Top Indian utility vehicle maker M&M on Monday launched the most advanced home-grown electric car yet seen, pricing it at $11,000 and saying it hopes to sell the hatchback abroad next year. The four-seater, two-door e2o - pronounced "ee-too-oh" - has zero emissions, an 80 kmh (50 mph) top speed, is automatic and can run for 100 kilometres on a single charge.
The new car boasts 10 onboard computers analysing core functions and sending alerts if anything needs fixing - a feature usually found in costlier cars - and can be fully charged in five hours from a 15A power socket. "This is our vision of the future of mobility," M&M chairman Anand Mahindra told reporters in New Delhi. The car is the fruit of the $16 billion M&M group's 2010 purchase of a controlling stake in Indian electric vehicle maker Reva, pioneered by engineer Chetan Maini, as part of a green technology drive. While the e2o, priced at 596,000 rupees ($11,000).