Mahindra joins hands with Volkswagen, to get MEB electric components for its EVs

Mahindra and Mahindra has joined hands with German carmaker Volkswagen to collaborate on its upcoming electric vehicles. The two carmakers signed a Partnering Agreement on Wednesday to ‘evaluate the scope of collaboration’. Earlier this year, Mahindra and Mahindra had announced that it will drive in as many as three electric vehicles in India on a dedicated EV platform. The carmaker had teased a compact SUV, a midsize SUV and a coupe SUV in February. It later confirmed that the first model, to be unveiled in July, is going to be the electric version of its sub-compact SUV XUV300.

According to the deal, Mahindra will seek help from the German carmaker with MEB electric components such as electric motors, battery system components and battery cells. The MEB electric architecture is designed as an open vehicle platform. The platform and its components allows car manufacturers to build their portfolio of electrified vehicles in a cost-effective manner.

Rajesh Jejurikar, Executive Director of Auto and Farm Sectors at Mahindra & Mahindra, said, “We are very pleased to have Volkswagen, a significant global investor in the electric mobility space, as a strategic partner in achieving our ambitious Born Electric Vison. The complementarity of their extensive technology, innovation, and vertical integration in supply chains, will provide a framework to develop our next gen “Born Electric Platform", to be revealed soon in Oxfordshire UK. Our teams across India, UK and Detroit are passionately creating a breath-taking future."

Thomas Schmall, CEO of Volkswagen Group Components, said, “Mahindra is a pioneer in the electric mobility space in India and a great partner for our MEB Electric Platform. Together with Mahindra, we want to contribute significantly to the electrification of India, a huge automotive market with enormous growth potential and high relevance for climate protection. It’s another proof point that the MEB is both technologically state of the art and highly competitive in terms of cost. The MEB is thus progressively developing into the leading open platform for e-mobility, generating significant volume and economies of scale. That’s crucial for every company in the EV world and the key to competitive solutions for our customers."

Volkswagen’s MEB electric platform is currently used in global markets by the Group's various brands including Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda among others.

Mahindra showcased the eXUV300 at the Auto Expo 2020 as the carmaker's first-ever all-electric SUV. Codenamed S204, the electric SUV could be called XUV400 in its production form. The SUV was originally planned to be built on Ford's B-platform and was aimed at Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos. However, the plans were stalled after Mahindra and Ford ended their joint venture in India.