Maruti Suzuki is currently concentrating on bringing in more S-CNG vehicles and the flex-fuel technology is also being developed for the future
Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) is reportedly developing zero-emission vehicles for launch before the middle of this decade. While the exact timeframe has not been revealed, MSIL appears to be focussing on its S-CNG lineup along with flex-fuel technology to lower the emission levels and to offer customers high fuel efficiency in its product portfolio.
In a virtual conference on the largest carmaker in the country’s Q2 earnings yesterday, it has been said that the launch date for EVs will be decided by the parental Suzuki firm based out of Japan. MSIL’s Chairman, RC Bhargava was quoted saying, “Having volumes of a few 1000s is very good but they leave us unexcited. We will not be happy if we sell 1000 cars in a month, we have gone to much higher volumes.”
Tata Motors has made immense strides in the passenger electric vehicle segment since the launch of the Nexon EV in early 2020 based on the Ziptron technology and only a few months ago, the updated Tigor EV was introduced. The eco-friendly range will be expanded further in the coming months as the Punch EV is currently being considered and the electrified Altroz has been in the works for some time already.
Bhargava wants to see greater demand for EVs as he noted that if his company starts to sell EVs, it would like to be around 10,000 units per month as he is targetting higher volumes from the get-go. In addition, he is convinced that the prices regarding batteries, infra, and electrical elements are really hard to predict right now.
MSIL, as we previously said, is concentrating on meeting the demand for CNG models as the arrival of the more stringent BSVI emission standards led to the discontinuation of many entry-level diesel engines, and to meet high fuel economy, CNG cars are preferred by customers in large number in the mass market space.
This comes on the back of the central government encouraging CNG vehicles for personal transportation and for instance, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said flex-fuel engines will be made mandatory for all vehicle types within six months. MSIL reported a decline of 66 per cent in its consolidated profit to Rs. 486.9 crore in the quarter ending last month against Rs. 1,419.6 crore during the same period last year.