Rumour: Maruti to offer hybrid technology on small cars

Maruti Suzuki, India's largest carmaker in terms of sales, is rumoured to be working on a low-cost hybrid technology for its offerings ranging from the Alto to the Swift over the next three to four years.

A large part of the development of the hybrid system, which is at an advanced stage, is happening in Japan with inputs from the company's Indian R&D engineers. The company aims to provide the technology to the mass market at a price not much higher than petrol cars. Maruti claims that the introduction of hybrid technology will improve its cars' fuel efficiency by 25-30%. Experts claim that the technology would take the fuel efficiency of petrol cars to more than 25 kpl.

Hybrid vehicles usually use an electric motor, in addition to an engine that runs on conventional fuel. They also often include mechanisms to capture energy, such as while braking, to recharge the battery. Hybrid vehicles are said to offer better fuel efficiency and are kinder to the environment. On the downside, they are much more expensive to buy compared to those running on conventional fuels.

Maruti believes that pure electric cars will not sell in large numbers in India and is, therefore, refraining from committing significant investment for their production.

Source: Economic Times