Maruti Suzuki drives into the EV market with Concept Futuro-e

Maruti Suzuki aims to sell one million green cars in the next few years under its Mission Green Million initiative as it looks to push ahead in the environment-friendly mobility business.

The New Delhi-headquartered carmaker introduced its first electric offering, dubbed Concept Futuro-e, at the Auto Expo 2020 held in Delhi NCR this week.

Earlier, peers including MG Motors and Volkswagen also launched their concept electric cars at the event.  

“Concept Futuro-e is a design study. It presents possibilities of a new global design language for the SUV segment, which has recently seen a tremendous surge in popularity. A coupé-style SUV is a first from the Maruti Suzuki stable and we are confident customers will like it,” Kenichi Ayukawa, managing director and CEO of Maruti Suzuki India, said.

To achieve its aim of selling a million green cars, the company will offer a bouquet of options for customers comprising CNG, hybrids and electric car options, the company said in a statement. 

Incidentally, while Concept Futuro-e is the carmaker’s first EV, it has already sold a million green vehicles in India under the CNG and smart hybrid categories since introducing them in 2010 and 2015 respectively. 

“Mission Green Million is our commitment to bring advanced powertrain technologies for Indian customers. In this mission, Make in India will be our core philosophy. Smart CNG and smart hybrid technologies on Maruti Suzuki cars have seen huge acceptance by customers. We have complete faith in the future of Indian automotive market and will accelerate our efforts for electrification of power trains with a technology agnostic approach. Our endeavor will be to offer realistic solutions for mass acceptance by customers,” Ayukawa added.

Conceptualised and designed by Maruti Suzuki designers, Concept Futuro-e envisages a design interpretation for the SUV segment, with a vision to cater to the youth. 

The electric vehicles market has witnessed rapid evolution worldwide with the ongoing developments in the automotive sector. The global EV market is projected to grow to 24.6 million units by 2026, representing a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 32% from the 2.5 million units sold in 2018, a recent report from Fortune Business Insights showed.

In India, the central government has initiated steps to address the issue of national energy security, vehicular pollution and growth of domestic manufacturing capabilities by introducing the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan 2020.

Last month, the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) startup foundation announced a grant of up to $100,000 for the most innovative electric vehicle solution.