⦁ All-electric I-Pace will come in the second half of 2020 and there will be a range of Land Rover hybrid vehicles coming to India
⦁ Some of the existing Land Rover models in India will also be upgraded with hybrid technology
Following the recent developments in the electric vehicle industry, Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover will bring in six electric vehicles to India. Jaguar’s first all-electric car, I-PACE series, is expected to launch in the second half of 2020.
Ralf Speth, the global CEO of Jaguar Land Rover told ET that the all-electric I-Pace will come in the second half of 2020 and there will be a range of Land Rover hybrid vehicles coming to India. He said that they need more renewable sources of energy to power these electric vehicles.
He added that India is really at the forefront to encourage cleaner technology and is a signatory to Paris climate accord. He said that his company’s manufacturing plants in the UK are already carbon neutral including the R&D set up in Gaydon, which generates over 20% of its power from renewable energies and the company, in fact, has the biggest solar panel roof in the whole of UK at 3000 square meters.
Luxury car makers to bring in electric cars
Many luxury car makers in India are already in the race to bring in hybrid electric and pure electric cars to India. Audi has already announced that its e-tron will make its debut in the country in 2020, while Porsche too is bringing in the Taycan next year. Volvo has also announced its road map for the country and Mercedes-Benz India is still doing feasibility studies to introduce electric cars in India.
Earlier this year, Rohit Suri, president and managing director, Jaguar Land Rover India Ltd told NDTV Auto that the introduction of electrified vehicles in Jaguar Land Rover India’s portfolio is in line with the government’s thrust towards electric vehicles. He further stated that the company is encouraged by the introduction of FAME-II by the Indian Government.
The government has already allocated Rs 10,000 crore for Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME II) scheme to encourage EV manufacturing and adoption in India and the GST rate on electric vehicles has been reduced to 5 percent from 12 percent.