4 New Car Brands Coming To India: Slate SUV
India, as a market, is still growing and has a lot of potential. Many brands have realised this potential and have introduced new and interesting products for our market. While some of them survived, there are others who haven’t found the code to crack the Indian market. However, that isn’t stopping new brands from entering our market. Here we have a list of four new car brands that are coming to the Indian market.
After the joint venture with MG Motor in India, JSW made an announcement this year that it is planning to enter the Indian market as an independent car manufacturer. It will be bringing new models to our market, and in order to make this possible, it tied up with the Chinese car brand Chery. The first product from JSW is expected to be launched around the festive season this year.
This is probably going to be the first model that JSW might launch in the country. Testing for this SUV is currently going on in several parts of India. This is a boxy-looking premium SUV that is already on sale in many international markets.
The design is inspired by SUVs like the Land Rover Defender. The Jetour T2 will be launched as a plug-in hybrid SUV. It will be powered by a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine. As this is a plug-in hybrid vehicle, the SUV will also have an electric motor and a large battery pack that is likely to offer an electric driving range of around 100 km. The SUV will be sold as a CKD, and JSW is also setting up a facility in Maharashtra.
JSW is also testing a pure electric SUV, which is currently known as the iCar V23 in many markets. It is a rugged-looking SUV with design elements inspired by the likes of the Defender, Jeep Wrangler, and many other SUVs.
Internationally, it is not positioned as a premium product. In India, it might come with a decent number of features like a 15.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system, automatic climate control, leatherette upholstery, and a minimalistic cabin design with exposed plastic panels in some areas.
It is available with two battery pack options. The smaller 59.93 kWh battery comes with a rear-wheel-drive setup and offers around 401 km of range. Meanwhile, the larger 81.76 kWh battery comes paired with an all-wheel-drive system and offers up to 510 km of range.
The third JSW SUV for our market is the Jaecoo J5. It is a premium SUV and, like the other two models, it takes inspiration from Range Rover models and comes with a clean and premium-looking exterior design.
As this is a premium EV, it comes with features like a vertically oriented touchscreen, a digital instrument cluster, a 540-degree camera system, ventilated seats, electrically adjustable seats with memory function, a panoramic sunroof, Level 2 ADAS, multi-zone climate control, and more. It will be powered by a 58.9 to 60.9 kWh battery and offer a claimed range of around 400 to 460 km. This EV will generate around 211 bhp and 288 Nm of torque.
Hyundai recently announced that it plans to launch 26 products in the market by 2030. This includes its premium or luxury brand, Genesis. Hyundai has been evaluating the Indian market for Genesis for over a year. The brand’s entry is expected to happen in 2027. Genesis is expected to focus on SUVs and will likely sell its models as CKDs in India.
Genesis is expected to bring the GV80 SUV and coupe SUV to India first. Hyundai has already trademarked the GV80 Coupe in India. The model is available in both standard SUV and coupe SUV formats.
The SUV gets signature design elements like a crest-shaped grille along with a twin-horizontal headlamp setup on either side and more. The Genesis GV80 is available with three engine options internationally: a 2.5-litre turbo-petrol engine producing 304 PS, a 3.5-litre turbo-petrol engine generating 380 PS, and a 3.5-litre engine paired with a 48V electric supercharger producing 415 PS and 549 Nm. It remains to be seen which engine options will be offered in India.
The third brand coming to India is Leapmotor. It is a Chinese EV brand that was founded in 2015 in Hangzhou, China. The Stellantis Group, which owns brands like Jeep and Citroën in India, bought a 51 percent stake in Leapmotor and is now planning to enter the Indian market with new EVs.
It would be an affordable or entry-level electric hatchback that would rival the likes of the Tata Tiago.ev and MG Comet EV. This compact EV comes with features like a touchscreen infotainment system, an electric sunroof, a minimalist dashboard design, Level 2 ADAS, air conditioning, and more.
It is expected to come with a 37.3 kWh battery pack offering a range of around 265 km, which is suitable for city usage.
The Leapmotor C10 is a mid-size EV, and like most Chinese brands, the Leapmotor C10’s design appears inspired by other international models. It will be offered with a decent number of features and is expected to be powered by a 69.9 kWh battery pack offering a range of around 420 km.
The third EV from Leapmotor is going to be the B10 SUV. This SUV is already available internationally and comes with premium features like LED headlamps, DRLs, tail lamps, and flush-fit door handles, which are commonly seen in modern EVs.
It is expected to be offered with two battery pack options: 56.1 kWh and 67 kWh, with the larger battery pack offering a range of around 434 km.
Recently, American electric vehicle startup Slate Auto, which is backed by businessman Jeff Bezos, filed an official design patent in India. While the first three brands are confirmed for our market, there is still no clarity regarding the same. The brand has not made any official confirmation related to it.
The main attraction of Slate Auto is that it offers a variety of customisation and configuration options to customers. Customers would actually have to pay only for the features they want. The company has a pickup truck, and the customisation kits can be installed on the pickup to convert this EV into an adventure off-roader or a family SUV.