Hyundai to showcase Kona and Ioniq electric at Auto Expo 2018. The manufacturer is believed to be also working on Hyundai Xcent Electric
The South Korean automaker is gearing up for the electric mobility future that the government of India is promoting right now. The government filed for a tender for 10,000 electric vehicles last year which was bagged by Mahindra and Tata. Maruti Suzuki, feeling left out, joined hands with Toyota to produce electric and hybrid vehicles in India. Suzuki individually tied up with Toshiba to mass-produce lithium-ion batteries at their facility in Gujrat. Meanwhile, Renault is developing a low-cost electric based on the Kwid for China and other developing markets. Since most of the major automakers are taking part in the alternate fuel rush, Hyundai wants its own fair share of the pie and one of the first cars to help the carmaker achieve this target is the Hyundai Xcent electric. Want to know more about the upcoming electric cars by Hyundai, read along.
Also See- Upcoming Hyundai Cars | Hyundai Cars at Auto Expo 2018
Hyundai plans to introduce the Kona and the Ioniq electric in India by this year. The thorn in the rose being the high-tech laden vehicles which can’t be produced locally in the nation. Hence, Hyundai will have to import both as completely built units and will hold premium price albeit the hefty customs duty. In order to compete in the mass market, Hyundai is believed to be considering the electric version of the Xcent amongst other vehicles.
Also See- Tata Tigor Electric
As per a report published in Times of India, Hyundai is planning to launch various electric vehicles in India. The Xcent would be a great choice as the boot might offer enough space to place the batteries but with the engine amongst other parts gone, the utilisation of the extra space under the hood would be an interesting thing to see. The Hyundai Xcent electric holds various advantages when it comes to price. The only disadvantage being no tax subsidy for being under 4-meter in length as the GST for electric cars is standard at 12%. The Hyundai Xcent is a perfect example of localised manufacturing and can be converted to electric with minimal inputs. We expect the next electric car to follow the Xcent electric would be the Grand i10 electric. With these, Hyundai will have a hatchback, compact sedan, full-size sedan and a compact SUV in the fleet of electric vehicles.
Hyundai has just started the development of the electric cars in India so the launch isn’t going to take place anytime soon. Expect the first electric cars from the automaker to roll in by 2019. The launches from Hyundai slated for 2018 are the Hyundai Elite i20 facelift, Hyundai Creta facelift and the Hyundai AH2 a.k.a. Santro.
Stay tuned for more info on the Hyundai Xcent Electric and other upcoming electric cars in India.
Source – Times Of India
