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      in Electric Cars

      Three new Mahindra EVs to launch in 2020 – KUV100, Atom, Treo Zor

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      Mahindra Atom electric spied
      Mahindra Electric had showcased all its current and upcoming EVs in either production or concept format at Auto Expo 2020

      Mahindra Electric, the EV division of Mahindra & Mahindra group, plans to launch three new products by the end of the current fiscal (31 March 2021). This includes the Mahindra eKUV100 ‘micro-SUV’, Atom quadricycle and Treo Zor cargo three-wheeler.
      Mahindra Electric is one of the leading players in the country’s budding EV market. Last year, the company sold 14,000 electric vehicles in the country. A good majority of the sales were contributed by the Treo and e-Alfa three-wheelers.
      Mahindra Electric had showcased its full line of products in either production or concept avatar at Auto Expo 2020, held in early February. The biennial automotive event also became a venue to debut the Mahindra eXUV300 albeit as a concept. The all-electric subcompact crossover will be a direct rival to the Tata Nexon EV. Over the months, we have shared multiple spy shots of the vehicle doing test runs.

      Mahindra KUV100 electric
      Mahesh Babu, CEO of Mahindra Electric, shares that there is a high potential for EVs in the commercial vehicle market. With the rise of e-commerce businesses, small emission-free means of logistics are witnessing increased demand. Still, sales remain on the lower side due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis but much better than the initial lockdown phases. Mahesh Babu states that demand for electric three-wheelers has recovered by almost 50 per cent that of usual or pre-COVID trends.
      Prices of the Mahindra eKUV100 were already revealed at Auto Expo 2020. The raised hatchback comes at a starting price of Rs 8.25 lakh ex-showroom. Powered by a 40kW (~54bhp) electric motor, the eKUV100 produces 120Nm of torque from zero RPMs. Claimed range figures cross 145km on a full charge. Using a DC fast-charger, the battery can attain 80% charge in around an hour’s time.

      Meanwhile, Mahindra has discontinued the regular KUV100 diesel variant ahead of BS6 era. The current 2020MY Mahindra KUV100 is available only in a 1.2-litre NA petrol format making 82bhp and 115Nm while mated to a 5-speed manual transmission.
      At the moment, there are limited choices in the electric four-wheeler market. Popular names include the Hyundai Kona, MG ZS EV and Tata Nexon. On the other hand, the Indian two-wheeler market (especially scooters) has a wide range of products lacking a tailpipe. It is worth mentioning that electric scooters make more sense than a conventional petrol-CVT example in several scenarios — know more.
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      No registration of BS4 vehicles sold after March 31 – Supreme Court recalls order

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      BS4 Honda Activa. Image for reference
      The earlier order stated that sales of BS4 vehicles could continue for 10 days after the lifting of the nationwide lockdown

      It may be recalled that the Supreme Court of India had set the date at 1st April 2020 for bringing in BS6 emission standards into effect. The ruling cited that there would be no sales of BS4 vehicles post 31st March 2020 but the COVID-19 pandemic hit in mid March followed by a 21 day lockdown.
      The initial ruling gave dealerships leeway to sell off 10 percent of their unsold stocks for 10 days post the lockdown but this ruling was not valid for dealers in Delhi-NCR due to rising levels of air pollution. Supreme Court had on March 27th announced that it would permit sale of 10 percent of unsold BS4 compliant vehicles for 10 days after the lifting of the lockdown. Now, noting some discrepancies in the figures of BS4 vehicles sold, the Apex Court has recalled this order.
      The bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra and Justices S. Abdul Nazeer and Indira Banerjee have recalled this order. They state that auto dealers violated this order and continued to sell BS4 vehicles during the lockdown in the last week of March 2020 and after March 31st as well. Hence no registration will be granted to any BS4 vehicles sold after March 31st.

      Screenshot of a chat between Regional Manager of an OEM and dealers, from last week.
      Slamming the Federation of Automobile Dealers’ Association of India (FADA) for committing fraud, the Apex Court stated that only those vehicles which have been registered with VAHAN portal would be protected and had asked FADA to furnish such details. These figures were then corroborated with sales data and information available on the VAHAN portal. It was then found that there were over 17,000 vehicles sold which were not registered on the VAHAN portal and it was on the basis of these figures that the fraud came to light.
      The SC noted that FADA had sold more vehicles than what was permitted by the SC and have hence recalled the order. Now no BS4 vehicle will be registered, if sold after March 31, 2020. These vehicles were sold online with hefty discounts ranging from 3-40 percent after the said date. It was noted that while the court had permitted sale and registration of 1.05 lakh units of BS-IV vehicles, a total of 2.55 lakh vehicles were sold.

      FADA, represented by Senior Advocate K.V. Viswanathan, argued that the court had allowed registration in March and has sought relaxation of the order so as to permit registration of these BS4 vehicles. The Bench has posted the matter for a further hearing on July 23. More

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      in Electric Cars

      Mahindra Atom electric features teased – New spy shots show road presence

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      Mahindra Electric has now officially teased its upcoming quadricycle, the Atom. As the name suggests, Atom happens to be a pretty compact vehicle, which can seat 4 including driver. Mahindra intends to promote the product for last-mile connectivity. The same was spied on test by automotive enthusiast Sudharsan in Chennai. Mahindra is planning to launch […] More

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      in Electric Cars

      Haima Automobile’s Bird Electric EV1 India-launch delayed

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      Chinese automaker Haima Automobile’s debut to the Indian market could be delayed due to COVID-19. Several Chinese automotive brands plan to enter India with a compelling range of products in the coming years. It was only recently that Great Wall Motors signed an MoU with the Government of Maharashtra to set up a new manufacturing […] More

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      in Electric Cars

      Top 5 cars which deserve an ‘electric’ comeback – Maruti 800 to Tata Nano

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      Certain cars from yesterday’s Indian motoring have indisputable potential as electric vehicles In the current scenario, claiming that “the future is electric” is baseless. If Mother Earth really needs to stay healthy as EV makers and enthusiasts state, there should be an optimal balance between electric vehicles and cleaner ICE engines (preferably petrol- or ethanol-hybrids). […] More