At this moment, the cheapest electric car in America is the Nissan Leaf, starting at $28,140. The average price for an EV in America is over $56,000. Point is, they’re not cheap. And yet, somehow, in India, they can make shockingly modern and refined electric SUVs that start at about $20,000 (that’s ₹17,49,000 in rupees). Tata, the company that once made the Cheapest Car in the World, has shown a new battery-electric SUV “coupé” (they just mean it has a sloping rear; like every other carmaker who talks about four-door SUV coupés, they have no idea what that word actually means) called the Curvv.ev. It seems pretty impressive, especially for the money, so let’s take a quick look!
The Tata Curvv.ev (that seems to just be pronounced like “curve” with the two Vs just working together, like they do in savvy) has battery pack sizes of 45 and 55 kWh, giving about 205 to 218 miles of range for the smaller pack, and about 250 to 264 miles of range for the larger one. The cheapest one has a 150 hp electric motor, and the up-market variants have a 165 hp motor. The Curvv will also have gasoline and diesel variants (it’s all on the same Tata ATLAS platform, anyway), with a turbocharged 1.2-liter three making about 125 hp and a 1.5-liter diesel making 118 hp. Being India, you can get these variants with a six-speed manual! Oh, or a seven-gear dual-clutch auto.
Want to see the launch event? No? Too bad!
The look of the Curvv I think is quite nice, and while I know they’re making a big deal out of the raked rear, I don’t really get what the big deal is.
It stands quite tall on its wheels, and with that raked rear it sort of feels like an AMC Eagle SX/4 or a Polestar 2 or cars like that, where its like a hatchback or small sedan is plopped onto a Jeep-proportioned chassis.
You can get some good overall looks at the Curvv.ev in this Tata promotional video:
Keep in mind what the front looked like while you look at this next image:
The combustion-engined variants are distinguished by the presence of an actual radiator grille, but otherwise the body looks pretty much the same.
Modern details, like animated LED lighting, still manage to make an appearance on the Curvv.ev, despite its comparatively bargain price:
I’m all for the democratization of fun animated lighting!
You know what else the Curvv.ev has that some other, significantly more expensive EVs lack? A Frunk!
It’s not huge, but as with all EV frunks, I respect when companies make an effort to give you access to these usable volumes of space. It’s a matter of principle.
The Curvv.ev promotional materials also make mention of this:
I suppose that’s some sort of hybrid physical and digital controls? I’ve not seen these “phygital” controls in action, so I can’t weigh in with a real opinion, but I am very curious.
Overall, I’m impressed by what I’m seeing here, especially for the price. India is consistently a source of interesting automotive developments, especially in the way they manage to make good machines at low prices. I know China tends to get all the attention lately, but don’t sleep on India!
I’d willingly overlook odd proportions or excessive detailing IF a 200-mile-range EV that passes US crash regs actually sold here for $20K.
I’d much rather have the AMC Eagle SX/4
At least AMC knew the meaning of the word “coupe”.
Nope.
For 20 grand, I could see this selling well. The only questions remain is how fast does it charge, how does it do in the crash test and how good is the long term durability?
That’s really not a frunk. It looks about the size of the Ioniq 5’s, which is not usable in any real way.
Not a fan of that grill, but it’s nice that they gave it some actual ground clearance.
For a minute, I thought this was a rebadge of the Renault Arkana.
Is it just unnecessarily tall or does it need to be that tall for roads in India? All of that excessive tallness isn’t really doing it any favors.
I thought it was just me not getting the crossover aesthetic. “Look Ma, tall shocks!”
Cars made for the Indian market often ride higher than their western variants, and they are often even on slightly different platforms. The Nissan Kicks’ Indian Variant rode just over an inch higher than its US equivalent.
I wonder whether Tata’s ad agency realized that Buy My Volvo was a parody before they based this car’s promotional video on it.
https://youtu.be/JJ0nkStZnWo
Curve. Now there was a band.
I was unfamiliar, but I am digging them so far.
Horror Head!
Need to get me one of them phygit spinners.
It should be obvious that that vehicle is not remotely aero optimized, and will not achieve even 150 (maybe not even 100) miles at hwy speeds.
Now does it need to? No not really, but I trust chinese range ratings a hell of a lot more than this.
I don’t think there is a whole lot of ‘interstate driving’ in India. Most of my colleagues just walk places, and they are middle class. I can see this as part of the regenerative value for miles.
I also agree that there is no case for believing something that seems to be untested and that it would flop in the US.
Oh absolutely, I just mean no one should take this as equivalent even to the generous WLTP or chinese systems. Let alone epa/US.
Many people don’t know what a “coupé” actually, but US Americans beat this by not even know how the word is pronounced.
I’m a stickler here, but anytime a vehicle uses it without the accent aigu, we shouldn’t be pronouncing it. And if manufacturers want to be morons and put the Americanized accent-less spelling in their official markings, that’s their own fault.
I put my disical in her phygital
What does a $20,000 new non-EV look like these days?
Based on Indian pricing, a Kia Seltos.
Oooohh… you really don’t know about how the raked fastback vehicle roofline is a symbol of Indian resistance to the atrocities committed by the colonizing British when they were busy stealing everything that wasn’t nailed down and, given that Mughal-era India had a large iron and steel industry that produced some of the highest-quality goods in the world in the 1500s and 1600s, probably quite a number of things that were?
I’m British, so I already woke up today feeling ashamed. Your post has added to that, and justly so.
If it’s any consolation, and I doubt it will be, we squandered all that stolen wealth so that we could become mediocre and irrelevant.
My apologies to all former colonies, but especially the ones we utterly ruined, then left on fire or full of our unwanted convicts.
So sorry.
We’re keeping all the stuff in our museums BTW, it’s ours now.
Sorry everyone.
We gave you cricket, that’s a fair trade.
Sorry.
Thanks for the tea.
Sorry again.
You can keep our Royals as your head of state if you like? They are expensive and ineffective, but there’s that one who thought he couldn’t sweat but actually just couldn’t feel shame instead, what a glorious symbol of the corruption that comes with power.
Sorry everyone.
Sorry.
Bye.
I feel like Tata owning Jaguar now is a certain amount of payback
I realize you’re making a joke, but this “wound collector nationalism”, where Indians and Chinese whine about Western Imperialism while doing the same thing to other groups (sometimes to other peoples who got fucked by the colonial masters harder) is infuriating.
It’d be slightly less embarassing if they were honest about it and screeched: “I LEARNED IT BY WATCHING YOUUUU” instead.
this is rad.
I don’t understand the woman for scale. Can we get this thing next to a brontosaurus so I can get an idea what I’m looking at here?
Maybe if she were holding a banana?
Anything but the metric system.
Well, obviously it’s because she’s very Curvv.ee
It looks like a BMW X4.
That is some terrible photoshopping. I doubt your average Indian is that small.
Would be more interested to see what the heck this thing looks like in the real world, complete with normal people for scale.
Also, I don’t understand the design theme of seemingly every EV with the long grille light bar.
“Also, I don’t understand the design theme of seemingly every EV with the long grille light bar.”
Think “Mercury Sable” evolved.
The first-gen Mercury Sable is now the Kevin Bacon of post-energy-crisis automotive design.
Is the ‘h’ silent in phygital? Or is it pronounced like fidget(al)?
Is it a portmanteau of Physical and Digital?
That would be my guess.
I was just about to say those controls are great for phygiting in traffic.
“Let’s get Phygital” – ONJ (RIP)
I gotta be pedantic about the misleading title. It’s only >200 miles and $20k for a generous definition of miles and a generous definition of dollars.
The 200 mile rating is on the Modified Indian Driving Cycle. On the EPA cycle, this would almost certainly end up being 140-150 miles.
17.49 lakh rupees converts to $20,830 USD.
Okay, done being a pedant now. It looks like a good car that will go over very well in India. I like that they specify its wading depth in the literature.
I was going to ask what cycle that was on – thanks! Yeah if the range starts with a 1 and there’s not a range extender it’s a no go here
“Hi there – I tapped a parking bollard and need a replacement grille for my Curveee.”
“Certainly! Would that be the upper grille, the lower grille, the EV lower grille, the middle grille, the left grille or the right grille, or the left rear grille, or the right rear grille?”
“Um – Oh, Nevermind”
“No worries – None are in stock anyway!”
Having spent years working in auto parts, I believe the first question would be “Is that automatic or manual?”
I don’t like term “phygital”. It reminds me of phalanges / vestigial, like a medical term for extra fingers
Sounds like something a nervous/impatient kid would have in their hands at the dinner table, annoying their little sister with, when we’re all supposed to be enjoying a quiet meal.
I can already picture the kickstarter video for PHYGTL, only $50 for the founders package with limited edition colorway and exclusive art book.
“It’s just what I wanted! Thanks Uncle Phil!!”
*through clenched teeth* “Yeaaaah, Thaaaanks Uncle Phil… (GRRRRRR)”
They’ve got a song picked out already, “Let’s get PHYGTL, PHYGTL”.
“Young man, put down that phygital and eat your dinner!”
After a trip to Bangalore earlier this year I think that any EV in India should also advertise how many beeps of the horn it has per charge, surely that will cut into the range.
Turn your horn from Eco to Sport mode for more power at the expense of range
If this isn’t a veiled dig at DT’s unwanted Leaf, it should be.
I’m sure they have/make plenty of horn fluid there