The company has relied on fresh ownership models and product innovations to drive sales.Amid the buzz around electrification, sustainability and advanced technology, one aspect that makes the Indian auto market particularly distinct is the priority for quality products at reasonable prices.
Contrary to the perception that India is a cheap car market, buyers here are actually more value-conscious.
“Indians don’t mind paying the price if they find value. We are very value-conscious people,” Vinay Raina, Chief Commercial Officer, JSW MG Motor India., told ETAuto. He added that for global automakers, success in India depends on customisation for local buyers rather than relying solely on legacy strengths.
Vinay Raina, Chief Commercial Officer, JSW MG Motor India.Raina, who has been associated with the Indian auto industry for over 25 years, said whichever OEM understood this consumer mindset has managed to carve out success.
Cracking the EV space
JSW MG Motor India, a joint venture between JSW Group and SAIC-owned MG Motor, emerged as the second-largest EV player in July 2025 with 5,089 units sold.
The company has relied on fresh ownership models and product innovations to drive sales. One such move was the introduction of the battery-as-a-service (BaaS) model with the Windsor EV, allowing customers to purchase the car without the battery and pay for it separately on a per-kilometre basis.
“People have been used to buying cars as a whole. Introducing a financeable, standalone battery was a new concept in India. It helped customers get comfortable with battery technology,” Raina said.
The Windsor has also been positioned to appeal to middle-aged, family-oriented buyers seeking space, comfort, and technology in a premium-looking EV. The strategy has worked: Windsor has been the country’s best-selling EV for the past 10 months, with BaaS accounting for 10-15 per cent of its sales.
Ambition in EVs and ICE
Raina said JSW MG Motor aims to dominate India’s fast-growing EV space and become the country’s largest new-energy vehicle brand. The company holds about 33 per cent of the EV market and hopes to reach 1-2 per cent share of the overall passenger vehicle industry. Alongside Windsor, MG’s compact Comet EV has also found traction despite early scepticism. “Experts had said this won’t work in India. Today, it is clocking over 1,000 units a month, more than many mainstream models,” Raina said. He described it as an affordable, city-friendly EV delivering strong value to its target audience.
On upcoming launches, Raina said the company remains committed to both ICE and EV portfolios. “No other company has made the transition from ICE to EV this quickly. That doesn’t mean we will abandon ICE. It only means that we will be very cogent in terms of the products that we bring,” he said.
Currently, MG Hector and Astor remain the company’s ICE flagships, and its EV and ICE portfolios are expected to expand further in the coming months.
