The Indian automobile industry is the fourth largest in the world when it comes to vehicle manufacturing and the Government of India is pushing carmakers to ‘Make-In-India’, thereby making the country a global hub for vehicle production. And the government of India wants the auto sector to attain self-sufficiency. In a message presented at the 62nd SIAM Annual Convention, PM Narendra Modi said, “Amrit Kaal is an opportunity to achieve self sufficiency in every sector and the automobile sector is no exception. Be it PLI schemes that boost manufacturing or encouragement for EVs and hybrid vehicles, or ethanol-blended petrol, we have taken many initiatives to further empower the automobile industry.”
Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder is the first compact SUV to feature a strong hybrid drivetrain.
He went on to state that the auto sector has contributed to the all-round development of growth of the economy through new avenues and employment generation. The need of the hour however, is innovation in the green alternatives. With electric fast becoming the future, the automobile companies in the country have already kick-started their product offensive and in fact, a lot more are expected in the coming years. Keeping this in mind, Modi said, “It is a need of the hour that the automobile industry’s innovation for green alternatives attains a new momentum, to ensure protection and conservation of environment, as well as help in making India self-reliant.”
Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara is the sibling of the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder, and it will be manufactured by Toyota in India,
While the EVs are coming thick and fast, the need of the hour is building the infrastructure to cater to the growing EV consumer. In FY21-22, 4.29 lakh electric vehicles were sold and this includes, three-wheelers, two-wheelers and passenger cars and that’s triple the numbers compared to FY21 . The growth spurt, however, can be attributed to a low base and though the number is still small compared to ICE models, we can say that there is a good demand for EVs in the country.
Honda City eHEV was the first mass market car to get a strong hybrid drivetrain, and was launched earlier this year.
With hybrids too now entering the market like the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara and the Honda City Hybrid, we wait to see how the consumer reacts to these products.
