Maruti Suzuki hopes government will support ‘green’ tech beyond EVs
India’s top-selling carmaker, Maruti Suzuki, believes the government will show support for “green” car technology beyond full electric vehicles (EVs), such as hybrid, if it benefited the country, the company’s chief executive said.
The comments come after Maruti unveiled its first strong hybrid car in India, the Grand Vitara sport-utility vehicle (SUV), seen as key to helping recover ground lost to competitors such as Hyundai Motor and Kia Motor.
India’s taxes on hybrid cars range as high as 43 per cent, compared to the low rate of 5 per cent for EVs, which also stand to benefit from billions of dollars in incentives to companies that build them domestically.
