‘The green number plate has become a symbol of aspiration’
India’s EV market is entering a more crowded, more cautious phase, where differentiation is as much about product architecture and advanced features as it is about range or price. In this interview, Vinay Raina, chief commercial officer, talks to Geetika Srivastava about MG’s pricing, localisation, and ecosystem plays, and what it takes to build trust in the second wave of EV adoption. Edited excerpts:
The Windsor EV closed 2025 as India’s best-selling EV with 46,735 units, creating a new ‘CUV’ (Crossover Utility Vehicle) category. In your marketing post-mortem, what were the factors that drove these numbers?
The success of MG Windsor goes beyond the prevailing SUV trend and reinforces a fundamental truth: when the product package delivers genuine value to Indian customers, it resonates strongly. Our ‘Intelligent CUV’ positioning played a pivotal role here. We highlighted how the Windsor combines the versatility of an SUV with the expanse of a sedan, an offering that appealed not only to SUV buyers but also to sedan and MPV loyalists also.
The pricing strategy, especially the innovative batter-as-a-service (BaaS) ownership package, further strengthened this value proposition. It allowed us to offer what we call the ‘ABC’ combination: the price of an A segment vehicle with exterior dimensions of a B segment car and the interior space of a C segment vehicle.
With nearly half of Windsor’s sales now coming from outside metropolitan areas, how has your local marketing strategy evolved to build trust in charging infrastructure?
Almost 50% of buyers of the MG Windsor are from non-metros and the key sales driver has been the practicality the car offers – a lower cost of ownership and remarkable interior space for families, combined with a refined and silent drive experience. In smaller towns, driving patterns tend to be more predictable, which enables customers to rely comfortably on the convenience of a home charger for daily usage. Hence, purchasing EVs makes more sense in smaller towns and cities.
For such customers, technology was never a barrier. The green number plate has also become a symbol of being a more evolved, environmentally conscious customer, adding an element of pride and aspiration to EV ownership.
Beyond the product, our strategy also addressed the broader concerns associated with first-time EV ownership. We introduced initiatives such as assured buyback programs to reassure customers about resale values, and a lifetime battery warranty for the first owner to strengthen confidence in long-term reliability.
While some of your peers are pivoting toward hybrids to bridge the gap, you have remained steadfastly ‘EV-first’. What is your business case for skipping the hybrid phase in the Indian market?
Although our initial introductions in clean technologies have been EVs, we have always positioned ourselves as an NEV brand focussing on a variety of powertrains, including hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and EVs. Launching EVs initially was a strategic business decision, driven by the clear market momentum towards electric mobility and the stronger adoption curve for EVs compared to hybrids. That said, our long-term strategy has never been limited to one technology. We plan to introduce plug in hybrid technology into our portfolio in the near future, ensuring that we cater to a wider spectrum of customer needs as the market evolves.
Your recent campaigns, like ‘Live Business Class,’ pivoted away from typical ‘green/eco-friendly’ EV tropes toward luxury and comfort. Has this focus resulted in a lower customer acquisition cost?
The MG Windsor introduced features typically seen two to three segments above, and this naturally shaped our “Live Business Class” proposition. The intent was to move beyond the conventional ‘green/eco-friendly’ EV narrative and instead highlight the human-centric, in-cabin experience that customers truly feel every day. By shifting the storytelling toward comfort, luxury, and everyday usability, we found that customers were able to connect with the product far more intuitively. Rather than selling technology for technology’s sake, we showcased how the technology improves life inside the car.
While CAC is influenced by multiple variables, what we can clearly observe is that campaigns centred around humanised, experience-led narratives have driven stronger engagement, higher test drive intent, and more organic conversations compared to traditional EV messaging.
We are seeing a ‘second wave’ of EV launches. Beyond product features, what is the moat you are building?
With the MG Windsor, we didn’t just launch a product but strengthened the broader EV ecosystem through customer-centric initiatives that built trust and confidence. Our BaaS model reduced the upfront cost significantly through an innovative financing scheme.To simplify trip planning and reduce range anxiety, we introduced the eHub by MG app, an easy to use aggregator that brings together charging networks from major operators. We further addressed long- term ownership concerns through a lifetime battery warranty for the first owner and offered assured buyback after three years to boost consumer confidence around EV resale.