As we have already informed you Ford and Mahindra have joined hands in India to develop vehicles for the Indian market and the first car that the duo will launch will be an electric sedan. We recently brought this new to you that the electric sedan in question will be the electrified version of Ford Aspire. Although some reports state that the upcoming electric Ford Aspire will be the global model that the US carmaker sells in the international markets. What makes this model different is that it is not the regular sub-4 meter compact Aspire sedan sold in India, rather the global model is larger than 4 meters and its length is that of a proper sedan – 4.2 meters. The car is manufactured right here in India but the company exports it to international markets and sells a smaller sub-4 meter version here in order to avoid extra taxes on the car.
What is interesting is that these rules will not be applicable on the upcoming electric car, and Ford will use the longer wheelbase version of Aspire without the issue of higher taxes on the longer car. The longer wheelbase of the car will not only help with roomier interiors, instead the extra space can be used to fit in more batteries in the upcoming electric car. This will translate into longer range of the car. Not to mention that a longer car means it will have a better street presence as well that will make it more upmarket in the eyes of the prospective customers.
While the model is being supplied by Ford, it is the Indian UV maker Mahindra that is working on the electric powertrain for the upcoming electric car. Mahindra has some experience in the electric vehicle technology as it has not only invested heavily in the domain but it also has been competing in the Formula E Series which has helped it gain vital know how in the electric car sector.
The company is working on developing a new powertrain for the car that will provide the car with a decent range and will also pack a punch when it comes to performance. The upcoming sedan will likely come with a 380V battery pack that will be rated for 60 kW or around 81 PS. The batteries used here will be of Lithium ion type. The top speed of the sedan will likely be around 110 km/h and the range is supposed to be 150 kms on a full battery. The battery itself is under development and is likely to be 25kWh unit. However, these details remain only speculative as of now as the company has not confirmed anything so far.
Talking of speculations about the upcoming sedan, it is rumored that the all-new electric sedan will likely be launched around the end of 2019 or early 2020. The electric sedan will be sold both by Mahindra as well as Ford and hence one can expect to see badge engineered versions of the same. The rumored price of the electric Aspire can be around Rs. 12 lakhs, but the several subsidies on electric cars in India ought to sweeten the deal for prospective customers.
