One of India’s biggest and most beloved brands, Maruti Suzuki does not want to release EVs in the Indian market; says it’s too soon. The Indian automobile industry will soon be populated with a large number of electric vehicles. With Tata Motors paving the way for the EV industry and other brands following closely, a revolution is indeed happening. But to think that Maruti Suzuki would not be a part of this transition is quite upsetting.
What did the officials have to say?
Soon after the press statement for Maruti Suzuki’s quarterly financial report, the company’s Chairman RC Bhargava said that the company wishes to “wait for a greater demand” for EVs before it releases any electric models in the Indian market. He added, “we will not feel happy, if we sell 1,000 odd cars…”.
Elaborating his statement, RC Bhargava said, “If I’m selling 2 million cars a year, then does it make sense to sell 5,000-15,000 cars (EVs) a year? I have to have a car which is more sellable. There has to be a greater demand for the product,”.
More inclined towards hybrid engines
The company seems to be more inclined towards hybrid engines. Some of the officials sought for the government to provide benefits for hybrids as well. Rahul Bharti, the company’s Executive Director, Corporate Affairs said,” All manufacturers, including us, are pursuing many powertrain options. It’s not one versus the other. Hybrids have a very strong advantage over ICE engines.
They don’t need charging infrastructure to scale up. We think they should have a policy benefit just like what EVs have,”. Having said all of this, the brand will consider market conditions like pricing and battery availability and will release an EV before 2025.
Earlier this year, we saw the government asking brands to bring their attention to ‘Flex-Fuel’ engines. Now, coming across statements that show Maruti Suzuki is interested in pursuing new powertrain options (and not EVs), it is very much possible that the brand would take up the concept of Flex-Fuel engines, which can run on two or more types of fuel or a mixture of fuels with Ethanol.