 "Will use multiple technologies to reduce carbon emissions: Maruti Suzuki MD")
Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL) will stick with its plan to use multiple technologies, including electric, hybrid, and compressed natural gas (CNG), to help India achieve its aim of carbon neutrality by 2070, its chief executive officer (CEO) and managing director (MD) Hisashi Takeuchi said on Tuesday.
"I think in India, we have a very big opportunity to increase the electric vehicle (EV) market. In India, we have got very strong government support for EVs. The EV ecosystem is not yet established, but with a strong will, we can make it possible," he said during a panel discussion at the NDTV Auto Conclave.
In India, electric car penetration is at a nascent stage. Only about three per cent of total car sales are electric. Moreover, in the current financial year, electric car sales have seen a slowdown, while strong hybrid car sales have risen in popularity.
Takeuchi said: "In our case, we don't just rely on EVs to reduce carbon emissions. We have decided to use all possible technologies to reduce carbon emissions. We will keep introducing hybrid vehicles, CNG-run vehicles, internal combustion engine vehicles running on ethanol, etc."
MSIL plans to launch its first electric car in India in January 2025. Not just MSIL, Hyundai and Kia will also launch their first mass-market electric cars in India next year.
Takeuchi stated that the real challenges for MSIL now are handling the dramatic increase in production capacity over the next six years and making cars accessible to a larger segment of the population during the same period.
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"We reached an annual production capacity of 2 million units in 40 years. We are now challenging ourselves to increase this production capacity from 2 million units to 4 million units in the next six years. So, what we have done in 40 years, we are trying to achieve in six years. That is our challenge," he said.
"Our dream to put India on wheels has only been half achieved. In terms of car penetration, India has only 30 cars per 1,000 people. In any developed country, there are about 600 cars per 1,000 people. So, we still have an opportunity 20 times bigger than now. This is a challenge—to give this joy of mobility is a real challenge," he stated.