Renault-Nissan's EV dreams for India look cloudy
If you have been waiting to get your hands on an electric vehicle from Renault or Nissan, then you could be in for some disappoint. Both, Renault and Nissan have been talking about bringing electric vehicles to India, but those plans seem to be dwindling away. Nissan has been talking about the Leaf for a while now, while Renault showcased the possible Kwid Electric in the form of the K-ZE - neither of which could make it to India anytime soon.
In our conversation with Toyota last week, the carmaker mentioned how it is difficult to make an electric vehicle seem like a viable option in the value-conscious Indian market unless the government steps in and makes policies that will make EVs a more affordable affair for the common man. Looks like Renault-Nissan's difficulties to bring the likes of the K-ZE and Leaf to India stems from similar problems.
While the Hyundai Kona EV has been fairly successful and the MG ZS EV is following suit, a similar Rs 20-30 lakh price point may not work in favour for the Nissan Leaf, and pricing the car any lower than that seems unachievable for Nissan India at this point. Similarly, Renault's Kwid EV or K-ZE could very well cost as much as a premium hatchback (if not more), which is unlikely to find many takers in the current situation of the Indian car market. In fact, these unfavourable conditions are also one of the primary reasons why the Tata Altroz EV could see a delayed launch.
While we haven't been able to get an official quote from Nissan or Renault on this topic, our sources close to the alliance reveal that the Leaf and the K-ZE projects from the respective brands could be shelved all together as they don't foresee much good in the Indian EV space in the near future.