Tata Motors e-Tigor makes a debut as the most affordable e-car

Prices start at Rs 11,99,000 and Rs 12,99,000; saving per kilometer for the e-Tigor is Rs 6.50

Tata Motors’ e-Tigor, the most affordable e-vehicle among e-SUVs and e-cars, went on sale on Tuesday. The vehicle is priced between Rs 11,99,000 and Rs 12,99,000.

“With e-Tigor, we plan to take EVs to the next level of affordability,” said Shailesh Chandra, president, passenger vehicle business unit, Tata Motors. The company is targeting upwardly mobile urban car buyers who opt for an automatic transmission car  and who are willing to spend up to Rs 13,00,000, he said.

“The saving per kilometre for e-Tigor is Rs 6.5. So, if you have a 12,000-km running, the savings would be up to Rs 78,000-80,000, meaning in the ownership period of 4-5 years, it can translate into savings of Rs 3.5-4 lakh,” Chandra said.

Available in three trims, the model is powered by a 26-kWh liquid-cooled, IP 67-rated battery pack and claims an extended ARAI-certified range of 306 kilometres. The ex-showroom Delhi price of the comparable Tigor top-end model is Rs 7,81,000. Including registration, insurance and road taxes, it goes up by almost a lakh. Electric Vehicles are exempted from road tax and registration. This further reduces the price gap betweeen combustion engine-powered vehicles and EVs.

The prices of most other EV models in the premium and super premium segment of passenger vehicles are almost double of combustion engine-powered models. These include Mercedes EQC, Audi e-tron, MG ZVS, Hyundai Kona, etc.

“The pricing is laudable,” said Ravi Bhatia, president and managing director at JATO Dynamics adding that "Tata Motors is aiming to seed the market with the model."

On whether Tata Motors is taking a hit financially on e-Nexon and e-Tigor, Chandra said, “We are in the business of value creation and will not run any business that is not profitable. I can confirm that it is a profitable business vertical.” He declined to comment on the volumes planned for the e-Tigor.

Tata Motors entered the EV market for personal buyers in the first quarter of FY21 with e-Nexon. According to Chandra, the mindset on EVs has seen a rapid change in the last one year and has got an additional thrust due to the state government-led incentives. The e-Nexon sells the same number as Nexon diesel — i.e. 1,800-2,000 units a month, he said, adding that Tata Motors would have produced and sold more e-Nexons, had there been no semiconductor shortage.

The e-Tigor is one among the ten models Tata Motors is planning to launch by 2025, as it seeks to make rapid strides in the EV market. “We will have multiple offerings at varied price points,” said Chandra.