- Lack of charging stations forced Maruti to delay the launch.
- Wagon R EV has a driving range of 130 kilometers.
- Maruti will also launch several fully-hybrid cars in the future.
Maruti Suzuki has been working on the Wagon R EV for quite some time as it has been spotted several times on the Indian roads. Now, in the recent developments, it has been learned that the scheduled launch of the company's first all-electric vehicle in early 2020 has been pushed back to the end of next year.
Maruti Wagon R electric is believed to be offering a driving range of 130 kilometers. It is also expected to offer a fast charge functionality with 0-80 percent charging in just one hour.
The primary reason for the delay in the launch of Wagon R EV is that Maruti Suzuki believes that Indian people are not yet ready for the adoption of electric vehicles. In addition, the lack of proper charging infrastructure and a high price tag are also a couple of issues that the company is concerned about.
The country's biggest automaker is focusing on the introduction of hybrids which, it believes, will be able to reduce the gap between ICE vehicles and Electric vehicles until a few critical issues like higher production cost and set up an adequate number of charging stations.
Maruti Suzuki had received an overwhelming response for its mild-hybrid vehicles that deliver superior fuel economy. Maruti has planned to introduce a plethora of full-hybrid cars in a coming couple of years. Coming back to the Wagon R EV, the company had already rolled out 50 prototypes of the EV for testing purposes.
The highlight of the electric hatch is 0-80 percent charge in one hour while charging it through a regular AC charger takes around 7 hours. Meanwhile, other manufacturers such as Hyundai, MG, and Tata Motors have either already launched or are contemplating the launch of electric vehicles in the near time.
Mahindra is also readying the all-electric XUV300 which will be launched next year in the Indian market. Hyundai has already launched the Hyundai Kona Electric while MG Motor India is set to launch the ZS SUV in an all-electric avatar.
Maruti Suzuki Will Reduce Discount on Entire Line-up From November 1, 2019
