We can catch up even if we are not the first player in EVs: Kenichi Ayukawa – EQ Mag Pro

• Maruti Suzuki chief Ayukawa says firm is developing platform for electric cars by 2025.

• Maruti is also developing powertrains for clean fuel options such as compressed natural gas and ethanol-based fuel.

NEW DELHI : India’s largest passenger carmaker, Maruti Suzuki, is developing a platform to enter the electric cars segment by 2025, Kenichi Ayukawa, its managing director and chief executive, said in an interview.

Maruti will develop a majority of the features, but will share expertise with Toyota Corp., as part of its global alliance with the Japanese automaker, to build the platform.

For Maruti, electric vehicles (EVs) will be a mass market play and will be introduced when they can be sold affordably in the market, said Ayukawa. “We are not the first player, but the market is there and we will have the opportunity to join the market. Preparations for building the infrastructure is not easy and it takes time,” he said.

“As long as the economical and infrastructural factors are positive, the product will be successful. If we provide EVs to the market at an affordable price and offer ease-of-use, we will see demand going up to 100,000, 200,000 or 300,000 vehicles. However, we have to start somewhere,” he said.

Maruti is also developing powertrains for clean fuel options such as compressed natural gas and ethanol-based fuel. It is urging the government to incentivise adoption of hybrid vehicles. “Our effort is to make the government understand the importance of incentivizing hybrid vehicles,” Ayukawa said.

Ayukawa admitted that Maruti has fallen behind competition in the mid-SUVs space, but said it has set ambitious goals for the SUV sub-segments and will roll out models in 2023 and 2024 to compete in the mid-sized and large SUV space.

The Vitara Brezza, a sub-four-metre SUV competing with Hyundai’s Venue, Tata Motors’ Nexon, and M&M’s XUV300, is also likely to be upgraded this fiscal year. “As you know we don’t have an SUV in the 4-m and above sub-segment. So we will develop products there. We already have an SUV in sub 4-m. We are preparing to launch new models this fiscal year and the following fiscal year,” he said.

Demand for passenger cars is holding up, but the company is not being able to cater to the demand because of semi-conductor shortages, Ayukawa said. He also cited stress in the entry-level segment of cars.

Source: livemint