UP Slashes Road Tax: Is Now The Time For More Hybrid Cars Like Innova, Hyryder, And Grand Vitara?

The recent road tax being waived for hybrid cars by the Uttar Pradesh government means that cars like the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Toyota Hyryder, and Innova Hycross are cheaper by lakhs

Hybrid cars are also seeing a boom in sales outside India and this shows that efficiency is required but infrastructure plus range anxiety still plays in the mind for the buyer in terms of EVs.

Source : Somnath Chatterjee

The emergence of strong hybrid cars has created a divide within the auto industry. Some manufacturers believe that battery electric vehicles represent the future, while others view hybrids as a viable interim solution. Recently, the Uttar Pradesh government waived road tax for hybrid cars, significantly reducing the prices of models like the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Toyota Hyryder, and Innova Hycross by lakhs.

This is for strong hybrid vehicles registered in UP, which means cars like the Hycross would get cheaper by more than Rs 3 lakh. The Grand Vitara will see an increase upto Rs 2 lakh but we would suggest that please check with the nearest dealership in UP for the exact amount.

However, the question is whether better strong hybrid sales would encourage more carmakers to launch hybrids. Currently, EV sales have gone down in India and some carmakers are indeed looking at hybrids looking at how strong hybrids are selling in big numbers. Plus, there are not many strong hybrids on offer with only a few carmakers being in this space, including Toyota and Maruti Suzuki of course. Hyundai Group India for example could plan more hybrid cars for India and others can join in too.

Hybrid cars are also having a boom in sales outside India and this shows that efficiency is required but infrastructure plus range anxiety still plays in the mind for the buyer in terms of EVs. While many of the carmakers have hybrid technology in their global portfolio, the taxation means prices would be a bit on the higher side but with the Uttar Pradesh government announcing this Green drive initiative, more car makers would be encouraged to bring in hybrids.

As a matter of fact, carmakers like Hyundai India could be exploring to bring in a possible hybrid version of its best selling SUV. After UP being the first state to waive the registration fee, we can expect other states to follow as well.