Are hybrid cars a better solution for India than EVs?

Maruti Suzuki Chairman RC Bhargava believes that if a company wants to succeed, it must keep an ear to the ground and know what the consumer wants.

88-year-old Bhargava — who at the helm of Maruti Suzuki helped make cars affordable for millions of middle class Indians — has now appealed to the government to incentivise alternative technology for small cars. And, he is dead set against blindly replicating the western model.

But, why focus on small cars? After all, the market share of cars priced below 5 lakh rupees has shrunk from 25.8 per cent in FY19 to just 10.3 per cent in FY22. While the market for cars under 7.5 lakh rupees has shrunk from 60 per cent to 43 per cent over the same period. On the other hand, sales of pricier SUVs have been in the fast lane for some time now.