrors. The charging port door, which will bear the MG insignia, is beneath this light bar. Squarish headlamps sit just above an angular front bumper with slim fog lights and a body-coloured panel at the bottom edge.
The doors on the Air EV are slightly longer than those on other GSEV vehicles to allow for easier access to the second row. MG has used the steel rims with plastic hub covers on the 12-inch wheels, which might be alloy.
The back design is sleek, with a curved windscreen and small tail-light units that resemble the look of the headlamps in certain ways. A sleek horizontal light bar runs across the number plate housing in the bumper beneath the windscreen. While official data have yet to be released, we understand the India-bound MG EV would feature a battery pack size of roughly 20 kWh to 25 kWh, offering a real-world driving range of 150km and a power output of 40 HP.
Launching a two-door EV for roughly Rs 10 lakh is a bold, even risky move, but with customer preferences and habits changing so quickly, this radical-looking EV might well appeal to people searching for a very tiny, cool, and ultra-efficient city runabout. We expect the Indian version of the E230 to be unveiled at the Auto Expo in January 2023, followed by a market launch soon after.