Maruti Suzuki's Smart Hybrid Vehicle from Suzuki (SHVS) technology seems to be gaining momentum in the country. The company's Ciaz sedan and Ertiga multi-utility vehicle are its only two offerings with SHVS technology at present in the country. And, it has managed to sell over 40,000 units of the two together in the last four months, says the latest report.
According to a BusinessLine report, Maruti Suzuki's Ciaz and Ertiga models clock around 5,000 units and 6,000 units of sales every month, respectively, of which the SHVS variants contribute to 58 and 57 percent of sales, respectively. The credit for this can be given to the Indian government's FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of hybrid and Electric vehicles) scheme and the better fuel efficiency of the SHVS models. Maruti Suzuki made use of the FAME scheme, which offered incentives on electric and hybrid vehicles up to Rs. 29,000. This helped the company to reduce the price of the new model in comparison to the existing variants. In addition to this, what also came as a boon for Ciaz and Ertiga is their better fuel efficiency.
"SHVS is an affordable technology as it is an important step to hybridisation. It makes hybrid technology accessible to a large number of people. Other important benefits to the customer include increased fuel efficiency, lower emission and ease of driving with Gear Shift Indicator," RS Kalsi, executive director (marketing and sales) of MSIL, was quoted as saying by the publication.
The SHVS models come with Integrated Starter Generator. It makes use of lithium ion battery that gets charged with the help of regenerative braking. The system converts the kinetic energy of the rolling wheels into electricity for charging the battery. The technology also helps in improving the fuel efficiency.
The demand for the SHVS models are expected to rise in the coming months as Delhi is gearing up to enforce the second phase of odd-even formula from April 15 to 30.
