Volkswagen and Mahindra announced that they will be collaborating on future electric vehicles. The Indian company intends to equip its new electric vehicles with components supplied by the German automaker.

Specifically, Mahindra wants to use components from the MEB architecture in its “Born Electric Platform.” This could include a supply of motors, battery system components, and battery cells, but the terms of the deal are still being determined.

The Partnering Agreement, signed on May 18, sets out an evaluation phase in which the companies will determine the scope of the arrangement. A binding supply agreement will be negotiated and concluded by the end of 2022.

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“Mahindra is a pioneer in the electric mobility space in India and a great partner for our MEB Electric Platform,” said Thomas Schmall, the Volkswagen Group’s head of technology and CEO of Volkswagen Group Components. “The MEB is thus progressively developing into the leading open platform for e-mobility, generating significant volume and economies of scale.”

When it revealed its MEB platform, Volkswagen was clear to indicate that it would be open to licensing it to other automakers. Already, it has sold the platform to Ford for two electric vehicles intended for the European market. Now it will be tapping into the large Indian market.

“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,” said Schmall.

At the 2021 Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, the Indian government committed to only allowing the sale of zero-emission vehicles by 2035. The market for electric vehicles in the country, then, is expected to expand quickly. For Mahindra, meanwhile, the deal will help it with its own electric ambitions.

“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 Vision,” said Rajesh Jejurika the executive director for the automotive sector of Mahindra. “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.”