[TusharK]

According to a leaked document, the MG ZS EV is likely to be offered with a smaller 40 kWh battery pack.



It seems, MG is either replacing the 44.5 kWh lithium-ion battery pack or could offer it as an option. While the smaller battery should offer less range, it is also likely to bring down the overall cost of the vehicle.

The electric motor powering the ZS EV is the same 3-phase permanent synchronous motor with an output of 140 BHP and 353 Nm.

Earlier, Rajeev Chaba, President, MG Motor India, had stated that the carmaker was planning to launch a second all-electric model in the sub-20 lakh rupees price bracket. At this price point, the new model would compete with the popular Tata Nexon EV.

Link to Team-BHP News

[Axe77]

Interesting moves by both Tata and MG. With general expectation that the Nexon could in future come with a higher capacity battery and now perhaps the MG will come with a lower one, they will both have a lot more overlap with each other.

So in terms of size to range offerings, I expect the 10L plus size / price / battery capacity wise offerings could look something like this in the near future:

1. Altroz (lower range)
2. Altroz (higher range)
3. Nexon (lower range)
4. Nexon (higher range)
5. MG (lower range)
6. MG (higher range)

Possibly some degree of price overlap / proximity between 2 and 3; and 4 and 5.

It’s interesting that the biggest market makers and first movers in the EV space are by one Indian and one Chinese brand. With most other global giants as well as 40% market share holder Maruti simply watching by the sidelines. Hope they get duly rewarded by the market for their early efforts.

[S.MJet]

Not sure but this move could be to bring down price to be eligible for State subsidies.
Read somewhere that ZS EV is not eligible for subsidies.

[EV Fan]

Originally Posted by S.MJet

Not sure but this move could be to bring down price to be eligible for State subsidies.
Read somewhere that ZS EV is not eligible for subsidies.

Both Kona & MG ZS do not get subsidies as for that the vehicle ex-showroom price has to be below 15L.
Though they do get road tax/registration waives, fortunately the govt did not set any limit for that.

[Shreyans_Jain]

No no no. The USP of the ZS EV is that it the one that offers a minimum practical range that is acceptable to most people. This car does a genuine 280-300km on a full charge without having to unnecessarily baby it. It is a bit expensive but it has the cabin quality that is befitting the 20L+ price tag, although an feature or two may be missing. It gets zero subsidy. The ambiance, drive quality and overall maturity of the product is far superior to the Nexon EV. If MG compromises on range, it will be a huge bummer.

The ZS EV buyer is different from the Nexon EV buyer as he knows he is paying more for the 100km extra range, and gets the premium cabin to go with it. It’s a full segment higher. Why dilute it? Globally, this generation of the ZS has been on sale for quite some time now. I’d rather that they add the missing equipment, basic stuff like the rear armrest and climate control, and cement their advantage. When a premium product or brand tries to go downmarket, it doesn’t end well.

[Thilak29]

At the moment, top-end ZS EV costs about 25.5L INR in Bangalore. At this point in time, it is said the cost of the battery accounts for approx. 1/3 cost of vehicle. That sets the battery cost at about 8.5L INR.

With this move, to reduce capacity from 44.5 to 40kWh, there is a reduction of about 10.1% which proportionately should lead to a reduction of about 85k INR for the top variant.

The lower variant should see about 75k price reduction, yet it won't fall under the 20L magical threshold.

However, it could improve the competitiveness of lower variant at places where road tax is applicable and shoots to the next slab when the ex-showroom price goes beyond 20L.

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by S.MJet

Not sure but this move could be to bring down price to be eligible for State subsidies.
Read somewhere that ZS EV is not eligible for subsidies.

I hope so! If they do get the price down to 15L which seems like a stretch, only then they will get eligible for these subsidies.

Just yesterday I posted on the Nexon EV thread about considering replacing our 2009 Altis that is the work horse in the city. However, I wasn't keen on a Tata product. This seems like a good option.

Many seem unhappy about the smaller battery/range but I think its a good move and frankly range is not a priority for everyone. Unless its your primary car. For me even a genuine 150km range is enough within the city and with the charging facility at home, I dont mind plugging it in every night and having it fully charged by the morning.

[serious_maniac]

Originally Posted by Thilak29

At the moment, top-end ZS EV costs about 25.5L INR in Bangalore. At this point in time, it is said the cost of the battery accounts for approx. 1/3 cost of vehicle. That sets the battery cost at about 8.5L INR.

With this move, to reduce capacity from 44.5 to 40kWh, there is a reduction of about 10.1% which proportionately should lead to a reduction of about 85k INR for the top variant.

The lower variant should see about 75k price reduction, yet it won't fall under the 20L magical threshold.

However, it could improve the competitiveness of lower variant at places where road tax is applicable and shoots to the next slab when the ex-showroom price goes beyond 20L.

I expect an entry version with smaller battery, 2 airbags, missing connected car features to be at 19.99L. MG is not doing enough volumes in any model. ZS EV is a good product yo scale the sales charts and be top of mind.

[yajaman99]

This is an interesting development, as a potential buyer for the MG ZS EV Exclusive Variant, should i wait to pick one up ? In my view no, I would love all the extra battery power i can get.
My view, like the others here is this is to get the piece of the pie away from Tata, the Nexon EV top end is approx 18.5L On Road in Bangalore, while MG ZS EV Excite version is around 21L.
If the cost of the entry level MG ZS EV comes close to the top end Nexon EV variant, it could tip the tables towards MG.

Maybe this lower battery will be for the facelift MG ZS EV which will have the interior features of the new MG Astor, its ICE cousin.

Anyway we just need to wait and watch to see how the story unfolds.

[GTO]

Just like we have the same ICE car models being offered with 1.2L & 1.5L engines, so will we have EVs with different batteries & motors. After all, if someone is looking purely at a local urban runabout, why should he / she pay more for higher range? MG is being very sensible here.

It's only a matter of time before EVs offer 500 - 600 km range. But not everyone needs that kind of capacity. Plus, for a long time to come, petrol & diesel will be the preferred fuel for distance highway cruising (non-Tesla public charging is a pain point in the USA too and we are years behind). Thus, I am guessing that a good chunk of the market will happily save a couple of lakhs lesser against range they don't need anyway.

I foresee an "LXi / VXi / ZXi" type of situation in the EV segment:

LXi: The cheapest with say, ~250 km - 300 of range. Will do for most people, especially those that drive only in the city and / or have a petrol car for expressway runs.

VXi: Mid-range in terms of range (400 - 500 km types) and performance. City as well as the occasional Mumbai - Mahabaleshwar drive (as an example).

ZXi: Think Tesla dual-motor kind of performance with range of 600 km and more. Brutal acceleration will be a magnet.

[TorqueIndia]

Very good move by MG, ZS EV was launched for 19.8 lakhs right?
I believe the new variant will be priced considerably lower than the current one say 16-17 lakhs.

Current ZS EV 2021 is a CKD unit from Thailand factory IIRC, with ASTOR launch nearing with good localisation and change of battery pack to lower size and may be LFP too, could make it much more affordable. In a nut shell it feels like an Indian variant of ZS, affordability will surely help it too pick higher volumes.

[Rajiv0909]

Had seen a couple of these camouflaged MG ZSs in Manali. I assume they’re testing the new battery packs.

Lower capacity makes sense from a price standpoint but severely restricts the usability. There should be an option to add extra batteries/ upgrade at a later point

[anoopGTkrish]

MG seems to have goofed up by adding images of a Hyundai Kona on their ZS EV web site





ZSEV for reference.


Wondering which underpaid intern is going to get a bashing for this.

Originally reported by: Rushlane-Spylane

[EV Fan]

Originally Posted by anoopGTkrish

MG seems to have goofed up by adding images of a Hyundai Kona

Had spotted a few goof ups and mailed to them about it some time back. The site seems to be hurriedly put together without any checks.

Have included here some of the issues i had spotted before they rectified it or completely removed it from their website.

https://s7ap1.scene7.com/is/content/...c-pdf-0186.pdf
Section: Page 15 "MG ZS EV Charging Infrastructure Map" - The South India Map is all over the place, names, location placemark all is in a disarray.

"HILL START ASSIST" & "HILL DESCENT" -explained both the features as same
https://www.mgmotor.co.in/vehicles/mgzsev/safety

Section: Battery Safety, Spelling: "CERITICATE". They fixed the spelling but did not bother with the sentence grammar, it just does not make sense. "BATTERY STANDARD SAFETY CERTIFICATE
THE MG ZS EV’S"
https://www.mgmotor.co.in/vehicles/mgzsev/safety

At one point almost got concerned if that is how the product is or was it just their personnel's lack of knowledge/expertise.

Did not spot the Kona though.