Top 6 upcoming electric cars in 2023: From MG Air EV to Volvo C40 Recharge – EQ Mag
In 2022, the Indian automotive market witnessed multiple electric vehicle launches. The year 2023 too will witness the launch and unveiling of various electric vehicles. Even though India is still far behind in terms of EV infrastructure. Nonetheless, people are slowly and steadily starting to accept EVs as a replacement for ICE cars.
Let’s take a look at the top 6 upcoming electric cars in 2023.
1. Citroen eC3
Citroen India recently unveiled the electric version of the eC3 to the Indian market. The bookings for the EV are already open and the booking amount is set at Rs 25,000. The EV will hit showrooms by February and the price announcement will also be made sometime in February 2023.
Talking about the exterior design, the charging port for the EV is located in the front fender. The EV is based on the ICE C3 and the side profile and the design elements look the same as the ICE counterpart. Moving on to the interior, the cabin gets a slight makeover. The centre console gets buttons to select the drive mode that replaces the gear lever.
Talking about the electric motor and Battery. The Citroen eC3 is offered with a single 29.2 kWh battery pack and comes with a 3.3 kW onboard AC charger. Citroen claims that the eC3 can be charged from 10-80 per cent in 57 minutes with a DC charger. On a home charger, the battery can top up from 10-100 per cent in 10.5 hours. Citroen also claims that the eC3 can go 320 Km on one full charge.
The eC3 is powered by a single electric motor which puts out 57 hp of power and 143 Nm of torque. The electric motor can take the eC3 from 0-60 kmph in 6.8 seconds and has a top speed of 107 kph.
The C3 electric will be available in two variants – Live and feel. Features include a 10.2-inch infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, a four-speaker audio system and a height-adjustable driver’s seat. The eC3 also gets connected to car tech in which the charging status, location and many other features can be accessed. Safety features include dual airbags and ABS with EBD.
2. Tata Punch EV
It was expected that Tata to showcase the electric version of the Punch micro SUV at the Delhi auto expo. The Tata Punch EV will be based on the ALFA platform, which underpins the Altroz hatchback. It is also expected that the Punch EV will be powered by Ziptron electric powertrain that powers up the Tiago and Tigor EV but with higher power output.
Talking about the battery, we expect Tata to offer the Punch EV with two battery pack options – medium range and long range. Tata will also make some changes to the exterior and interior bits to distinguish itself from the ICE variant. The Punch will get electric-themed styling tropes and an Electric-specific Teal Blue shade with a tri-arrow design and the ‘humanity’ line grille similar to other Tata EVs.
Moving on to the inside, the Punch EV will retain much of the look from its petrol variant. It will get a dark-toned interior with EV-themed colour detailing with electric blue accents around the instrument panel, AC vents and on-theseat fabric with a tri-arrow pattern as seen in other Tata EVs. We expect prices to range between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 14 lakh (ex-showroom).
3. MG Air EV
The MG Air is a 2-door, 4-seater electric vehicle and essentially it’s the rebadged version of the Wuling Air EV currently on sale in Indonesia. To keep the price competitive, it is said that MG will locally source the battery pack from Tata AutoComp.
The Air EV is smaller than three metres in length, it features an LED strip spanning the width of the front end, vertically stacked dual-barrel headlights, 12-inch steel wheels with stylised covers, and an LED bar at the rear.
Moving on to the interior, the MG Air features leather upholstery with silver and black elements to make it look more premium. The car also features 10.25-inch digital screens for both infotainment and cluster, electronic parking brake, steering-mounted controls and connected car tech.
The MG Air is expected to be offered with two battery pack options 17.3kWh and 26.7kWh battery packs. The larger battery offers a claimed range of 300km, but the version with the smaller pack comes with a claimed range of 200km.
The battery pack will be paired with an electric motor which produces 38 bhp of power. Talking about the pricing, it is expected that the EV will be priced from Rs 8-10 lakh (ex-showroom). When launched, the Air EV will compete with Tata Tiago EV and Citroen C3 EV.
4. Volvo C40 Recharge
After launching the XC40 Recharge in the Indian market, the company announced that it will bring the C40 Recharge coupe SUV to the Indian market sometime in 2023.
The C40 Recharge coupe electric SUV is based on XC40 Recharge and it only gets an electric powertrain and won’t get an ICE counterpart. The Volvo C40 Recharge will be the second EV by Volvo in India.
The Volvo C40 Recharge gets the same powertrain setup as the XC40 Recharge. It gets a twin electric motor set-up, one on the front and one on the rear axle, powered by a 78-kWh battery. Volvo claims that the C40 Recharge offers a range of around 420 km. The electric motors produce 408 bhp of power and 660 Nm of torque.
It can support up to 150kW of fast charging and Volvo claims that the battery can be charged from 0 to 80 per cent in 40 minutes. The Volvo C40 Recharge is already available globally, the electric coupe SUV comes with three variants – Core, Plus and Ultimate. The standard variant will be powered by a single electric motor which produces 231 bhp of power and 330Nm of torque that’s delivered to the front of power and 330Nm of torque that’s delivered to the front wheels. This variant will be powered by a 67 kWh battery pack.
The Plus and Ultimate variants get a dual-motor set-up which produces 408 bhp of power and 660Nm of torque. These two variants will be powered by a 78-kWh battery pack.
The Volvo C40 Recharge will come to India via the CKD route. We expect Volvo to price this SUV just under the Rs 60 lakh (ex-showroom) mark. When launched, the C40 coupe SUV will compete with Mini Cooper SE, Kia EV6, Hyundai IONIQ 5 and BMW i4.
5. Skoda Enyaq EV
The Enyaq is based on MEB modular electric platform. It gets skateboard architecture that can house different capacity battery packs and motors. The Enyaq EV will be bought to India via the CBU route and will likely get an 82kWh battery that supports 125kW DC fast charging, with a range of up to 513km.
The EV gets dual electric motors – one on each axle which produces 265 hp of power and gets an all-wheel drive system. It is also expected that Skoda might offer lower-spec, two-wheel drive variants of the Enyaq iV to offer it at a lower price.
The Skoda Enyaq IV gets a panoramic sunroof, a powered driver’s seat with massage functionality, heated front and rear seats, and tri-zone climate control. It also has a head-up display and a 13-inch touchscreen infotainment system with connected car technology. A 360-degree camera, adaptive cruise control, blind spot recognition, and up to nine airbags all work to protect passengers.
6. Volkswagen ID.4
The Volkswagen ID.4 electric SUV has been spotted testing on Indian roads. The car is based on the company’s modular Electric drive matrix (MEB) platform, which is specifically designed for electric vehicles.
The ID.4 that has been spotted testing is the GTX variant of the EV that makes use of two electric motors, putting out a combined 299 PS of maximum power with an all-wheel drive configuration. The Volkswagen ID.4 GTX comes equipped with a 77 kwh battery pack with a496 km range on a single full charge. The electric SUV has a top speed of 180 kmph.
Talking about the styling of the SUV, it features a swooping design, which improves its aerodynamics, thereby helping it achieve a higher range. The SUV gets an enclosed grille up
front, with sleek-looking LED headlamps. At the rear, the ID.4 gets wraparound tail lights that are connected.
Source: PTI
