Maruti has entered the Indian electric market with the launch of its electric car e-Vitara. As the country’s largest car sales company, Maruti may have delayed the launch of electric vehicles compared to its rivals, but the company believes the e-Vitara will be a game-changer. Regarding the price of the e-Vitara, Mr. Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive, Marketing and Sales, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, told technology shout that although the electric car will be launched in 2025, it will be “worth the wait” for customers. He called the e-Vitara “worth the wait.”
e-Vitara marks the beginning of a new chapter and underlines our commitment to building electric vehicles exclusively for Indian customers. Furthermore, he mentioned that Maruti is in no rush to sell electric cars in India. The company will first focus on strengthening infrastructure, in line with its heritage, after which the vehicles will be sold automatically. The company is actively working towards building a comprehensive ecosystem to support EV adoption and ensure a seamless EV ownership experience. Below are excerpts from a conversation with him.
Q: Maruti has launched its first electric car, e VITARA, in India. The company is basing it on an all-electric platform. What difference will this make?
This is Maruti Suzuki’s first electric vehicle, built on the pure electric vehicle platform (eBorn SUV). Currently, many products on the market retrofit batteries onto existing ICE platforms, but this vehicle is specifically designed for electric power. It does not work with any other technical format, such as ICE.
If you look at the chassis of the e VITARA, it has a wheelbase of 2700 mm. Basically, you’ll notice that many companies offer reclining rear seats, but with such a long wheelbase, you can actually slide the rear seats.
One of the main benefits of a longer wheelbase is increased space. Thanks to the extended wheelbase, the rear seats can be adjusted forward or rearward, providing plenty of space in the back. It feels like being at home. Another important advantage of this all-electric vehicle platform is its focus on safety. The battery is completely enclosed in a steel or structural casing. We tested this battery under a variety of conditions, including impact testing, fire testing, and water testing, and it passed them all with flying colors. This is the advantage of a pure electric platform.
Q: How is Maruti integrating artificial intelligence into its electric car E-Vitara? How does a company build an ecosystem?
We equipped our first electric car, the E-Vitara, with an advanced ADAS Level 2 system. We have integrated all the features that enhance the driving experience through artificial intelligence. ADAS Level 2 can improve driving safety and efficiency, as well as provide customer comfort
We believe launching a product is not enough, creating an entire ecosystem around it is crucial. We are doing this for our electric vehicles. To connect with our customers, we launched the “e For Me” campaign. The campaign includes two key strategies.
The event aims to integrate electric vehicles (EVs) with strong support systems, including advanced technologies and comprehensive charging infrastructure. If you look closely at the event, you’ll see that we conveyed two key messages through the two E’s. First e Small means the company’s first electric SUV in India. The big “E” means the company is laying the foundation for an electric ecosystem to ensure a seamless transition for consumers to electric vehicles.
Q: In India, people still view electric vehicles as secondary vehicles. So, how to change this perception of customers?
Yes, you are right, Indians currently view EVs as secondary vehicles. Our goal is to change this trend. To achieve this, we are preparing the entire ecosystem, including charging infrastructure. For example, electric vehicle penetration was 2.4% last year, compared with 2.3% the year before. Although many companies have launched electric vehicles and adjusted prices, penetration has not increased significantly. The main reason is that in the current system, intercity and intracity travel require two different cars. Until now, electric cars have been impractical both between and within cities.
The ecosystem we are developing is designed to enable electric vehicles to become the primary means of transportation. Many electric car users currently have concerns, such as worrying about the car running out of charge on long journeys, which is reasonable given the current infrastructure. Our first priority is to strengthen charging infrastructure. Our ‘e For Me’ campaign is one of them and we aim to expand the charging ecosystem across the country. Through Maruti Suzuki Power Ecosystem, we are working to expand charging infrastructure in top 100 cities in India. These 100 cities were chosen because 97% of India’s electric vehicle sales currently occur in these cities.
In addition, we also focus on providing after-sales service and emergency charging facilities in 1,000 cities. For customers who want to take their vehicle to remote areas or need assistance while on the road, we offer our 300 On Wheels service to assist them with just a phone call. In this way, we aim to increase people’s confidence in electric vehicles and ensure they never encounter charging problems. Nonetheless, we also offer a rental model if electric vehicle customers encounter charging issues during long journeys. We offer rental vehicles to our electric vehicle customers, and if they need to travel long distances, they can choose to rent an internal combustion engine vehicle from us. In this way, we bring confidence to our electric vehicle customers. This will help make electric vehicles the primary mode of transportation for Indian consumers.
Q: Is Maruti Suzuki, the country’s largest car sales company, late to enter the electric vehicle segment compared to its competitors?
When Maruti entered India 40 years ago, we focused first on infrastructure and after-sales services, and then on cars. Even then, there were a lot of concerns. When cars were first introduced in India, we introduced radical designs and chassis. Our approach is completely different. Likewise, Maruti aims to repeat history in the electric segment. Our priority is to create the infrastructure first. We are in no rush to sell electric cars in India. Our goal is to first instill confidence in people that they will not regret buying an electric vehicle. Once customers experience good service and build confidence, our cars automatically start selling.
Q: What role do you think Maruti will play in India’s transition to electric vehicles over the next 5 to 10 years?
Looking forward to 2030-31, we estimate that the industry’s vehicle fleet will reach 6 million by then, with electric vehicles (EVs) accounting for approximately 1 million of the total. By then, hybrid vehicles will also be on the market along with internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and CNG models. Additionally, we may see various iterations of fossil fuel-powered vehicles, including flex-fuel and potentially hydrogen-powered vehicles. As an industry leader, we believe it is critical to provide all of these options to our customers so they can ultimately choose what to buy. Our goal is to provide a variety of technologies to meet the different needs and preferences of our customers.
Q: What are Maruti’s future plans after the launch of e-Vitara? Can we expect to see dedicated EV stores?
We launched e-Vitara, the first electric car in India. We plan to launch five electric vehicles by 2030, of which e-Vitara is the first. We believe in providing our customers with all technologies, whether internal combustion, electric, hybrid or semi-hybrid. Our goal is to provide all these technologies under one roof, allowing customers to choose the products they want to purchase.
