Customers should be encouraged to buy hybrid technology cars: Maruti Suzuki Chairman

Maruti Suzuki is set to introduce electric vehicles (EVs) in the coming months. Chairman R.C. Bhargava announced in his address to shareholders in the company’s 2023-24 annual report. The automaker is also anticipating a new policy framework that supports various clean technologies, including CNG, biogas, and ethanol.

Bhargava expressed optimism that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government will continue to prioritize infrastructure development, maintain fiscal prudence, control inflation, trust the private sector, and implement reforms to enhance manufacturing competitiveness.

India has a very large potential for developing biogas from agricultural, animal and human waste. Biogas is completely renewable, has no import content and is overall, carbon negative. Production of biogas would also lead to important benefits to the environment. For example, the burning of paddy stubble could be substantially reduced, and cleanliness levels increased. Your Company has started work on a trial basis to produce biogas. We look forward to government policies that would result in rapid development of this fuel. We are also working on modifying engines of cars and presently can use petrol blended with 20% ethanol. Technology exists to enable cars to use higher amounts of ethanol. Bhargava added.