MG eZS electric SUV with green plates spotted in Bengaluru showroom-ready

ElectricVehicleWeb.in today brings new spy shots of the MG eZS from Bengaluru courtesy reader JNS, in addition to the unit spotted in Delhi traffic, thanks to our supporter Chanchal, that shows the vehicle in the ‘Dynamic Red’ body colour hoisted on the ‘windmill’ alloy wheel style. Spotted with white plates (in Delhi) and green plates (in Bengaluru), it looks ready for showroom floors, with the company having confirmed its unveil on 5 December. The car is expected to launch in early 2020, and some dealers are reportedly accepting unofficial bookings.

MG is rolling out the eZS globally in 2019, taking on the Kia e-Niro and the Hyundai Kona in the world market, positioning it as the “first affordable, family-friendly electric car.” In India, to price it at the INR 25 lakh mark, the company is assembling the SUV at the plant in Halol, Gujarat with components imported from the Chinese factory. Test production began in June (official video embedded below), making it one of the first electric cars from a foreign manufacturer to be assembled in the country (barring the Hyundai Kona which was introduced in July).

MG eZS spotted in India ready
The eZS is about the size of the Hyundai Creta and offers a range of 263 km on a single charge as compared to the smaller Kona’s 289 km (WLTP). Bookings for the electric SUV is open now at INR 50,000 with the asking price expected at around INR 25 lakh when it launches in early 2020.

In the UK (RHD market) the eZS ZS EV features a water-cooled 44.5kWh lithium-ion battery, fed to a front-mounted electric motor which delivers 143 PS of power and 353 Nm, providing a range of 163 miles (262 km) in the WLTP combined cycle test. The car supports fast-charging with 80% charge available in about 30 minutes. A household power outlet in India should take about 7 hours to fully charge the vehicle. Note that MG has not released the final specifications of the Indian-spec eZS.

MG India is eyeing sales of at least 2,000 units of the eZS in the first year and hopes sales will pick up once charging support is available widely. Sales will begin in Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad. The company has also talked about assembling batteries in India which will help drive down the cost of its electric vehicles in the future, unlocking new volume. Further, it is developing an affordable electric car that should release in 2023 with the price expected below INR 10 lakh.

While allowing these images to be published on ElectricVehicleWeb, Chanchal remarked that the eZS was “quite compact and proportionate” and visually has the “ideal balance of weight and size.” The eZS measures 4.3 m long, 1.8 m wide and 1.6 m tall, putting it in the ballpark of the Hyundai Creta.

The eZS, to be priced at about INR 25 lakh rupees, seems more of a brand image tool and a technology showcase as opposed to a medium for sales. The vehicle could be a metastory for the environmentally-conscious and the tech geek and is not going to be a buyer’s first car. The Hyundai Kona managed to find 300+ orders despite its high asking price and limited availability, leading to a 5-month waiting period. It seems then that MG Motor has timed the eZS’s arrival perfectly.