Is Mahindra set to
manufacture its e2o electric car in the UK, following in the footsteps of
Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK with its LEAF electric car?
This
question, seemingly has no firm answer, though that does not mean the planning
is not in place.
For chairman of the Mahindra Group, Anand
Mahindra, appears to have a firm intention in his mind. And he should know what
is about to happen.
”We will certainly look to build the vehicles
in the UK,” he said this week, adding with a certain degree of conviction: “When
David Cameron came to India I told him that if we could get a good response
from the launch we will start looking at sites.”
Mahindra, a global automotive and technology
company headquartered in India, made its expected entry into the UK automotive
market with the launch of the innovative e2o electric city car.
At an event at London’s Design Museum,
Mahindra unveiled its pricing and specifications.
Designed specifically for easy urban
commuting, and featuring a host of connected technologies, the Mahindra e2o
will be available in two trim levels.
The price of £15,995 includes a touchscreen
infotainment centre with reversing camera, telematics, Revive remote emergency
recharging, leather seats, alloy wheels and a rapid charging port. A cheaper
version is priced at £12,995.
Range before recharging (which takes nine
hours overnight) is 80 miles and the city car has a turning circle tighter than
a London taxi. Acceleration from zero to 50 mile/h (80km/h) is a lengthy 17s.
In addition to its competitive purchase price,
e2o owners that drive the UK average of 7,900 miles per year, and who charge at
home at night on an Economy 7 tariff, “will pay under £10 per month on fuel,
while also eliminating the release of airborne pollutants within their city
environment”.
Mahindra said “I am very proud to announce
that the e2o is now available in the UK and this marks a true milestone for the
Mahindra Group. I invite people to come and test drive the Mahindra e2o
‘ElectriCity Car’ and help drive a positive change to the air quality in their
cities. Sustainability is at the heart of Mahindra’s business practices and
with the introduction of the e2o to the UK market, we are offering a product
that perfectly encapsulates our corporate philosophy.”
Pravin Shah, president and chief executive of
Mahindra’s Automotive operations believes that the e2o is the right car at the
right time for the UK market and according to him, “There has never been a
better time for people to make the change to electric.”
“With the e2o there has never been an easier
or more affordable way to make this transition,” he added. “The e2o is an
innovative combination of advancements in automotive, electronics and information
technology paired with minimal running costs and zero tailpipe emissions. This
makes it the ideal urban runabout or second car for the two-and-a-half-million
UK households that can charge the car at home in a driveway or garage.”
It is interesting that not only is another car
maker on the cusp of entering the UK market, but it is one that hails from
India where Tata Steel has effectively pulled out of the UK, pointing to what
amounts to claims of steel dumping by the Chinese in the UK and elsewhere in
Europe.
Mahindra is a company not easily overlooked.
With sales of £11 billion (US$16.9 billion) it has fingers in various pies – mobility, energy, defence, financial services and
farm equipment.Based in Mumbai it launched the utility vehicle in India in 1947 and now manufactures cars, light commercials, heavy commercials and buses. It launched e2o in 2012.
The company claims owners will not need to go
to a garage for servicing – engineers will travel to owners’’ homes. Just how
long this can be maintained remains to be seen.
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