Every Vehicle Sold Should Contribute Towards Carbon Reduction: Maruti Suzuki MD

India's transition to cleaner mobility will require a mix of electric vehicles, hybrids, CNG, biofuels and potentially hydrogen rather than dependence on a single technology, Maruti Suzuki India Managing Director and CEO Hisashi Takeuchi said on Thursday.

Takeuchi said the company's approach to sustainable mobility is built around five priorities: reducing carbon emissions, improving air quality, keeping mobility affordable, strengthening energy security and adopting solutions that can work at scale.

“We believe that every single vehicle sold should contribute towards carbon reduction, and therefore we pursue multiple technologies,” Takeuchi said at the 66th SIAM Annual Convention.

Battery electric vehicles will be an important part of that transition, he said, but Maruti Suzuki also sees a role for hybrids, CNG, compressed biogas and ethanol, while the company is researching hydrogen as another possible future option.

Cleaner Technologies Reach 32% of Car Sales

Takeuchi said cleaner powertrains are already gaining share in India's passenger vehicle market.

EVs, hybrids and CNG vehicles together accounted for around 32% of industry sales during April-July this year, compared with about 27% in the same period last year, according to figures cited by him.

“Every third car sold in India today is a cleaner technology,” Takeuchi said.

He said the rise reflects a combination of government policies and efforts by the automotive industry.

For hybrids, Takeuchi pointed to their ability to improve fuel efficiency and lower carbon emissions. CNG, meanwhile, has the advantage of already being available at scale.

Biofuels such as compressed biogas and ethanol can help reduce India's dependence on fossil fuels, while hydrogen could emerge as another option over time, he said.

Affordability Central To Transition

Takeuchi said India's mobility strategy also needs to recognise that buying a car remains a major aspiration for millions of households.

That makes affordability important even as vehicles become cleaner and safer.

Maruti Suzuki's definition of sustainable mobility therefore specifically includes “keeping mobility affordable” alongside reducing emissions and improving air quality.

Takeuchi said policymakers need to maintain a balance between regulation and affordability so that cleaner and safer mobility remains accessible to Indian families.

The company's multi-technology approach reflects this need to find technologies that can lower emissions while also working at India's scale and price points.

India Becomes Export Base For Maruti Suzuki's BEV

Takeuchi also highlighted India's growing role as a manufacturing base for advanced clean-vehicle technologies.

He said Suzuki has made India the global manufacturing hub for Maruti Suzuki's first battery electric vehicle. According to Takeuchi, more than 46,000 units have already been exported to 50 countries, including the UK, European markets and Japan.

He also claimed Maruti Suzuki accounts for more than 90% of India's BEV exports.

“This is a significant example of India's potential to become a global manufacturing base for advanced and sustainable mobility technologies,” Takeuchi said.

Maruti Suzuki Steps Up Biogas Push

Takeuchi placed particular emphasis on compressed biogas, or CBG, which he believes has strong potential in India because it can be produced from cow dung, biomass and agricultural waste.

“Compressed biogas has a very strong potential for India,” he said.

CBG can address several priorities simultaneously, according to Takeuchi. It can reduce dependence on fossil fuels, provide an alternative use for agricultural waste, support rural incomes and help improve air quality by reducing stubble burning.

Suzuki is already expanding biogas production in India.

Takeuchi said three cow dung-based biogas plants are operational, while another seven cow dung-based plants and four agricultural waste-based plants are in the pipeline.

He said greater availability of CBG could strengthen the existing CNG ecosystem and help the fuel remain relevant as a sustainable mobility solution over the longer term.

Sustainability Goes Beyond The Powertrain

Takeuchi said reducing emissions from vehicles themselves is only part of the challenge.

“Sustainable mobility goes beyond the technology inside the vehicle,” he said.

The automotive industry also needs to consider how vehicles are manufactured, the source of the energy used in factories, how raw materials are sourced, how vehicles are transported and how they are recycled at the end of their life.

Maruti Suzuki is increasing renewable energy use in manufacturing, including solar energy and biogas, while also transporting more vehicles by rail.

The company is working on material circularity and recycling and is exploring green hydrogen as a low-carbon fuel for manufacturing processes, Takeuchi said.

India Can Become Global Sustainable-Mobility Manufacturing Hub

Takeuchi said India has several advantages that can support both its domestic clean-mobility transition and a larger global manufacturing role.

These include its scale, engineering capabilities, strong supplier ecosystem and large domestic vehicle market.

“If we combine these strengths with deeper localization, technology development, and global competitive quality, India can become one of the world's most important manufacturing and export hubs for automobiles,” he said.