- Indian SUV major Mahindra intends to equip its Born Electric Platform with MEB electric components from Volkswagen.
- Partnering agreement signed in Chennai on 18th May evening.
- The binding supply contract is planned to be concluded by end of 2022.
- At the Glasgow Climate Change Conference, India committed itself to 100 % zero-emissions vehicles from 2035 onwards
Volkswagen and Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (M&M) are exploring the use of MEB electric components for Mahindra’s new “Born Electric Platform”. Both parties announced today that they have signed a Partnering Agreement on 18th May 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 Partnering Agreement evaluates the scope of collaboration – it indicates 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.
Designed as an open vehicle platform, the MEB electric platform, and its components allow car manufacturers to build their portfolio of electrified vehicles, quickly and cost-effectively.
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 de-carbonisationtion of the mobility sector.
India is one of the Global Top-5 Automotive Markets with about three million vehicles per year. According to current forecasts, the market could grow to up to five million vehicles by 2030. So far, the market has been dominated by vehicles with diesel or petrol engines.
However, at the 2021 Climate Summit in Glasgow, India undertook only to 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. Industry experts anticipate that in 2030 more than half of all new vehicles will be fully electric.
Already today, Volkswagen’s MEB Electric Platform is used by the Group brands Volkswagen, Audi, SKODA, and SEAT/CUPRA as well as external partners. Responsibility for these partnerships has been assigned to the “Platform Business” unit created specifically for this purpose.
