Mahindra to Develop Bigger Electric Vehicles, R&D starts at Bangalore

Recently, Mahindra & Mahindra has launched its first four-seater electric car e2o, and now the company is working on a new platform to manufacture bigger vehicle that could even be utilized by its Korean subsidiary SsangYong Motor.

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Speaking to PTI, Pawan Goenka, M&M President (Automotive and Far Equipment Sectors) said that "After we launched the e2o in March, now we have just started developing a new electric vehicle platform. This will be for higher powered vehicles". The company is carrying the design and development work of the proposed platform at M&M’s electric car division Mahindra Reva’s Bangalore Centre. Mr. Goenka further said that “this is going to be the next-gen vehicle after the set of launches of electric vehicle that are coming up from our stable”. However, he didn’t disclose much about the specifications and amount to be spend to develop the new platform.

Goenka didn’t speak much about the models that will come with this new platform. The new platform is for bigger vehicles, however company have not decided anything yet. The company will decide whether the platform will be used for Mahindra vehicles or Ssangyong vehicles after the development process over. Ssangyong has also shown great interest in development of this platform. 

Mahindra & Mahindra official had recently said that they will launch the electric version of its entry-level sedan Verito within a year, besides commercial vehicles Gio and Maxximo. The homegrown auto-major is ready to invest Rs. 150 crore to manufacture electric version of Gio, Maxximo and Verito. M&M had launched its first electric car e2o at Rs. 5.96 lakh (on-road Delhi). The company had invested a sum of Rs 100 crore to develop e2o and construction of a facility with an annual capacity of 30,000 units per year.