Quick reads
- JSW MG set to launch a Wuling Eksion-based electric SUV, its first model on the new ADAPT platform
- BMW India opened bookings for the facelifted i7 on August 1. A formal price reveal is expected later in the month
- Volvo will pull the covers off the EX90, its most expensive EV yet for India, around mid-August
- Kia’s Sorento is set to arrive as the brand’s first strong hybrid for India
- Mahindra BE 6 is getting a refresh around Independence Day, though this one is more of a feature update than a new model
There’s a pattern that plays out every year in the run up to Independence Day and the festive season that follows. Carmakers time their splashiest reveals to land somewhere between mid- August and Diwali, betting on a mood that’s already tilted toward big purchases.
Four of the five vehicles below run are pure EVs. None of them are budget cars. Together they say something about where India’s electrified car market actually sits right now: still thin at the bottom, but filling out fast anywhere north of Rs 20 lakh.
JSW MG’s To Launch XEV 9S Rival
Mahindra’s XEV 9S changed the mid-size electric SUV segment when it launched, offering three battery options and pricing that undercut most rivals. JSW MG now wants a piece of that same pie. The company is targeting a launch this month for a new seven-seat electric SUV, its first vehicle built on the ADAPT platform that MG says will eventually support EVs, plug-in hybrids, strong hybrids and range extenders.
- The car is closely related to the Wuling Eksion, also sold as the Starlight 560 in parts of Southeast Asia and China, since Wuling and MG both sit under the SAIC umbrella.
- Expect a 69 kWh battery, a single front-mounted motor putting out around 201 hp and 310 Nm, and a claimed range close to 600km. That range figure sits almost exactly around the XEV 9S’s 70kWh variants.
- A plug-in hybrid version, likely aimed at diesel automatic buyers of the Tata Safari and Mahindra XUV 7XO, is expected to follow later. MG hasn’t confirmed a name for the electric SUV yet.
BMW’s i7 To Get A Midlife Refresh
The i7 has always occupied an odd space in India’s luxury market: an electric flagship sedan competing against combustion rivals from Mercedes as much as against other EVs. BMW India opened bookings for the facelifted 7 Series range, including the i7, on August 1, a little over three months after the update made its global debut in April.
Customers can reserve a slot at dealerships or through the company’s website, though BMW hasn’t disclosed a booking amount or confirmed the exact launch date, but we expect it to happen some time in August itself.
What’s changed goes beyond the usual facelift tweaks of new headlights and grilles, though those are present too.
- A slimmer illuminated kidney grille and a split LED headlamp design.
- Inside, the dashboard has effectively been redone, borrowing design language from BMW’s newer Neue Klasse models.
- There’s a 17.9-inch main touchscreen paired with a 14.6-inch passenger display, and buyers can still opt for the Executive Lounge package with its 31.3-inch rear entertainment screen.
- The i7 itself picks up a larger battery, growing from roughly 101.7kWh to 112.4kWh, and the base variant, now called the i7 50 xDrive, switches to dual motor all wheel drive in place of the older single motor setup.
- The range-opping i7 M70 xDrive reportedly makes 680 hp and up to 1,100 Nm. Given the current i7 is priced from Rs 2.10 crore to Rs 2.58 crore, expect the updated car to land a notch higher once BMW confirms figures.
Volvo’s EX90 Finally Shows Up
The Volvo EX90 IS Volvo’s largest and most expensive model, an electric equivalent to the XC90, and it will be brought in as a fully built import rather than assembled locally, which tells you something about where Volvo expects its pricing to sit.
- The EX90 rides on an 800-volt architecture with two battery choices
- A 92kWh single motor rear wheel drive version claiming around 565km on the WLTP cycle, and a larger 106kWh twin motor all wheel drive version that Volvo rates at just over 600km, with a Performance variant pushing output past 670hp.
- It’s also the first Volvo sold in India to carry a lidar unit as part of its sensor suite, alongside Level 3-capable ADAS, a 14.5-inch portrait touchscreen and V2L functionality for powering external devices.
- Given the CBU route and the segment it’s entering, alongside cars like the BMW iX and Mercedes EQS SUV, expect it to be something in the Rs 1 crore to Rs 1.3 crore range.
Kia’s Sorento Hybrid Arriving Soon
Kia has sold the Sorento globally for over two decades without ever bringing it to India, and that’s about to change. The Sorento Hybrid marks Kia’s first strong hybrid SUV for the domestic market, sitting below the Carnival as a three-row option aimed at buyers currently looking at the Toyota Fortuner, Skoda Kodiaq, Volkswagen Tayron or Jeep Meridian.
- Official pre-bookings had already begun at select dealerships in July, with token amounts starting around Rs 50,000.
- Kia could formally launch the car in August, though deliveries are more likely to start in late September or early October, timed to the festive season.
- Kia hasn’t confirmed powertrain details for India, but the global spec Sorento Hybrid uses a 1.6 litre turbo petrol engine paired with an electric motor, together making somewhere around 227hp and over 350Nm, sent through a six speed automatic.
- Both front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive layouts exist internationally, and India will likely get both.
- The SUV will reportedly be assembled locally, which should help keep pricing more competitive than a straight import. Expect anywhere around Rs 38 lakh to Rs 45 lakh for top trims.
Mahindra BE 6 Update
Not every August entry is a full model change. Mahindra’s BE 6, launched back in November 2024, may get a mid-cycle spec bump around August 15, based on spy shots and reporting.
- The changes on the upcoming BE6 facelift look cosmetic and feature-related rather than mechanical: a triple-screen dashboard layout borrowed from the XEV 9e and XEV 9S
- Removal of the halo design element that currently separates the driver and front passenger displays, and a new black and tan upholstery option is expected
- Pricing, currently between Rs 18.90 lakh and Rs 26.90 lakh, is likely to move up slightly to reflect the added kit.
