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The government should extend incentives for hybrid vehicles too and not stick to backing one technology (electric vehicles), a top official at Toyota Motor Corporation said on Friday.
Toyota and its subsidiary Lexus are one of the pioneers in hybrid and electric vehicles and the company sells six models from both the brands including Toyota Camry hybrid and Prius, and Lexus LS, NX and RX models.
The company offers some benefits (around ₹70,000) to customers of Camry hybrid from the FAME scheme (Faster Adoption and Manufacture of (Hybrid and) Electric Vehicles), which is valid till this month-end only.
“We have asked the Indian government to not only focus on one technology (like electric cars) but to focus on other technologies as well because these (hybrid) products also reduce carbon dioxide levels.
“So, yes (there should be incentive for hybrids as well),” Takeshi Uchiyamada, Chairman, Toyota, said on the sidelines of the MOVE summit here.
He said electrification is a big movement and the company had already started electrification since 1997, introducing hybrid vehicles to the global markets and cumulatively it has sold more than 12 million electric vehicles globally.
“So country by country, energy situation and policy situation is different. We have to prepare for every place...so we are now focussing on hybrid,” Uchiyamada said.
On the tie-up with Suzuki
On the proposed launch of an electric car in India in partnership with Suzuki Motor, he said that the company will announce that when time comes. “We have tied up Suzuki, but we cannot announce yet the actual launch of the car,” he said.
He said the company will make efforts for electrification of its vehicles in India, for which it is working with Suzuki.
According to sources in the company, it used to sell around 100 Camry hybrids a month, which have come down to around 30-35 units a month after GST.
Toyota and Suzuki have also tied up for selling cars from their outlets in India soon. While Toyota will sell Maruti Suzuki Baleno and Vitara Brezza, the country’s largest passenger car will sell Toyota Corolla Altis across its dealerships from mid-next year.
On future product selling from Maruti dealers, Uchiyamada added, “We are now discussing on what kind of models can be sold through Suzuki outlets… it is just at the discussion level at present.”
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