Maruti Suzuki looks beyond EVs, expects hybrids to gain mass favour

An all-electric Maruti Suzuki has the potential of taking electric vehicle (EV) technology to the masses in India but the country's biggest car maker remains confident of alternate green technologies to find as much favour, potentially having similar benefits for the customer as well as the environment. As such, the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara was unveiled on Wednesday as the company's first mid-size SUV as well as its first model with strong hybrid technology.

When it comes to fully electric vehicles (EVs), Maruti Suzuki has adopted a wait and watch policy because for the country's largest car maker, volumes matter big time. Therefore, pursuing a strong hybrid technology may offer a balanced approach, provided there are also incentives attached of various nature. “The government's support to EVs is good . .. to support some more green technology is even better," Chief Executive Hisashi Takeuchi told news agency Reuters. "I believe the government will support all technologies as far as they are good and contribute to a better India."

The Grand Vitara therefore will have to play a pivotal role for Maruti Suzuki in the coming years, especially because an all-electric Maruti Suzuki is not expected till at least 2025. The mid-size SUV is not just the flagship product from the brand but one that is claiming to be the most fuel-efficient SUV in the market with a mileage of over 27 kilometers to a litre. The variant with the mild hybrid technology claims to deliver around 21 kilometers to each litre. These are significant figures, also especially because Maruti Suzuki ditched diesel engines at the time of the switch to BS 6. Diesel engines are more fuel efficient than petrol counterparts.

But while Grand Vitara has the bragging rights against rivals because of mild and strong hybrid technology, Maruti Suzuki has also been backing CNG for quite some time now with the likes of Ertiga CNG finding a whole lot of favour. Company officials tells HT Auto that such is the nature of the strong demand that while Maruti Suzuki would like to expand CNG technology to most other models in the portfolio, it is choosing for now to cater to the existing demand.