Incentivizing hybrids will also boost electrified tech: Toyota

The automaker stressed the need for bolstering demand for both HEVs and BEVS

- Alisha Sachdev

India should encourage adoption of both hybrid vehicles and electric ones, as doing so will help the country develop a competitive local production of electrified technologies at scale, a top official of Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) said.

The Indian subsidiary of Japan's Toyota Motor Corporation stressed the need for bolstering demand for both hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs), as it looks to expand the market for its powertrains.

Japanese automakers led by Toyota and Suzuki Motor Company have long supported a diversified approach to transitioning to clean mobility globally, as opposed to focusing on pure-play BEVs. 

In India, self-charging hybrids or plug-in hybrids don't receive the tax benefit in the form of a lower goods and service tax (GST) that EVs do. The Toyota-Suzuki alliance has a near monopoly in this technology in India, and globally.