MG Motor has confirmed that the small, two-door Air EV will launch in India early next year. A preview at the upcoming Auto Expo 2023 is therefore highly probable. This confirms our earlier report from June this year where we first uncovered MG’s upcoming city EV. The MG Air EV will be positioned as the brand’s entry-level offering in India.

• MG Air EV is based on Wuling Air EV sold in Indonesia
• Will be packed with features and technology
• Expected to be priced from around Rs 10 lakh

MG Air EV: interior and exterior

The MG Air EV is based on the Wuling Air EV that’s already on sale in Indonesia, but it will be substantially tweaked for India, particularly the air con and battery thermal management system. The two-door compact EV has a funky and boxy silhouette with futuristic detailing. Measuring around 2.9 meters in length and with a wheelbase of 2,010mm, it’s even shorter than the Maruti Suzuki Alto.

Despite its size, the Air EV will be quite generously packed with features. Expect a dual 10.25-inch screen layout for infotainment and instrumentation. Higher variants will even come with soft-touch materials and faux aluminium bits on the inside. With this entry-level EV, MG India will target affluent households in big cities where it will be used as an urban runabout rather than a full-fledged family vehicle.

MG Air EV: powertrain and battery

The Air EV will have a battery pack capacity of around 20kWh to 25kWh, which should offer a real-world driving range of 150km. Power output could stand at about 40hp with a single motor, front-wheel-drive setup.

The battery pack for the Air EV will be locally sourced from Tata AutoComp, which has a joint venture with Chinese battery supplier Gotion for the design, manufacture, and supply and service of battery packs in India. It will also use LFP cells, which are similar to the ones seen on the popular Nexon EV sold here. 

Prices for the MG Air EV will start from around Rs 10 lakh. Launching a two-door EV at this price point is a bold move, but this radical-looking EV might just click with those looking for a very compact and efficient city runabout.

For more details on the MG Air EV, click here.