MG India has launched their second all-electric vehicle, MG Comet. The car is also the smallest EV in India. But first, let me get one thing out of the way — my relationship with the car company was rocky in the past. While the brand harks back to the heyday of British motoring, its current parent company is the Shanghai Automotive Industrial Corporation (SAIC), a Chinese state-owned manufacturer. However, I do not evaluate vehicles based on their provenance, it would be extremely petty of me to do so. I also recognise the massive strides that Chinese carmakers like SAIC have made in electric vehicle technology and development.
MG India has suffered from a lack of capital in the recent past due to post-Galwan restrictions on investments from China. The past week also saw numerous reports that the Sajjan Jindal-led iron and steel giant JSW was looking to invest in MG India, but JSW has denied these claims.
That said, I drove the new MG Comet with an open mind. MG India’s chief marketing officer, Gaurav Gupta accompanied me on the drive down the Mehrauli-Gurugram Road and onto central Delhi’s Sunder Nursery.
The Comet is a ‘micro car’; coming in at under three metres in length, it is tiny. Such vehicles haven’t really captured the Indian buyer’s imagination in the past. Remember the Tata Nano? Gupta noticed an older WagonR drive past us and commented that the Comet isn’t much smaller than the Maruti Suzuki car, indeed it had a ‘taller’ seating position. “You’re either going to love this car or hate this car, I do not think there will be anything in-between,” he added.
I liked this car and I’m sure others will too if the provenance of the vehicle is disregarded.
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Fuel economy
How is it any different from the Tata Nano which failed? First, the Nano came during another era in the Indian car market. Second, the MG Comet is not aimed at buyers looking to move from two wheels to four. It is very unlikely to be the primary vehicle in a household, not just because of its size but also because of the fact that it is electric. And given its size, it is not what one would call cheap and cheerful. At an introductory price of eight lakh, it isn’t cheap given that for a similar sum one could purchase a top-end Maruti-Suzuki Swift or Hyundai Grand i20 and even entry-level variants of the new Maruti-Suzuki Fronx. However, like all electric vehicles, the savings come in operating costs.
The car’s 17.3 -kilowatt-hour prismatic cell battery pack has a range of 230 kilometres — thanks to excellent energy management software and of course, its weight and size. One unit of electricity, which at peak residential rates in Delhi costs Rs 8.50 will be good enough for this car to run 12-14 kilometres, an operating cost of 65-75 paise per kilometre. I don’t know about you, but that spells ‘wow’ to me.
In comparison, the best fuel economy one can get from a small hatchback in urban India is around 16-18 kilometres per litre, which works out to an operating cost of around six rupees per kilometre at current petrol prices. Simply put, even if petrol prices stay steady over the next five years, the MG Comet will turn a profit even if you run it for a thousand kilometres every month for five-six years.
I would also like to believe that the Indian car market has evolved immensely since the era of the Tata Nano. For one, buyers are slightly more mature and want more features and gadgetry in a car. The MG Comet delivers by having a large infotainment screen and early-generation iPod-inspired click buttons on the two-spoke steering wheel. You have your standard connectivity options with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Although, the USB slot is not the easiest to find and the layout is something that I will really need a few weeks to get used to.
There were also some software issues with smartphone connectivity, but Gupta assured me that a software update would resolve those.
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Practicality over desirability
Entry-level petrol hatchbacks such as the Maruti-Suzuki Alto and Renault Kwid are seeing sales drop off as buyers are moving towards larger and more expensive cars — a trend that MG India themselves have helped enable with the obscenely large Gloster. You could probably fit a Comet inside the cabin of one of these gigantic SUVs.
Not only is the Comet a microcar, but the four-seater only has two doors — something that Indians are not accustomed to. And while the rear seat space is limited, it can fit two adults comfortably for a short drive. But there are no rear windows. And if you want luggage space, you will have to put the rear seats down; although that is incredibly easy to do.
Given that traffic in cities across India is getting out of hand, having something small can be advantageous. And it is much easier to park.
The car also looks sweet and cute. I took the Comet to pick up my son from school and the toddler was most impressed — calling it a ‘Magic Car’. But my grouse with the two-door car is that fixing a child car seat in it requires extreme body flexibility.
The Comet has under 40 horsepower, and can just about crack the ton mark when it comes to speed, but that is not what this car is designed to do. This is a car for someone who doesn’t want to make a statement (although, you do make a statement with the Comet). This is a car for someone who values practicality and sensibility over desirability.
Would I take the MG Comet on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway or for an airport pick-up? No. Would I take it to pick up my kid from school, the local market or on my daily commute? For sure.
@kushanmitra is an automotive journalist based in New Delhi. Views are personal.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)