Will MG’s upcoming EV open doors for two-door cars?

There is a catch however. Unlike all other electrics in the market, this new car will have only two doors. Based on the Wuling Air EV available for sale in Indonesia, MG will make the necessary iterations for the Indian conditions, but adding two doors isn’t one of them. Measuring just under three meters, it has a very small footprint. For context, the Tata Tiago EV – the cheapest electric offering in the country today, is 3.8 meters tall. Though it is a tall guy and the height of 1.6 meters puts it in the category of Wagon R which gives it a strange stance.

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Traditionally, two doors in a car unlike the standard four have not performed well in India. While they are common in Europe, manufacturers have tried to experiment with them from time to time, but with little success. From the Standard Herald in the 70s, to the San Storm, India’s first 2-door sports car in the mid 90s, the limited edition two-door version (named carbon and steel) of the Maruti Zen, the imported VW Polo GTi or Reva India’s very first electric car, many such cars have hit the roads in India.

None of them, except Zen, to some extent, garnered much love from India’s value conscious family-oriented consumers. Two-door cars are generally smaller and lighter than their four-door siblings and the benefits manifest themselves through improved performance, or better fuel efficiency. In India however, the lack of practicality – ease of entry and exit is a big deal for all passengers – overshadowed everything else.

But there may be more reasons why two doors have more practicality in the age of electricity. They are lightweight, built primarily for city use which means shorter trips, and can make do with a smaller battery pack. In a vehicle, where the battery is at the heart and accounts for 40 percent of the cost, this can be decisive.

In addition, there are signs that consumer preferences are changing. Indians are now not only buying their first car, but it is relatively common for urban households to have multiple cars in the garage. As the second car in the family for city commuting, an electric two-door car might just make sense.

However, to make up for the weirdness, the car will have to offer more in terms of styling, features and other modern creature comforts that suit the urban environment. A huge success story in recent times is the two-door Mahindra Thar which defied all expectations and started the revival of the brand in the domestic market. MG can’t break new ground in terms of price – Tiago EV at 8.5 Lakh has four doors and will be tough to match – but can take inspiration from Thar and do better in other respects.

There will certainly be many more that will connect with their own experiments. For example, electric cab maker BlueSmart Mobility is planning to launch its three-wheeled reverse trike model next year. It will not only have two doors, but only two seats. Primarily for the city, the company believes that it can appeal to parents who want to offer a personal mobility option for their college-going kids than two-wheelers. another company. Orxa is also working on a similar concept Mantis, which it plans to launch after its first batch of electric two-wheelers.

Will Indian consumers eventually succumb to the idea of ​​locking the two doors they sporadically use anyway? The MG experiment can give us the answer. What is certain, however, is that there will be many bizarre vehicles on the road in the electric age. Not only in numbers but also in variety the consumer will be spoiled for choice this time around.

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