[GoBabyGo]

Originally Posted by guptad42

If they really wanted to do an honest job of it, JSW MG could have run a 3-month awareness campaign on BaaS before launching the car and made it lucrative for buyers.

Hi, any marketing campaign for 3 months or 3 years, will not make BAAS attractive and beneficial for buyers.

[Contrapunto]

Originally Posted by GoBabyGo

Hi, although I find Windsor EV one of the best EV available on sale for most users (under 25 lacs), however, MG just killed this fantastic product by introducing BAAS. I feel, no matter what they do now, it is not going to be accepted by majority of buyers. May be 100 to 150 units monthly sale, may be.

I would love to consider it had they launched it

I could not have put it better. MG India will now find it impossible to "re-benchmark" the car. I expect in a few months a slew of new products will come in the 16 L - 25 L band (Creta EV, facelifted XUV 400, the new Maruti/ Toyota EV), crowding the field forever for MG.

In terms of product strategy, I foresee another problem for MG viz the positioning of ZS EV. Customers will look at Windsor, look at ZS EV and ask himself, "why should I pay 25L for that model"? So the upcoming facelifted ZS EV has to be that much better to even remain in the current price point. if MG is not really careful, they may actually see margin compression (to sustain/ grow sales) or a drop in numbers in ZS EV overall...

I expect Tata Motors to son come up with "come buy the FULL car" and "don't pay vyaaj till you die" type advertisements

[AnAntinspired]

I'm already thinking what a brilliant launch this is, for making a forum full of form opiniated enthusiasts reach for their calculators and discuss MATH over their CHEMISTRY with the car's looks, standards, safety etc etc.

While any other launch, is filled with comments dissecting visual aspects of the product MG has been super clever in changing the critical topic of discussion to number crunching leading me to believe they may just be offering MG (Mathematical Goodness) this time around.

[Joe367]

Originally Posted by ferrarirules

Some of the launch offers
1. Free public charging via MG eHub for 1 year*
2. Unlimited warranty on battery for first owner*
2. 3-60 Assured buyback*

There are a lot of * (stars) in the site. The fine print will have to be read.

Why did they limit the battery warranty to the first owner alone if the second owner has to pay the battery subscription amount anyways. It will not help with resale value.

[Noctis]

Originally Posted by vagman

This seems like a terrific buy for those with very low running.

MG has just updated its FAQ stating there won't be a minimum KM limit in their BaaS plans, all depends on the financier we choose for the battery.

"Different plans" imply that the no minimum plans will likely have a higher per km running cost. The problem here is that they are prominently advertising the 3.5/km rate while the corresponding 1.5k per month requirement hidden in the T&C.

Hope they release the full list and be upfront on their advertisements regarding the actual cost. Confusing and misleading the customers is not getting them anywhere in the long run and will just weaken the brand.

[roy_libran]

As a Tiago EV owner who paid about 11L INR on road Delhi, if I was in the market today, I wouldn't think twice and get the Windsor at almost a similar acquisition price and happily pay the BaaS charge which in my case would have worked out to about Rs. 75000 over a year. The Windsor is leagues ahead of a Tiago or Punch at a similar acquisition price upfront.
A lot of people around me are suddenly VERY interested in the Windsor.

[Rohan.agar]

The opaque pricing reminds me of Insurance endowment plans where the person buying never gets to know how much will they will get paid by the end of the team. Similarly, its difficult figure out how much am I actually paying for the car vs. the battery, given the multiple financing partners with multiple plans.

Added to it are the complications such as surrender value (when one sells the care before 3 years) , multiple sub plans with different coverage.

MG is using the same playbook used by the Insurance companies, selling their low upfront investment (but lifelong payments) and safety (for the car buyback, albeit with multiple complications as MG is the only buyer).

Hope this dies the same slow death as more mature investors move towards simpler products like Mutual funds.

[Motorfanatic1]

Lowering the acquisition cost and offering battery in "As a Service" model will attract more consumers switch from ICE to EV model. Consumers considering a "pure city limited KMs drive" but are skeptical in investing more in acquisition of an EV vehicle will find this offer lucrative.

On top of it, 1 year of free public charging will further reduce the cost of ownership and one may see people owing a Windsor eventually queuing up at the public charging stations to avail this freebie

JSW MG Motor, surely are betting big on the low acquisition cost, 1 year free public charging and an assured buyback to make an impact in the sales figure of their product.

[nuew]

Personally, I find the Battery as a Service scheme to be quite attractive for a variety of reasons.

- Aquisition cost is greatly reduced.

- It quite a lot cheaper as compared to a car with similar space and equipment.

- A petrol car user who usually clocks low mileage is better off buying Windsor at 9.99L as compared to an average 10L ICE Automatic car as it's atleast a couple of classes ahead in terms of comfort and convenience.

- If the purchase is done with a car loan, the interest on the outstanding amount after a down payment of 2-4L, would be much less than if the car was priced including the battery.

- For those who have the cash upfront to pay for the vehicle including the battery, it's wiser for those with under 20,000km annual usage to invest that extra money @ Nifty average returns. The BaaS charges + charging costs would be covered easily.

- Saves a bit on road taxes as the ex-showroom price is lower.

- EVs will eventually need a battery replacement anyway. It's sensible if it's under company ownership and maintenance and they undertake the replacement. Low mileage users will save quite a bit on that going the BaaS way.

[sse]

Kudos MG for taking the entire discussion away from the car! I read this 24 page thread and have not come across a single discussion on the positives / negatives on the car.

Anyway, I spoke to a confused sales manager in MG, Coimbatore.I managed to extract following details. He needed a week to clarify again, but I have summarised for easier understanding -

Q : I want to buy car. Is Windsor up for sale?
A : Yes.

Q : I want to buy 100% on own funds including battery. Is it possible?
A : Not right now.

Q : So, even if I want to buy on own funds, I have to take loan on a battery?
A : Yes, but we call it “rental”. You will be given options on various “subscription packages” from various financiers depending on kms you might run per month or years. Even we are not sure on the packages. Also, We are told there might be small one time fees for choosing your financier and package. But, again, not sure on the fees. I will confirm you once I have the details.

Q : Okay. When will I own the battery then?
A : Depends on the subscription package’s tenure. Infact, We are told the cost / kms would vary depending on the subscription cost and might not be fixed at Rs.3.5/kms. If you want to exit the tenure before, you can but only after paying fees which I am not sure.

Q : Okay, say, If I close the tenure after 3 years, do i still need to pay per kms?
A : No. It’s all yours! Atleast, thats what I am informed off.

Q : To clarify again, going by MG’s own words, I have to pay a Minimum of Rs.5250 per month based on 1500 kms at Rs.3.5/kms for a given tenure. Post that the battery is mine and we are cut off from financiers.
A : Yes.

Q : How do I pay? As EMI type?
A : The fixed charge might be a EMI type.

Q : Lets say I return from a New Years party only to be stuck at my street on 1500 kms at 10:00 PM and my house is about 500 meters away. How to drive 1500.1 km?
A : Just like you recharge FASTAG, Your financier might provide you options through which you can prepay in advance.

Q : MIGHT?
A : Yeah. I am not sure on how that works.

Q : If I want to finance the “Car” from my preferred banker, and use your financier for battery, is it possible?
A : No. Entire Finance only through us.

Q : Who are they? Any idea?
A : Right now Bajaj Finance.

Q : That is NBFC. Interest rate should be higher, right?
A : No idea.

I wish MG had atleast appraised the Sales team on the entire Baas so they could have handled it better. But inspite of these hassles, I am willing to take a test drive.

[ottocycle]

Originally Posted by nuew

- Saves a bit on road taxes as the ex-showroom price is lower.

Actually this is incorrect. 9.99 is not the ex-showroom price. They are yet to reveal the same. According to MG India Head, it would be revealed a before Oct 3 before the car goes on sale. So the road taxes aren't going to be lower.

I would say it again. What a botched up launch by not providing both options i.e. buying the battery outright itself. May be they will announce again in few weeks on that. But, I think negative sentiment is already building on this one.

[gck_tourer]

Hi guys does this BAAS model mean that a prospective owner has to recharge Windsor EV only at public charging stations and not at home? If yes, then I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole as it would become the biggest inconvenience. BHPians may correct me if I am wrong.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by gck_tourer

Hi guys does this BAAS model mean that a prospective owner has to recharge Windsor EV only at public charging stations and not at home?

Nothing of that sort. Infact there are multiple videos talking about the 1-1.5 Rs/km you incur for home charging.

That public charging offer is limited to those who buy the car before end of this year.

[satyamkolhe]

The way I am looking at it is that it is a forced loan on the consumers with EMI being variable. I read somewhere that Rs.3.5/km might depend on the credit worthiness of the customer and can be more depending on credit scores.(can't remember where excatly)

So it is like buying the car on loan after paying a downpayment of 10 lakhs and up, which can be done for any EV even in higher price bracket and would be less confusing as compared to all the T&Cs in this case.

[cpbhp]

What a botched-up launch!

Visited MG Motors (JP Nagar) to check out the ZS and gather more information on the Windsor. Everyone seemed clueless. It looks like we'll have to wait another week for any clarity. The more I probed, the more embarrassing it became for them.

It was déjà vu for me. The feeling was similar to working with an inexperienced founder. The founder messed up, and the experienced customer-facing executive will now have to clean up the mess.