Volkswagen and Mahindra sign agreement for MEB components

Volkswagen and Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (M&M) are exploring the use of MEB electric components for Mahindra’s new “Born Electric Platform”.

Both parties have announced that they have signed a partnering agreement to evaluate the scope of collaboration. Mahindra intends to equip its “Born Electric Platform” with MEB electric components such as electric motors, battery system components and battery cells.

The agreement evaluates the scope of collaboration – it indicates binding rules for the evaluation phase as well as the non-binding scope of supply. The binding supply agreement will be negotiated further to conclude by the end of 2022.

VW says that the MEB electric platform is designed as an open vehicle platform and its components allow car manufacturers to build their portfolio of electrified vehicles, quickly and cost-effectively.

The shared objective of the two companies is to electrify the Indian automotive market, one of the most important automotive growth markets and a key element in the global decarbonisation of the mobility sector.

Thomas Schmall, Volkswagen Group Board of Management member for Technology and CEO of Volkswagen Group Components said: “Mahindra is a pioneer in the electric mobility space in India and a great partner for our MEB Electric Platform. Together with Mahindra, we want to contribute significantly to the electrification of India, a huge automotive market with enormous growth potential and high relevance for climate protection. It’s another proof point that the MEB is both technologically state of the art and highly competitive in terms of cost. The MEB is thus progressively developing into the leading open platform for e-mobility, generating significant volume and economies of scale. That’s crucial for every company in the EV world and the key to competitive solutions for our customers.”

Commenting on the partnership, Rajesh Jejurikar, Executive Director, Auto and Farm Sectors, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., said: “We are very pleased to have Volkswagen, a significant global investor in the electric mobility space, as a strategic partner in achieving our ambitious Born Electric Vison. The complementarity of their extensive technology, innovation, and vertical integration in supply chains, will provide a framework to develop our next gen “Born Electric Platform”, to be revealed soon in Oxfordshire UK. Our teams across India, UK and Detroit are passionately creating a breath-taking future.”

At the 2021 Climate Summit in Glasgow, India undertook only to register zero-emission passenger cars and vans from 2035. As a result, the electrification of the passenger car segment is expected to gain significant momentum in the coming years.

Already today, Volkswagen’s MEB Electric Platform is used by the Group brands Volkswagen, Audi, SKODA and SEAT/CUPRA as well as external partners. Responsibility for these partnerships has been assigned to the “Platform Business” unit created specifically for this purpose.