No relief on small car fuel norms, setback for Maruti

THE GOVERNMENT HAS scrapped a planned concession for small cars in upcoming fuel-efficiency rules after automakers, including Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra, argued it would benefit only one company, a government document shows.

- ADITI SHAH

A September draft had proposed leniency for petrol cars weighing 909 kg or less - a carve-out widely seen as favouring Maruti Suzuki, which controls 95% of India's small-car market.

The power ministry has now removed that exemption and tightened other parameters, increasing pressure on all automakers to ramp up electric and hybrid car sales, according to the latest 41-page draft reviewed by Reuters.

The new rules curb overcompensation for vehicle weight, aim to level the field between light and heavy fleet manufacturers, and are designed to deliver real-world efficiency gains, the document said. They introduce ‘a substantially steeper reduction pathway’ for emissions, it added.