Volkswagen (VW) and
Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd are exploring the use of MEB electric components for Mahindra’s new ‘Born Electric Platform’ (VW’s MEB platform is a modular car platform for electric cars developed by the Volkswagen Group and its subsidiaries; it allows car manufacturers to build their portfolio of electrified vehicles, quickly and cost-effectively). Both parties announced that they have signed a Partnering Agreement to evaluate ‘the scope of collaboration’.
Mahindra intends to equip its ‘Born Electric Platform’ with MEB electric components such as electric motors, battery system components and battery cells. The agreement evaluates the scope of collaboration, indicating ‘binding rules for the evaluation phase as well as the non-binding scope of supply’.
The binding supply agreement will be negotiated in a ‘continued constructive and legally compliant way to conclude by the end of 2022’. The shared objective of the two companies is to electrify the Indian automotive market, one of the most important automotive growth markets and a key element in the global decarbonisation of the mobility sector.
Thomas Schmall, CEO of Volkswagen Group Components, said: “Mahindra is a pioneer in India’s electric mobility market and a great partner for our MEB electric platform. Together with Mahindra, we want to contribute significantly to the electrification of India, a huge automotive market with enormous growth potential and high relevance for climate protection.
“It’s another proof point that the MEB is technologically ‘state of the art’ — and highly competitive in terms of cost. The MEB is thus progressively developing into the leading open platform for e-mobility, generating significant volume and economies of scale. That’s crucial for every company in the EV world and the key to competitive solutions for our customers.”
With some three million vehicles per year, India is one of the global top-five automotive markets; and according to current forecasts it could grow to five million vehicles by 2030. So far, the market has been dominated by vehicles with diesel or petrol engines, but at the
2021 Climate Summit in Glasgow, India undertook to only register zero-emission passenger cars and vans, starting in 2035.
As a result, the electrification of the passenger car segment is expected to gain significant momentum in the coming years, with ‘industry experts’ anticipating that in 2030 more than half of all new vehicles will be fully electric.