After the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the domestic auto industry has seen a major shift in the behaviour of consumers and employees in the past 20 months. The approach of the auto OEMs was changed drastically owing to the pandemic, with more approach towards technology, future mobility and corresponding investments. Major supply chain weaknesses including demand surges and drops, commodity shortages, reduced productivity, delivery delays and storage and product handling issues were exposed by the pandemic. For the adoption of resilient in-house supply chain and management solutions, the pandemic became an eye-opener.

“In 2021 a lot of investments have gone into digitisation across the value chain. A major part of the investments was on product development for electric vehicles and tweaking the manufacturing setup accordingly. Investments have also gone into the development cycles of the products for the forthcoming safety and emission regulations,” said Ashim Sharma, partner and group head-business performance improvement consulting, Nomura Research Institute.

In India, across all deal types, in a year of market oscillation, auto OEMs recorded $13 billion investment. Almost half of the gross investments was on electrical architecture development, combining both the legacy players and the startups. Suppliers spent more on technological upgrades and software resources while OEMs and startups focused more on electric and future mobility.
Over the last year we have also observed the demand for EVs going up. The current numbers are estimated to rise to 15 times over the next six months say experts. While development in charging infrastructure has been a key catalyst for the adoption of EVs across personal and commercial use, yet there are other factors that will also come into play. Rise in fuel prices along with the central and state governments providing incentives will help demand rise.

Let’s have a look at the top EVs launched in India in 2021:

Jaguar I-Pace:

This year, the luxury end of the EV segment has witnessed quite a few significant launches. To join this race this year was Jaguar I-pace. The dual electric motors deliver 394bhp and 696Nm of torque, drawing its power from a 90Wh battery pack. With a zero to 100kmph sprint time of 4.8 seconds, the power is distributed by an all-wheel-drive system. With prices starting from INR 1.06 crore, the I-Pace claims a WLTP range of 470km and can be held in three trims- S, SE and HSE.

Tata Tigor EV:

Tata Motors introduced the affordable Tigor EV in the country, after the thriving success of the Tata Nexon EV. Powered by a 26kWh lithium-ion battery that makes 74bhp and 170Nm of torque, the Tigor EV is the most affordable electric vehicle. It has scored four stars in the Global NCAP crash test and has an ARAI certified driving range of 306km. 11.99 lakh is the starting price for Tigor EV.

Audi e-tron 50 and e-tron 55:

In India, Audi launched its e-tron range of electric vehicles in India in 2021. The e-tron is offered in two variants across two body styles that include e-tron 50, e-tron 55, and the e-tron Sportback 55, and was launched in July 2021. Feeding the electric motors to produce 308bhp and 540Nm of peak torque, the vehicle is powered by 71kWh lithium-ion battery. With a 401bhp and 664Nm of torque, the 55 derivative gets a bigger 95kWh battery. On a full charge, the electric SUV is claimed to return a range of 359km to 484km.

Audi e-tron GT:

Audi India has launched its GT range which is both environment-friendly and equally performance-oriented. The e-tron GT is a four-door couple that packs in a 93kWh battery and is available in two variants, S and RS. The full-blown RS guise belts out 637bhp and 830Nm of peak torque while the S trim pushes out 523bhp and 630Nm of torque. 388km to 500km is the combined electric range on a full charge.

BMW iX:

With a price tag of INR 1.16 crore, BMW India finally landed its first-ever electric vehicle in the country earlier this month. The iX sources its power from a 71kWh battery that produces 326bhp and 630Nm torque and is available in a single, fully-loaded xDrive 40 trim. The first batch of the electric SUV has already been sold out by a BMW which claims a WLTP range of up to 425km.

Porshe Taycan:

The four-door saloon can be had in the Cross Turismo avatar and as well as in the four variants. The prices can go all the way up to INR 2.31 crore starting from INR 1.50 crore. With the top-of-the-range producing a whopping 751bhp and a humongous 1,050Nm torque, the Taycan range offers two battery packs- 79.2kWh and 93kWh.

As the COVID-19 crisis added a new layer of complexity to an already challenging situation, in the past year the mobility investors underscored the growing pace of change. With innovations and updated technologies, the startup community railed to fight the Coronavirus crisis in the best way it knew. It is reasonable to expect the influx of startups in this area with the government focus on green mobility, and they form over 32 per cent of investments in this space.