Road to electric<\/strong><\/p> EVs now account for nearly one-third of Tata Motors\u2019 new car bookings, forcing the automaker to ramp up capacity. \u201cIf I see the last two-three months\u2019 trend, which has been triggered mostly due to the West Asia war but also because of some launches that we had since February, our EV bookings are trending at 33% of our total bookings,\u201d said Chandra, adding that the company can meet only half its EV demand.<\/p> Tata Motors PV and Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) more than doubled their electric car sales in June. Tata Motors\u2019 EV sales rose 125% year-on-year to 12,023 units in June 2026, from 5,355 units a year earlier, according to VAHAN registration data.<\/p> M&M\u2019s electric SUV sales rose 135% year-on-year to 7,645 units in June, helping it widen its lead over JSW MG Motor India, the country\u2019s third-largest electric carmaker by volume. SAIC Motor-backed JSW MG Motor India\u2019s sales rose 23% to 5,785 units.<\/p> Maruti Suzuki India Ltd took the fourth spot by selling 1,896 eelctric cars, followed by Vietnam\u2019s VinFast, at 1,394 units.<\/p> Tata expects momentum<\/strong><\/p> According to Chandra, the momentum is here to stay. \u201cWe wanted to wait a bit to see if there was some level of moderation in EV demand in case there was a truce after the West Asia crisis. Still, I would believe that the demand has shifted to a level of permanency, which will be 25-30% of our sales,\u201d he says.<\/p> Tata Motors has the widest EV portfolio of seven models: hatchback Tiago EV, subcompact SUV Punch EV, entry-level sedan Tigor EV, compact SUV Nexon EV, mid-size SUV Curvv EV, premium SUV Harrier EV and the newly launched mid-size SUV Sierra EV.<\/p> To stay ahead, Tata Motors has kept refreshing its EV portfolio. It is planning three new EV nameplates by FY31, including the Avinya EV, which will use the Freelander platform derived from Jaguar Land Rover\u2019s Chinese joint venture partner Chery.<\/p> While Tata Motors PV leads the EV volume race, M&M is ahead in value. The XEV 9S, priced upwards of Rs 20 lakh, is the automaker\u2019s top-selling electric car, followed by the XEV 9e.<\/p> \u00a0<\/p> India plugging in<\/strong><\/p> Consumers are warming to EVs as more manufacturers enter the segment, the price gap with ICE cars narrows and charging concerns ease. As of July 2026, India had 25 mass-market EV models on sale, giving buyers more choice in a segment that sells around 30,000 units a month.<\/p> With the West Asia crisis, EVs are getting more attention from consumers, says Rajesh Menon, Director General of SIAM, India\u2019s apex auto industry body. \u201cWe are optimistic that this buoyant demand will continue in the coming months,\u201d says Menon. \u201cAn EV buyer today has multiple product choices, along with schemes around battery warranty, assured buybacks and battery-as-a-service. All this is getting reflected in sales.\u201d<\/p> For years, buyers avoided EVs because of high upfront costs, range anxiety and inadequate charging infrastructure. Many of these concerns are easing, and EVs have reached price parity in premium segments.<\/p> \u201cCars costing more than Rs 20 lakh have price parity. The Harrier EV is priced less than the automatic ICE Harrier,\u201d says Chandra.<\/p> The electric shift<\/strong><\/p> The shift to EVs is no longer just driven by enthusiasts.<\/p> \u201cEV adoption is now expanding well beyond early adopters and enthusiasts,\u201d says Chandra. \u201cThe mainstream customer has arrived. And this shift is already visible,\u201d he adds, calling the West Asia crisis a catalyst for electric mobility.<\/p> Puneet Gupta, director of Mobility Global, an automobile data intelligence company, agrees. \u201cCustomer acceptance of EVs is going up. Today, EVs have more range and bigger battery packs that are helping reduce range anxiety. Some EV models even offer over 400 km of real-world range,\u201d says Gupta.<\/p> M&M saw a surge in EV demand after Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to use electric vehicles amid the West Asia war. \u201cWhile it is still early, we are seeing a surge in interest in EVs, especially from central and state governments,\u201d Rajesh Jejurikar, executive director and CEO, Auto & Farm Sectors, M&M, tells BT.<\/p> \u201cEVs are moving into the mainstream, supported by growing consumer confidence and positive word of mouth,\u201d Jejurikar adds.<\/p> Thanks to their low running costs, EVs are increasingly being used as primary cars for city commutes. \u201cOne cannot argue against the unit economics of using an EV. EVs are not a Tier I phenomenon. It is happening in Tier II and Tier III cities,\u201d says Anurag Mehrotra, managing director of JSW MG Motor India.<\/p> \u201cIf you go to a small town like Kottayam in Kerala, you see 10% EV penetration,\u201d he says. \u201cPeople are understanding the unit economics of it.\u201d<\/p> JSW MG Motor\u2019s top-selling EV, the MG Windsor, crossed 75,000 units in less than two years of launch. What is driving adoption most strongly is the positive experience of existing EV owners, says Mehrotra. Their word-of-mouth recommendations, combined with the compelling economics of EV ownership that is delivering substantial savings over several years, are inspiring more consumers to make the switch, he adds.<\/p> We are optimistic that this buoyant demand will continue in the coming months. An EV buyer today has multiple choices.<\/span><\/p> <\/div> -RAJESH MENON,DIRECTOR GENERAL, SIAM<\/span><\/span><\/p> <\/div> <\/div> New players, new confidence<\/strong><\/p> Several launches over the past few months are also driving demand. The entry of Maruti Suzuki India Ltd into EVs has boosted consumer confidence, say industry experts. After staying away for years, Maruti Suzuki introduced its maiden EV, the eVitara, earlier in 2026.<\/p> \u201cLarge players like Maruti Suzuki and newer entrants like VinFast have started contributing to EV sales,\u201d says Mobility Global\u2019s Gupta.<\/p> \u201cIt is not only because of the West Asia crisis; it\u2019s also because most top players have entered the market, which gives consumers confidence,\u201d says Tata Motors\u2019 Chandra. \u201cWhen choices come from all OEMs, the customer gets most excited. A lot of top players were away from EVs. But all have entered now and will be expanding their portfolios,\u201d he adds.<\/p> Gupta expects the share of EVs in India\u2019s total passenger vehicle sales to rise to 8% in 2026. \u201cThe 8% penetration level is sustainable. It will grow to 11-12% before it stays there, and after that 17% BEV penetration is expected by 2030. If we see continuous thrust by the government, it may go up further,\u201d says Gupta.<\/p> States are also pushing EVs. Delhi\u2019s latest EV policy offers road tax and registration fee waivers for electric cars priced under Rs 30 lakh, besides a Rs 1 lakh scrappage incentive for old ICE cars. Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Telangana, among others, also offer road tax waivers on EVs.<\/p> \u00a0<\/p> The missing link<\/strong><\/p> Despite having 25 models in the mass market, only three EV models are priced under Rs 11 lakh: Tata Tiago EV, MG Comet EV and Tata Punch EV (only the base variant). To be clear, the average selling price of a car in India is around Rs 11 lakh.<\/p> Affordable EVs have yet to reach price parity with their ICE siblings. The Tata Tiago EV is about 50% costlier than the entry-level petrol Tiago on an ex-showroom basis. Smaller battery packs also keep real-world range below an acceptable 400 km.<\/p> However, despite these shortcomings, demand remains strong for small EVs.<\/p> Entry-segment cars such as the Punch EV and Tiago EV have seen phenomenal growth, says Chandra. \u201cMore demand is coming from small EVs priced under Rs 15 lakh. Punch EV demand has increased six-seven times. We are able to supply three times as many,\u201d he adds.<\/p> Except for Tata Motors, most large carmakers have taken a top-down approach to EV launches.<\/p> Hyundai launched its first EV, the Kona Electric, priced around Rs 25 lakh, in 2019. Although the South Korean carmaker was among the first companies to introduce EVs, the Kona struggled. In 2023, Hyundai introduced its flagship IONIQ 5 EV, priced at Rs 45 lakh. The EV version of Hyundai\u2019s popular Creta SUV, the Creta EV, priced at Rs 18.02 lakh, has also struggled to take off, with about 400-500 units being sold each month.<\/p> Hyundai\u2019s sister mass-premium brand Kia also followed the same approach with the imported EV6 and EV9. After failing to make a dent in India\u2019s EV space with the Carens Clavis EV, the automaker will soon launch its compact electric car, the Syros EV.<\/p> Though Maruti Suzuki, too, entered the fray with the mid-size SUV eVitara, it has yet to enter the small EV segment, where the bulk volumes reside.<\/p> While M&M was among India\u2019s earliest major automakers to embrace EVs by acquiring a controlling stake in Bengaluru-based Reva Electric in 2010, the company now wants to focus only on premium EVs.<\/p> The luxury drive<\/strong><\/p> In the luxury segment, EV penetration has moved into double digits. Mercedes-Benz India\u2019s EV share doubled to 14% in the June quarter after the launch of the CLA BEV. \u201cEnquiries for luxury EVs have gone up due to the West Asia war. More products are going to change the game,\u201d Santosh Iyer, MD and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India, tells BT.<\/p> Every fourth car sold by BMW in 2026 was an EV. \u201cA lot of customers are apprehensive about future fuel price hikes. If fuel prices increase, there will be a heavy burden on customers\u2019 pockets. I don\u2019t think electricity prices are going to rise in the same proportion. So, the running-cost delta between ICE vehicles and EVs is going to widen. BEVs make a lot of sense,\u201d says Hardeep Singh Brar, President and CEO of BMW Group India. \u201cEVs are not coming back to service stations. It is a concern that the aftersales business will take a hit because of low maintenance.\u201d<\/p> BMW Group India delivered 2,359 EVs in H1, up 78% year-on-year, and retained a 69% share of the luxury EV market.<\/p> Elon Musk-led Tesla, which entered India in September 2025, has struggled to make inroads. Meanwhile, VinFast, which entered the Indian car market with the VF6 and VF7 SUVs around the same time, has emerged as India\u2019s fifth-largest electric carmaker.<\/p> The BaaS bandwagon<\/p> In 2026, nearly every automaker has jumped onto the BaaS bandwagon to lower upfront costs. From eVitara to Tiago EV, most EVs now have a separate battery rental price. Maruti Suzuki introduced the eVitara with a BaaS offering at Rs 10.99 lakh.<\/p> Under the BaaS plan, the price of the Tata Tiago EV starts at Rs 4.69 lakh, about Rs 2.30 lakh less than the regular price, and users pay an additional Rs 2.60 per km as a subscription fee.<\/p> There has been a significant increase in demand post the West Asia crisis.<\/span><\/p> <\/div> -SHAILESH CHANDRA,MD & CEO, TATA MOTORS PV<\/span><\/span><\/p> <\/div> <\/div> EVs overtake hybrids<\/strong><\/p> Two years ago, strong hybrids and battery electric vehicles each accounted for roughly 2% of the passenger vehicle market. While hybrid penetration has remained broadly flat, EV adoption has accelerated sharply.<\/p> \u201cBoth EVs and hybrids were at 2% penetration two years back. One has remained at 2.5%, the other will be exiting this year at around 8%. The direction is very clear,\u201d says Chandra.<\/p> India\u2019s EV car market remains small, with monthly sales averaging around 30,000 units. In a market of this size, one successful model can significantly shift market share, as JSW MG Motor India\u2019s MG Windsor EV has shown with its battery-as-a-service offering.<\/p> Chandra expects EV sales to rise from about 200,000 units in FY26 to 350,000 units this fiscal. The Indian market could reach one million annually by FY31, taking electric vehicle penetration to 15-20%, he forecasts.<\/p> It is not just cars and SUVs. EV penetration in two-wheelers crossed 10% for the first time in June. In three-wheelers, it stands at 64%, while commercial vehicles are gaining gradually, aided by e-buses and small commercial vehicles. With the recent rise, NITI Aayog\u2019s target of 30% new vehicle sales being electric by 2030 is within reach.<\/p> Reflecting the growing interest in EVs, a Gurugram-based software professional Abhishek Sharma switched to an EV. He used to spend Rs 700 a day on fuel while commuting to Noida. After the recent fuel price hike, he replaced his old ICE car with the MG Windsor EV. He says home charging now costs him less than Rs 100 a day, helping him save around Rs 16,000 a month and nearly Rs 2 lakh a year.<\/p> From lower running costs and improving resale prospects to a wider choice of models and supportive policies, electric vehicles are moving from an alternative option to a practical choice for everyday commuters.\u00a0<\/p> \u00a0<\/p> @karandhar11<\/p> <\/div> electric vehicles India, EV market India, electric car sales India, EV adoption in India, Tata Motors EV, Tata Motors electric cars, Mahindra electric SUVs, MG Windsor EV, Maruti Suzuki eVitara, VinFast India EV, electric vehicle penetration India, EV demand growth, India electric mobility, EV charging infrastructure India, battery as a service EV, BaaS model India, EV vs petrol cars, future of electric vehicles India, electric car market growth, EV sales 2026, electric vehicle policy India, EV subsidy India, EV battery technology, affordable EV cars India, premium EV segment India, luxury electric cars India, Tesla India, electric SUVs India, green mobility India, sustainable transport India, NITI Aayog EV target, EV adoption trends, West Asia crisis fuel prices, rising fuel prices impact, Tata Sierra EV, Harrier EV, Punch EV, Tiago EV, Nexon EV, Mahindra XEV 9e, Mercedes Benz EV India, BMW EV India#West #Asia #war #driving #adoption #EVs #India1784749367<\/p> ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" India\u2019s electric vehicle market appears to be nearing an inflection point as consumers shift faster from internal-combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to green mobility. Elevated fuel prices in the wake of the West Asia conflict, increasing product choices and expanding charging infrastructure are nudging price-sensitive buyers to look at EVs in a more serious manner. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12245,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4345,48057,5680,48049,48048,48072,12847,48052,48039,48061,48045,48054,32156,44287,48063,48056,33171,48046,32305,48053,48055,48050,37066,48051,27668,48067,200,48047,48059,48041,48070,48043,48071,48042,4969,48062,48058,48068,48065,27672,48040,4956,48066,48060,48069,48044,1975,2182,48064],"class_list":["post-12244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-content-marketing","tag-adoption","tag-affordable-ev-cars-india","tag-asia","tag-baas-model-india","tag-battery-as-a-service-ev","tag-bmw-ev-india","tag-driving","tag-electric-car-market-growth","tag-electric-car-sales-india","tag-electric-suvs-india","tag-electric-vehicle-penetration-india","tag-electric-vehicle-policy-india","tag-electric-vehicles-india","tag-ev-adoption-in-india","tag-ev-adoption-trends","tag-ev-battery-technology","tag-ev-charging-infrastructure-india","tag-ev-demand-growth","tag-ev-market-india","tag-ev-sales-2026","tag-ev-subsidy-india","tag-ev-vs-petrol-cars","tag-evs","tag-future-of-electric-vehicles-india","tag-green-mobility-india","tag-harrier-ev","tag-india","tag-india-electric-mobility","tag-luxury-electric-cars-india","tag-mahindra-electric-suvs","tag-mahindra-xev-9e","tag-maruti-suzuki-evitara","tag-mercedes-benz-ev-india","tag-mg-windsor-ev","tag-nexon-ev","tag-niti-aayog-ev-target","tag-premium-ev-segment-india","tag-punch-ev","tag-rising-fuel-prices-impact","tag-sustainable-transport-india","tag-tata-motors-electric-cars","tag-tata-motors-ev","tag-tata-sierra-ev","tag-tesla-india","tag-tiago-ev","tag-vinfast-india-ev","tag-war","tag-west","tag-west-asia-crisis-fuel-prices"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12244","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12244"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12244\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"How](\"https:\/\/akm-img-a-in.tosshub.com\/businesstoday\/inline-images\/quote\/072026\/rajesh.jpg\" "\\"How")
<\/div> ![\"How](\"https:\/\/akm-img-a-in.tosshub.com\/businesstoday\/inline-images\/quote\/072026\/sailesh.jpg\" "\\"How")
<\/div>