India's Next Four Electric Cars: Maruti YMC, Tata Safari EV, Hyundai HE1i and Honda 0 Alpha Sorted by What Is Confirmed

Four new electric cars are lined up for India: the Maruti Suzuki YMC (three-row MPV), the Tata Safari EV (three-row SUV), the Hyundai HE1i (compact SUV) and the Honda 0 Alpha (SUV). As of 15 October 2026, none of the four has an official launch date or price. Hyundai's India CEO has said the HE1i will debut by the end of 2026, and Honda has confirmed an India-built 0 Alpha for FY2026-27. The Safari EV's Diwali 2026 window and the YMC's "late 2026 or 2027" timing come from reports, not company announcements.

Four Upcoming Electric Cars at a Glance

Timelines above are manufacturer statements or media reports, not customer delivery dates.

Maruti Suzuki YMC: Electric MPV

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The YMC is the internal codename for Maruti's first electric MPV, and Maruti has not announced a production name, specifications or launch date. Prototypes have been spied testing on Indian roads with a boxy, upright three-row shape.

Reported, not confirmed:

• Platform: the same Heartect-e platform as the e Vitara, with the e Vitara's motor and battery packs (49 kWh and 61 kWh) expected to carry over
• Timeline: debut around the end of 2026, with sales in 2027; earlier reports had pointed to September 2026, so the date has moved
• Range: over 500 km is expected by some reports
• Seating: seven seats, with a possible five-seat version
• Price: one report puts it near ₹22 lakh, which is a single-source estimate and should be treated as indicative

Also Read: Maruti's New 7-Seater EV Spotted Testing Again: Over 500km Range and ADAS Expected

Tata Safari EV: Three-Row Electric SUV

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The Safari EV is expected to be Tata's first three-row electric car and its flagship EV. Tata has not confirmed a launch date. Reports have consistently pointed to the festive season, with production said to start around August 2026 and November often cited as the launch window.

Reported, not confirmed:

• Platform: the acti.ev+ platform that also underpins the Harrier EV
• Battery: 65 kWh and 75 kWh packs
• Drive: rear-wheel drive, with all-wheel drive likely on the top variant
• Range: expected to be slightly below the Harrier EV's claimed 538 km to 627 km
• Price: industry estimates run from about ₹22.5 lakh to ₹30 lakh (ex-showroom)
• Rival: the Mahindra XEV 9S is the main three-row electric SUV it would face

Also Read: Tata Safari EV Coming Soon: Launch Near Diwali

Hyundai HE1i: Compact Electric SUV

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The HE1i is the codename for Hyundai's locally developed compact electric SUV, and it carries the firmest timing statement of the four. At its 2026 CEO Investor Day, Hyundai indicated a debut by March 2027. Hyundai Motor India's MD and CEO Tarun Garg later said the car will debut earlier, by the end of 2026.

Confirmed by Hyundai:

• Made in India at the Sriperumbudur plant in Tamil Nadu
• Built on the E-GMP (K) platform, shared with the Inster EV sold overseas
• Next-generation infotainment and Level 2 assisted driving
• Initial battery cells from Svolt, switching to Exide cells later, because Exide has said its battery production is delayed

Reported, not confirmed: standard-range and long-range versions, and a target of EVs reaching over 7% of Hyundai India's sales within a year of launch. India-spec battery, motor, range and price are all still awaited.

Also Read: Hyundai Sub-4m Electric SUV HE1i Confirmed for India: Everything We Know

Honda 0 Alpha: India-Built Electric SUV

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The Honda 0 Alpha (styled 0 α) is the entry point to Honda's 0 Series. The prototype was shown at the Japan Mobility Show in October 2025. Honda has since confirmed the production model will be built in India at its Tapukara plant in Rajasthan, for India and for export, with a global introduction planned in FY2026-27.

Confirmed by Honda:

• Pan-India public road testing started in mid-March 2026
• India and Japan are the initial markets, with exports from India
• An investment of around ₹1,200 crore has been reported for EV production at the plant
• The wheelbase is expected to be around 2,700 mm to 2,800 mm, per a Honda chief engineer

Reported, not confirmed: a December 2026 reveal (a reveal on 2 December 2026 has been reported), followed by price and deliveries in early 2027, and a single-motor, front-wheel-drive layout at launch. Battery capacity, range and price have not been announced.

Also Read: Honda 0 Alpha Electric SUV Stays on Indian Test Routes: Reports Point to a December 2026 Debut

Who Each Car Is Likely to Compete With

What to Watch Before You Wait

A launch forecast is not a booking date, so these are the checks worth making once each car is official:

• Price and variants: none of the four has a confirmed price, so any number you see now is an estimate
• Claimed vs real range: wait for ARAI figures, then real-world highway numbers with passengers
• Battery origin and warranty: the HE1i's Svolt-to-Exide switch is a reminder to read the battery warranty terms
• Third-row usability: for the YMC and Safari EV, check luggage space with all seats up
• Charging and service: look at fast-charging time for a useful top-up and the number of EV-trained service centres

Evfy's Take

Sorting the four by how firm each commitment is gives a clearer picture than the launch headlines. In our assessment, Hyundai has the firmest date (a named executive, a stated year-end target), Honda has the firmest manufacturing commitment (a plant, an investment, a testing programme), Tata has the firmest product (shared hardware and sightings, but no company-confirmed date) and Maruti has the least confirmed (not even a production name).

Two supply-chain details also matter. Hyundai chose imported Svolt cells to avoid delay, and Exide has said its battery production is delayed, so cell supply is a real timeline risk for locally built EVs. The Safari EV and 0 Alpha, meanwhile, would each be the first of their kind from their brand, which means launch pricing will say more about each company's EV strategy than the spec sheets.