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Reva to export 500 electric cars to Britain
Tuesday, 09 December 2003, 20:30 IST
BANGALORE: The makers of India's first compact electric car Reva have entered into a marketing tie-up with Going Green Plc to export 500 cars to Britain over the next nine months.
Reva Electric Car will sell the vehicle in Britain under the brand name G-WIZ.
Promoted by Bangalore-based Maini Industrial Group, the battery-run vehicle has recently been granted the European Economic Community certificate for homologation that qualifies the firm to enter the European market in a big way.
"The certification validates Reva's technical expertise in the auto industry. It makes the compact electric car an ideal solution for mobility in European cities and towns," Chetan Maini, the firm's managing director, said here Tuesday.
Priced about 40 percent higher than its Indian luxury model in the premium segment, G-WIZ will be the most economical electric vehicle in Britain and the European markets.
"We began test-marketing Reva in Britain early this year and modified its features based on customer feedback to suit their requirements, including climate control seats and remote control heating.
"G-WIZ will be the only vehicle in Europe with these features in the non-fuel segment," Maini claimed.
As its sole distributor in Europe, Going Green will promote Reva in Britain as an ideal environmental vehicle alternative to gasoline models and undertake its after-sales service support.
On Indian roads, the car gives a mileage of just 40 paise a km or nine units of power for 80 km against 
2.60 a km by petrol-driven small cars.
"With the British government granting road tax exemption, 100 percent depreciation and waiver of congestion charges and parking fee for G-WIZ, we are upbeat on its success with the potential for more export orders," Maini group chairman Sudarshan Maini told IANS.
Of the 2.5 million cars sold in Britain in the last 10 months, 875,000 were in the super mini category. With 38 percent having single occupancy and 34 percent double occupancy, the potential for G-WIZ is about 100,000 in the next couple of years.
In the run-up to its foray into the European Union market, the company has started test marketing Reva in Malta, Norway, Germany and Switzerland.
"As the second largest electric car producer the world (behind) Ford in the US, Reva has the first-move advantage in the emerging trend for zero-pollution cars," Maini said at a preview of Reva Classe, the new export model with additional comfort and safety features.
Cashing in on strict emission norms in European countries, where legislature amendments and regulations are being made to check pollution by gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles, the company is set to introduce enhanced and customised versions to meet the demands of emerging export markets.
To meet the market demand, the 600-million group is stepping up production at its Bommasandra facility on the outskirts of Bangalore to roll out about 250-300 cars a month from the yearend.
Reva hit the Indian roads in mid-2001. The company has sold about 550 units in India and 50 overseas. About 50 percent of the cars were sold in Karnataka.
Source: IANS
2.60 a km by petrol-driven small cars.
"With the British government granting road tax exemption, 100 percent depreciation and waiver of congestion charges and parking fee for G-WIZ, we are upbeat on its success with the potential for more export orders," Maini group chairman Sudarshan Maini told IANS.
Of the 2.5 million cars sold in Britain in the last 10 months, 875,000 were in the super mini category. With 38 percent having single occupancy and 34 percent double occupancy, the potential for G-WIZ is about 100,000 in the next couple of years.
In the run-up to its foray into the European Union market, the company has started test marketing Reva in Malta, Norway, Germany and Switzerland.
"As the second largest electric car producer the world (behind) Ford in the US, Reva has the first-move advantage in the emerging trend for zero-pollution cars," Maini said at a preview of Reva Classe, the new export model with additional comfort and safety features.
Cashing in on strict emission norms in European countries, where legislature amendments and regulations are being made to check pollution by gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles, the company is set to introduce enhanced and customised versions to meet the demands of emerging export markets.
To meet the market demand, the 600-million group is stepping up production at its Bommasandra facility on the outskirts of Bangalore to roll out about 250-300 cars a month from the yearend.
Reva hit the Indian roads in mid-2001. The company has sold about 550 units in India and 50 overseas. About 50 percent of the cars were sold in Karnataka.
Source: IANS