Gaurav Gupta: ‘Clear timelines for norms would help OEMs.’

The Indian automotive industry has been witnessing a series of regulatory enhancements over the past couple of years, particularly in the areas of emission and safety. While the BS VI emission norms were implemented in April 2020, India Auto Inc is already moving towards the next set of even stricter regulations – RDE by 2023.

But given the haste or the confusion around changing timeframes, or deciding upon a clear long-term roadmap of either reducing emissions or eyeing a complete zero-emission mobility target, the industry is facing a big

According to Gaurav Gupta, CCO, MG Motor India, “The biggest hurdle being faced is the confirmation of direction, be it RDE coming in 2023, or the ethanol blend, or moving towards e-mobility. So, we urge the government that there be a clarity so that the OEMs can work backwards and prepare themselves accordingly. This is something we all are grappling with and frankly time is running out,” he said at the Autocar Professional ‘Meeting Emission Challenges’ online conclave.

Gupta further added that while there is a lot of talk, the momentum on EV has to be increased. “At MG, we are working on the area of battery assembly going forward. But the challenges of battery servicing and recycling will be large. But we are clear about working on new products in the EV category,” he remarked.

As interim solutions, Gupta also put greater confidence in hybrid technology and said, “India doesn’t have too many proper hybrids; we only have mild hybrids. From a portfolio perspective, most OEMs can bring technology that would serve for a long time to come.”

At MG Motor India, the company is currently witnessing a 60:40 petrol-diesel split for its top-selling MG Hector SUV. Gupta believes the presence of a 48V hybrid system is the key factor driving sales of the petrol midsized SUV from the company.

“I would reiterate that going forward, we need policy confirmations with clear timelines, a clear direction towards EVs, and a unified approach from all stakeholders (including suppliers) to support this drive towards reduced emissions,” he concluded.