British heritage brand MG launched its first fully electric vehicle in India called the MG ZS EV at the price of INR 20.88 lakhs ex-showroom, Delhi. The brand has till date received almost 3000 bookings for the car and 158 units have already been sold in the Indian market. The number of bookings outpaces the entire electric vehicle segment in the Indian market which accounts for a total of 1554 units shared across EV brands in India such as Tata Tigor EV (669 units), Mahindra eVerito (563 units), Hyundai Kona Electric (292 units) and Mahindra e2o (30 units).
The pure electric 5 seater SUV features a chrome studded front grille with integrated charging dock, projector headlamps, LED daytime running lamps, large panoramic sunroof, body claddings, faux skid plate on the front and rear, turn indicator integrated ORVMs, silver finish roof rails, leather seat upholstery, a large touchscreen infotainment system etc.
The MG ZS EV launched in India is powered by an electric drivetrain that produces 142.7 PS of power and 353 Nm of torque coupled to a 44.5 kWh battery pack that meets IP67 and UL 2580 safety standards. The MG ZS EV takes 6-8 hours to charge from 0-80% SOC using an AC charger installed at home. With a portable charger, the MG ZS EV takes 16-18 hours to achieve 80% state of charge. The same can be achieved in 50 minutes using a fast charger set-up at MG dealerships. The electric powertrain can propel the SUV from a standstill to 100 kmph in 8.5 seconds and return a claimed driving range of 340 km on a single charge.
MG has also introduced the MG eShield through which private car owners can avail a 5-year unlimited km warranty on the car and 8-year 1,50,000 km warranty on the battery pack. The brand also provides free of cost 24×7 Road-Side Assistance and 5 labour-free car services.
In related news, we reported earlier that the brand may also be planning to introduce an ICE (internal combustion engine) version of the electric vehicle which is sold in the international market. This MG ZS could feature a three-cylinder 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine with 111 hp of power and 160 Nm of torque mated to a 6-speed automatic gearbox. The ICE car is likely to carry the same design features as the MG ZS EV except for some distinguishing features. The ICE MG ZS is expected to be priced lower than the EV sibling, speculated to be around the INR 16 lakh mark.