Mahindra to focus on ride sharing with range of electric vehicles; aims to create its own niche
Mahindra will not copy Tesla in the electric vehicle segment of Indian auto market. Instead the homegrown auto major wants to develop its own niche with a range of electric cars and it will focus on the ride sharing platforms. As Mahindra boss Anand Mahindra says, the automaker will build a wide range of electric vehicle from small cars to performance oriented luxury cars.
The company also indicates that it will join hands with different shared mobility providers like Uber and Ola. With this strategy Mahindra hopes to grab a larger share in the country’s EV market that is expected to see a massive boost considering the Indian government’s plan to introduce all-electric mobility across the country by 2030.
Also read: Mahindra Partners with Ola to Launch EV Fleet in Nagpur
Interestingly, Mahindra has already tied with shared mobility provider Ola in Nagpur and rolled out 100 units of its all-electric four-door hatchback e2o Plus. Apart from that, it has set up 50 charging stations as well. This partnership has played a crucial role in making Nagpur India’s first pro-electric mobility city. On the other hand, Tesla focuses on manufacturing and selling the premium electric vehicles for individual customers.
Currently, Mahindra is the only player in the Indian electric vehicle market. Tesla is preparing to enter the country with its latest EV Model 3. Nissan too has announced it will launch the Leaf EV here. Apart from that, premium luxury automakers like Mercedes-Benz and Volvo are also lining up to launch their all-electric cars in the country.
Also read: Upcoming Mahindra Cars in India in 2017, 2018
Mahindra is currently working an all-electric performance focused luxury car in association with the Italian design house Pininfarina. Apart from that, the brand is also developing two powerful batteries that will be used in the future Mahindra EVs. The automakers hopes to benefit from the 12% GST rate fixed for the electric vehicles, road tax waiver by some state governments and Indian government’s FAME scheme.