Maruti Suzuki says removal of hybrid incentives from Delhi EV Policy 2026 'surprising'

The country's largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki India, has termed the Delhi government's decision to exclude strong hybrid vehicles from incentives under the Delhi EV Policy 2026 as "surprising", saying it was difficult to understand why the technology was being treated on par with diesel vehicles.

The comments come after the Delhi government notified the final Delhi EV Policy 2026, effective July 1, without the concession proposed for strong hybrid cars in the draft version released in April.

While the draft policy had proposed a 50% exemption in road tax and registration fees for strong hybrid vehicles priced up to Rs 30 lakh (ex-showroom), the provision was dropped from the final policy. Eligible battery electric cars continue to receive a 100% exemption from road tax and registration fees.

Replying to a question from Moneycontrol during Maruti Suzuki's monthly sales briefing, the company's Senior Executive Officer for Corporate Affairs, Rahul Bharti, said, "We welcome the policy because it has incentives for electric vehicles (EVs). In the draft policy, there was some benefit for strong hybrids also. It was very surprising that it was removed from the final policy, particularly because now strong hybrids and diesel are on the same platform and a polluting fuel like diesel being treated the same as a strong hybrid is not understood."

The automaker has consistently argued that multiple low-emission technologies should co-exist as India transitions towards cleaner mobility. Maruti Suzuki currently offers strong hybrid powertrains in the Grand Vitara SUV, Victoris SUV and Invicto MPV.

Besides Maruti Suzuki's offerings, strong hybrid technology in the sub-Rs 30 lakh (ex-showroom) segment is also available in the Honda City e:HEV sedan, Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder SUV and select variants of the Toyota Innova Hycross MPV. These models would also have been eligible for the proposed 50% exemption in road tax and registration fees under the draft policy, had the provision been retained.

Bharti said the company would continue investing across a range of cleaner technologies despite the policy change.

"We have invested in lithium-ion cells and electrodes, making strong hybrids, and will continue our efforts on all clean and green technologies, whether it is biofuels like ethanol, or CNG and CBG, strong hybrids, or electric. We are also researching on hydrogen. We will continue our efforts, we take cognisance of this fact and differentiate between cleaner fuels and not so clean fuels," he observed.

While strong hybrids have been left out of the incentive framework, Maruti Suzuki's recently launched all-electric e Vitara stands to benefit from the policy. Priced between Rs 15.99 lakh and Rs 19.99 lakh (ex-showroom), the electric SUV is available with 49 kWh and 61 kWh battery pack options, offering a claimed range of up to 543 km.