Maruti Wagon R Electric delayed on purpose!

Maruti Wagon R Electric! Why is it interesting? Let’s talk about it. Maruti is going to become the first Indian manufacturer to provide a cheap electric car with a reasonable range and spacious interior. Yes, there are electric cars that one can purchase in India at this moment but ownership is not that simple or cheap. There are still some problems like – lack of charging stations, the life of the lithium-ion battery and the cost of owning one. But one brand is going to try against all odds. Maruti Suzuki! While most seem to think an SUV is an answer to the SUV market. In a country like ours, this is trying to do the impossible. A mass-produced electric car with the hopes of making a chunky profit for yourself and your dealerships, a hatchback sounds good. So when will it arrive? Scroll below where we explain!

Maruti is planning to make the Maruti Wagon R Electric affordable with the price of this car coming around Rs 11 lakhs (On-road Mumbai) with the current subsidies in place. The car is also turning out to be more attractive with a 200km plus range. Sounds enticing. With this Maruti could kickstart an entire electric trend in India. Currently, Maruti has got a fleet of electric cars on testing already.  Read further to know more.

Maruti Wagon R Electric Launch

The car could be launched at the start of 2020. This will be an important launch for the company as it gets into a segment where there is not much scope for profit our growth at the moment. We might be ditching diesel engines in a hurry but we are clinging on to the BS-6 ready petrol engines. So when will Maruti Suzuki launch the WagonR Electric hatchback in 2020? Realistically if all has gone well in testing and Maruti has got the tech and the plan to present a solution for the charging stations in our country, we might see a concept oe some kind of pre-production car at the Auto Expo. The countries largest automaker is going to make sure that before they launch an affordable, aesthetically pleasing and dependable EV.

The launch of this car has been delayed on purpose. The reason for this delay is the lack of charging infrastructure in India. The EV vehicle has the basic need to charge. The scenario of charging infrastructure now is a bit unreliable and non-existent in some cases. So Maruti has now decided to delay the launch of the vehicle till basic functional charging infrastructure has been developed in India. This is expected to happen by 2020. So the launch of the vehicle will take place by 2020 along with the launch of Mahindra XUV 300 EV and other major electric vehicles.

Maruti Wagon R Electric Price in India

The price will be around Rs 11 lakhs to Rs 12 lakhs. Can this be justified? For a hatchback? Sort of, yes, The car will be on a whole new bigger platform, it will provide the performance of an electric car with the convenience and capability of an IC engine. Maruti wants to sell this in good volumes but also wants to turn a profit at the same time.

Also Read: Hyundai Kona receives more than 100 bookings

Maruti Wagon R Electric How Will It Work?

With its logistical prowess and a huge network of dealers/service stations, Maruti will make the Wagon R Electric the first Indian mass-produced and sold EV. The new WagonR with its electric version is slated to launch in India by 2020. The Maruti WagonR Electric will be developed in partnership with Toyota. Toyota in return will be selling the Brezza and the Baleno as rebadged as a Toyota compact SUVs and hatchbacks. The Wagon R Electric will be the first Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MISL) vehicle to offer an electric power-train.

The cars testing has already begun. Maruti is making sure that this EV is ready to tackle the Indian terrain with ease. Around 50 cars are undergoing testing and are getting fine-tuned.

Maruti Wagon R Electric Design and Interiors

The car will be made with a great number of design inputs from the Maruti Wagon R. The car will get premium design touches and will be on a different level in terms of safety, features and specifications when compared to the regular or current Wagon R. There will be a more informative instrument cluster and a better infotainment setup. The car will get plush leather seats and automatic climate control.

Finally, with all these points and the imminent launch of EVs in the Indian market, we should make sure that before they get here the infrastructure is in place. Maruti Suzuki’s plan to launch the car in 2020 means that they obviously must have thought about these problems. The government under pressure from the NGT(National Green Tribunal) has declared that by 2030 India has to go full electric.

How much of this will materialize? Are internal combustion engines seeing their last days in India? I don’t think so. But all of this does means EVs on city streets will be a common sight in the future.

Maruti Wagon R Electric EV Facts

Now with that out of the way, we must tell you some more facts about EVs in India.

• India is still a nation that gets 90% of its energy from non-renewable resources. EVs cannot show a ‘clean car’ image in this environment.
• Coal plants are a major resource and generate a lot of electricity. After this comes petroleum and natural and biogas.
• The government has announced a subsidy for EVs but has not yet drafted a law or passed it through the Ministry of Expenditure.
• Lithium-ion batteries are not cheap. Batteries can cost up to INR 2-3 lakhs and prices seem to not go down soon in the future.
• Buyers of EVs have a minuscule fuel cost compared to run a car with a combustion engine.
• But the time taken to recover the money is huge.
• Then there is the lack of infrastructure that needs to aid EVs when it comes to charging.
• India is a big nation and range anxiety is a problem that many people will face when they want to commute long distances in their electric cars.

Maruti Wagon R Electric Specifications

The specifications for the Maruti Wagon R Electric are not out yet. It will pack lithium-ion batteries and the transmission will be an Automatic unit. Other than that we can say that the front engine bay will be empty and the car will get a small cargo space there. It is going to be interesting to see if Maruti gives this car a small 2 cylinder ranger extender which will be a boon for the car.