Ford and Mahindra joined hands in September last
year to explore a strategic alliance. One of the areas of their potential
cooperation includes electrification. According to a report from The Times of
India, leveraging the partnership, Ford will launch a Ford Aspire Electric
sedan in India by next year.
Ford has built and sold EVs for years now, but
Mahindra is the one that has the expertise when it comes to low-cost EVs. So,
Mahindra has helped Ford develop the pure electric variant of the Ford Aspire
entry-level sedan for India.
Divulging further information on the Ford Aspire
Electric, the source revealed Ford will not restrict the car’s length to four
metres. “The Aspire will be the first to hit the roads and, unlike its existing
petrol/diesel version, which is under 4 metres in length, the electric variant
will be a longer one,” the source said.
Our speculation is that the reason behind this move
is that EVs attract a flat 12% GST, irrespective of their size. Also worth
noting, is that Compensation Cess is not levied on them, meaning that
automakers can go for any body style (read: even SUVs) without having to worry
about higher taxes.
The Ford Aspire Electric would cost significantly
more than the Ford Aspire. So, to make the battery-powered variant look as much
of a VFM product as possible, Ford will offer it in a proper sedan-like body.
The company already makes a non-sub-4 metre version of the Aspire for the
export markets. This version measures 4,254 mm in length, but its width, height
and wheelbase are the same as that of sub-4 metre version sold in India.
Specifications of the pure electric variant are currently unknown.
