Tata Motors, the market leader in electric vehicle sales in India has been on a roll for about a month now. First, they showcased the concept CURVV on 6th April. The CURVV is an SUV coupe concept EV based on tata's second-generation EV platform. The production version of the CURVV EV is expected to hit the roads in 2024 with a range of 400 to 500 km. It will be first launched as an EV and later in the ICE version.
Soon after, on 29th April, tata showcased the concept AVINYA, a long wheelbase concept EV based on tata's third-generation EV platform. When launched in 2025, it will have a range of around 500 km. As it is based on tata's third-generation EV architecture, it will be a pure/born EV and won't have any ICE version. This places tata in the elite league of automotive companies like VW, Tesla, Audi etc. who have their own born/pure EV platforms & architecture.
Tata's Nexon EV Max:
On 5th May, tata launched the ACE EV, the electrified version of its superhit product ACE mini truck. Soon after the ACE EV launch event, tata dropped a short glimpse teaser of the much-rumoured Nexon EV Max on its official YouTube channel, clearing all the doubts about the authenticity of several news & leaks. The Nexon EV Max has been in the news, leaks and rumours for quite some time now. However, all the confusion about it will now come to an end as tata has announced that it will be launched soon, most probably at the end of this month.
If one watches the teaser carefully or frame-by-frame, some important and most demanded features are visible in the teaser. Most of the features that tata has showcased in the teaser video seem to be the result of suggestions, feedback and demands of the customers and potential buyers of the current Nexon EV model on sale in India. We tried to decode the short glimpse teaser frame-by-frame and listed out the changes and new features that we could spot. Here's the list:
The new center console:
The teaser shows a new center console in the Nexon EV Max. The new console includes many features that are missing in the current Nexon EV model on sale. It also has features that have been demanded by customers since a long time.
The teaser shows a digital display in the rotary gear shift knob. This solves the daytime visibility problem of customers. The ongoing Nexon EV customers have been complaining about the poor quality of illumination in the rotary gear knob. This creates issues in identifying the driving mode during the daytime. As the illumination has been replaced with a bright screen in the Nexon EV Max, it would now be quite easy for the drivers to see the driving mode during the daytime.
Moreover, the center console now has buttons for sport & eco driving modes, and includes an electric parking brake with auto-hold function. There's also a pair of buttons for adjustment of regen levels (regenerative braking).
Probability of features from Nexon Kaziranga Edition:
The teaser clearly shows the AQI icon on the infotainment screen of the vehicle. This confirms that the Nexon EV Max will be getting an air purifier inbuild into the air conditioning system, just like the ICE Nexon's Kaziranga Edition. Also, the auto-dimming IRVM is visible in the teaser. This feature is also available in the Kaziranga Edition of Nexon ICE. The presence of these two features from the Nexon Kaziranga Edition points out towards the possibility of ventilated front seats in the Nexon EV Max, just like the Kaziranga Edition.
A button for hill-descent control is also visible in the teaser, signalling the possibility of electronic stability program and traction control in the Nexon EV Max. The current Nexon EV lacks these features.
The above mentioned features are the ones we were able to spot. There could be several more new and advanced features in the upcoming Nexon EV Max. According to the sources, the Nexon EV Max will cost 2 to 3 lakhs more than the ongoing Nexon EV. This means a possible price range of 17 to 20 lakhs. Well, tata seems to be prepared to disrupt the Indian passenger EV market with one product after other. The launch of Nexon EV Max is just the beginning, tata has a range of EVs like Punch EV, Altroz EV and Tiago EV, lined up for launch till 2025.