Jaguar has recently launched its first electric car I-Pace in India. Mercedes Benz has welcomed the arrival of its competitor with a classy tweet.
When it comes to internal combustion engine (ICE) powered luxury cars, we can easily say that Mercedes Benz and Jaguar are fierce rivals all over the world. But is it the same with electric vehicles (EV)? We don't think so!
After Mercedes EQC, that was launched late last year, Jaguar has now launched I-Pace. These two models are now the only luxury electric car models in India. And probably Merc was looking for an EV competitor in India. It has welcomed the Jaguar I-Pace with an open arms but with a subtle message about its growing charging infrastructure in India
Mercedes Benz India tweeted:
Congratulations @JaguarIndia on going electric with the I-PACE. We’re excited to see the electric tribe grow. We welcome I-PACE owners to any of our 100 Mercedes-Benz outlets to charge their car. Let’s build a green future together. #SustainableLuxury #SwitchToElectric #EQ #iPace pic.twitter.com/pI3nQePykW
— Mercedes-Benz India (@MercedesBenzInd) March 23, 2021
And Jaguar was quick to reply:
Thank you for the warm welcome.#FutureIsElectric
— Jaguar India (@JaguarIndia) March 23, 2021
When it comes to EVs, its not just about the electric car. We also need a robust charging infrastrucutre to run the vehicles uninterruptedly on roads. OEMs are now ramping up the charging infrastructure on their own without relying much on governments to create charging stations.
Both EQC and I-Pace come with a complimentary wall charging unit. While Mercedes are leading in building charging infrastructure for its EV models, Jaguar has also launched 22 charging stations on its retail outlets.
Volvo and Audi are alos poised to enter the luxury EV market in India. Volvo has pledged to bring XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge to India in the second half of 2021. Audi is also gearing up to launch e-Tron in India.
Auto world is also eagerly waiting for the launch of Tesla models in India. However, its entry level Model 3 might cost north of Rs 65 lakh due to heavy import duties on completely built units (CBUs).
CarInfo hopes automakers will ramp up the launches of EVs to accelerate the transition from ICEs to cleaner mode of transport.
