The next edition of Indian Auto Expo is set to begin on January 13, 2022. This year’s auto expo event will witness the arrival of multiple new vehicles from Maruti Suzuki, Toyota, Hyundai, Kia, MG and BYD. Electric vehicles will dominate the 16th edition of Indian Auto Expo, and we bring you a list of upcoming EVs at the 2023 Auto Expo.
Maruti YY8 SUV Concept
Maruti Suzuki and Toyota are jointly working on a new electric SUV for the Indian market. Internally called the YY8, the new EV SUV concept will be unveiled at the 2023 Auto Expo. he production version of the electric SUV is scheduled to be launched in January-February 2025. This EV SUV is co-developed by Suzuki and Toyota, and it will be produced at Suzuki’s Gujarat based production plant.
The concept is likely to measure over 4.2 meters in length and will have a wheelbase of 2,700mm that’s longer than the MG ZS EV. It is designed and developed on Toyota’s 27PL platform, which is an affordable derivative of Toyota’s 40PL global platform. It will have a long wheelbase, which should help the company to create room for a larger battery pack and a spacious cabin.
The Maruti YY8 electric SUV is expected to be offered with two battery pack options – a 48kWh and 59kWh. The former is expected to deliver around 400km of range under standard test conditions, while the latter is estimated to offer around 500km of range in a single charge. The company will source the LFP blade cell batteries from Chinese battery supplier BYD. It will come in both two-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive layout.
Tata Punch EV
Tata Motors is all set to launch an all-electric version of the Punch micro SUV in the country before the end of this year. The Tata Punch EV is expected to be unveiled at the 2023 Auto Expo. The production of the compact EV is likely to begin around June, while the market launch is expected by the festive season.
The Tata Punch EV will be designed on the GEN 2 (SIGMA) platform, which is basically the modified version of the ALFA architecture. This platform currently underpine the ICE-powered models including the Punch and the Altroz. The SIGMA platform will have a flat floor for accommodating a large battery pack. It will come with a permanent magnet synchronous motor and battery packs. The mini SUV could be offered with two battery pack options – a 26kWh from the Tiago EV and a 30.2kWh sourced from the Nexon EV. It is expected to offer a range of over 300km.
Kia EV9
The Korean automaker Kia has confirmed that the concept EV9 SUV will make its debut at the 2023 Auto Expo. This model previews the brand’s new range-topping flagship model in the electric car range. In terms of proportions, the new EV9 concept is 4,929mm long, 2,055mm wide and 1,790mm tall, and has a wheelbase of 3,099mm. It is marginally smaller than a Range Rover, which will also have its own electric version in the near future.
The Kia EV9 concept is based on the modular E-GMP electric car architecture, which also underpins the Kia EV6, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Ioniq 6. It features the EV6 largest lithium-ion polymer battery pack that’s 77.4kWh. The company claims that the all-electric SUV delivers a driving range of up to 483km or 300 miles on a single charge. It also features the next-gen ultra-fast charging technology with a 350kW charger that allows its advanced battery electric powertrain to replenish energy from 10% to 80% in 20-30 minutes. The concept EV9 features twin motors for four-wheel drive setup and is claimed to achieve 0-100kmph acceleration in less than 5 seconds.
Hyundai Ioniq 6
Hyundai will announce the prices of the Ioniq 5 electric crossover at the 2023 Auto Expo. Adding to it, the company will unveil the Ioniq 6 electric sedan at the auto event. It was first previewed as the Hyundai Prophecy concept, which was also presented at the 2020 Auto Expo. It is the second product from Hyundai to be based on the E-GMP skateboard architecture, which is compatible with scalable battery sizes, rear-or all-wheel drive layout, a flat floor for maximum interior size and EV-specific dimensions.
The Hyundai Ioniq 6 is designed in a manner to have a drag coefficient of just 0.21. In terms of proportions, the electric sedan is 4855mm long, 1880mm wide and 1495mm tall and has a wheelbase of 2950mm. It is offered with two battery size options – 54kWh and 77kWh. Single motor RWD set-up comes as standard, while the higher-spec variant comes with dual motor AWD option. The Dual Motor produces 302bhp and 605Nm, while the RWD setup pushes out 228bhp and 350Nm. The RWD version with 53kWh battery offers 429km of range, while the RWD with 77.4kWh offers 614km of range. The AWD version delivers a WLTP certified range of 583km.
BYD Seal
BYD or Build Your Dreams, the Chinese electric maker will showcase the Seal EV, Atto 3 and the E6 electric MPV at the 2023 Auto Expo. This Born electric model measures 4800mm in length, 1875mm in width and 1460mm in height, and has a wheelbase of 2875mm. It is 106mm longer, 58mm narrower and 17mm taller than the Tesla Model 3. Adding to it, the wheelbase of the sedan is 45mm longer than the Tesla’s wheelbase of 2,875mm.
The BYD Seal features Blade battery tech and is offered with two battery packs – a 61kWh and an 82.5kWh. The former is claimed to offer a range of 550km on the China Light-Duty Vehicle Test Cycle (CLTC-cycle), while the bigger battery pack has a range of 700km on a single charge. The BYD Seal is available with a choice of single-motor and dual-motor powertrains, and the former is offered with both batteries. The single motor version offers 204bhp & 0-100kmph acceleration in 5.7 seconds. The single motor with bigger battery produces 312bhp and is capable of achieving 0-100kmph in just 5.9 seconds. The dual-motor AWD variant offers a combined power of 530bhp. It is claimed to achieve 0-100kmph acceleration in 3.8 seconds. This variant is claimed to offer a range of 650km on a single charge.
MG4 Electric Hatchback
MG Motor India will showcase the MG4 electric hatchback at the 2023 Auto Expo. This model has recently achieved a 5-star safety rating in the Euro NCAP crash test. The electric hatchback is equipped with several advanced safety fitments such as driver attention alert, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, active emergency braking, high beam assist and speed limit assist. It comes with connected car tech, ventilated front seats, a 360 degree camera, a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment unit, a 7-inch digital driver’s display, wireless charging, all LED lighting and others.
Based on SAIC’s modular Scalable platform (MSP), the new MG 4 EV is 4287mm long, 1836mm wide and 1506mm tall, and has a wheelbase of 2705mm. It is available with two battery packs – 51kWh and 64kWh – offering power worth 170bhp and 203bhp respectively. Both versions have a single-motor, RWD system and offer a maximum torque of 250Nm. The MG 4 electric hatchback offers a range of up to 350km with the smaller battery pack and 452km with the larger battery pack (on the WLTP cycle).
Toyota bZ Series or Prius or Electric Hilux
The Japanese automaker, Toyota will showcase self charging strong hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicle, fuel cell electric vehicle, flexi fuel hybrid electric vehicle & electric vehicles. It is expected that the company could showcase its bZ (Beyond Zero) series at the Auto Expo 2023. Toyota’s bZ range consists of dedicated EV models & concepts. We expect the brand might reveal the bZ4X electric SUV at the event.
The company could also showcase the new Prius electric sedan at the biennial event. Recently, Toyota showcased an electric version of the Hilux pickup in Thailand. The concept model could be unveiled at the auto event.
