Maruti Suzuki plans to deploy hybrid technology across all models in next 5 yrs

The auto major aims to have strong and mild hybrid technologies as part of an initiative to have environment-friendly technology elements in each of its models, enabling better fuel efficiency and reduced carbon footprint.

Battery electric vehicles, CNG cars and greater focus on ethanol and bio-CNG compliant engines would also be prioritised going ahead.

MSI Chief Technical Officer C V Raman said that in the next five to seven years, every model will have some element of green technology or the other, adding that there will be no pure petrol powertrain across the range.

Meanwhile, a senior official from MSI also informed that the country's largest carmaker is planning to invest around ₹18,000 crore on a new manufacturing facility in Haryana.

The new plant is expected to replace the company's Gurugram-based facility and is likely to have an installed production capacity of 7.5-10 lakh units per annum.

According to news agency PTI, MSI Chairman confirmed the company's ₹18,000 crore investment plan and said that the company had always planned to shift the Gurugram facility to a nearby location.

He however declined to share details about the location finalised by the company.

The auto major however remains wary of the state's new policy that has mandated 75 per cent job reservation for the locals in business and factory establishments.

The company has been in talks with the state government but the issue remains unresolved, he added.

When asked about the timeline for starting the project, Bhargava said, "We don't know yet, can't say right now."

He, however, stated that the production capacity of the plant would be 7.5 -10 lakh units per annum depending upon the market growth in India.

MSI announced that it has decided to shift its Gurugram plant, which is spread over 300 acres, because of congestion and traffic hassles.

The plant, which is the company's first in the country, falls around residential areas. It is where the company began its India journey in 1983 by rolling out its first model -- the iconic Maruti 800.

Amid rapid development in Gurugram, the company now finds its plant in the middle of a bustling city that has made the movement of trucks carrying raw materials and finished products in and out of the plant difficult.

Local residents and authorities want the issue of congestion due to the plant to be addressed.

Currently, the Gururgam plant rolls out many of the company's popular models, including Alto and WagonR, with an estimated annual capacity of around 7 lakh units.

Besides Gurugram, MSI has another manufacturing unit in Haryana at Manesar. Both these units have combined production capacity of about 15.5 lakh units per annum.

With an installed production capacity of 7.5 lakh units per year, its parent Suzuki Motor Corp has also set up a facility in Gujarat after the third unit started production in April this year.

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