Tata Motors drives in Punch EV at Rs 11 lakh

Vijay C Roy

Chandigarh, January 17

With the launch of Punch EV — mid-sized electric SUV — today, Tata Motors aims to catapult the Indian electric vehicle (EV) market and leapfrog India into an era of pure EVs.

Punch EV is the first vehicle based on its recently introduced, advanced Pure EV architecture acti.ev. Launched with a starting price of Rs 10.99 lakh (ex-showroom, introductory), it has five variants with the top-end variant priced at Rs 14.49 lakh.

“With Punch on new EV infrastructure, we will compete with over 20 internal combustion engine (ICE) models placed in the same price bracket. We expect the sales from tier-III and tier-IV cities will get a fillip with this launch,” said Vivek Srivatsa, chief commercial officer, Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Ltd. Currently, tier-I and tier-II cities contribute 70% of the total EV sales for the company.

At present, the automaker has 73% share in the EV segment. Overall, EVs constitute 2% of the total passenger vehicle sales in India.

Shailesh Chandra, MD, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Limited & Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Ltd., said, “With the launch of the Punch.ev, we are taking our commitment to an all-new level by delivering a versatile EV that aligns with the evolving customer needs.”

It comes with two battery options — 25 and 35 kWh —providing a range of 315 km and 421 km, respectively.

On being asked about the forthcoming launches, Vivek said, “By 2025, we will have 10 electric vehicles in our portfolio.”