Here’s What The Top 7 Car Brands In India Have Planned For Us In The Next Few Years

Model plans are a multi-year process and so brands need to map out their future offerings well in advance. Here’s a short look at what some of them are working on

It is common practice for carmakers around the world to announce their future plans and objectives, usually spanning a period of 5 years or till the nearest decade marker. In recent times, a couple of big hitters have revealed their five-year plans for the Indian market and we figured we’d bring you a compilation of what you can expect from some of the top automakers in the country over the next few years:

Maruti Suzuki

Announced back in 2021, the carmaker plans to focus on adding electrification and CNG across the lineup by 2026. Since then, it introduced its first strong hybrid offering - the Grand Vitara compact SUV - and introduced CNG to the Baleno, Brezza and even the Grand Vitara. There will be another premium hybrid offering, which is said to be an MPV based on the Toyota Innova Hycross, and it will be the most expensive Maruti yet. 

While Maruti has been working on EV plans for some time, it could not identify a model fit for the market that offered a combination of range, affordability and volume. However, we got to preview the brand’s first pure EV at Auto Expo 2023 which is set to arrive in early 2025. It will be an SUV, of course, with an estimated range of over 500km from a 60kWh battery pack. Globally, parent company Suzuki will be electrifying even more of the lineup in the coming years. A separate report had stated there could be as many as six EVs on sale by 2030.

Another aspect of Maruti’s mid-term future plan is a new manufacturing facility that will not only expand its annual production capacity, but will also be ready for rolling out new-age models including EVs. Furthermore, Maruti will also be setting up local battery manufacturing to bring prices as low as it can. All of this involves fresh investment worth many tens of thousands of crores over time.

Hyundai

The second-biggest carmaker in the country recently revealed that it will also be investing Rs 20,000 crore by 2032 to expand its production capacity and set up a local battery pack assembly facility in Tamil Nadu. It is already in talks to acquire GM’s Talegaon plant for that increased output, even if it might be for export purposes. Hyundai will also be setting up a fast charging network in the next five years with 100 stations around major highways. 

In separate instances, we have been informed that the Korean carmaker will be looking to introduce a made-for-India EV by 2025 that will be a lot more affordable, expected to be priced under Rs 15 lakh. While we know about some of the new (Exter) and updated (Creta) models expected in the next 12 months, there is very little information about other big models planned for the next few years.

Tata

The biggest EV brand in India, Tata, had shared its five-year plan in early 2022. As expected, the main focus is on expanding the electric portfolio with an investment of Rs 15,000 crore. This plan’s boldest claim was to introduce 10 new EVs by 2025 but since then we’ve seen all the work that is going on to develop those products.

We have been shown the next two generations of Tata EVs, starting the evolution of the current EV-friendly platform that can also support combustion engines. The first product of this generation will be the Curvv SUV that will sit above the Nexon EV and arrive in 2024, followed by the Sierra EV. These will be followed by an all-new EV-only platform built from scratch which was previewed as part of the Avinya concept which will be a global model by 2025. As part of its expansion, Tata bought up the Ford facility which might help with ramping up production for its blossoming EV lineup.

Mahindra

The biggest name in SUVs in India is Mahindra. While it may not have the kind of volume sales as some of its rivals, it has a lineup of superhits like the Thar, XUV700 and the Scorpio N. It too announced its five-year plan in 2021 which included a whole array of products, most of which will be electric.

From this plan, we have already seen the new-gen Scorpio, we’ll get the five-door Thar by early 2024 and there’s going to be the new-gen Bolero after it. Mahindra has already previewed its planned EV portfolio, some will be electrified versions of existing models and some based on new electric-only architecture. Furthermore, these EVs will kickstart a new sub-brand within the company called B.E. (Born Electric). The first of the five EVs showcased so far is set to enter the market in late 2024.

MG Motor

As one of the newer brands in the market, MG Motor only recently revealed its five-year plan for India. It will introduce four to five new cars, most of which will be electric. The MG plan is so EV-centric, it expects up to 75 percent of its sales in the country coming from EVs by 2028.

It will also invest over Rs 5,000 crore over this period to more than double its production capacity and establish a battery pack assembly plant. Additionally, MG is also open to diluting the majority of its shareholding to Indians.

Renault-Nissan

As one of the biggest automotive alliances in the world, it comes as no surprise that both brands have a shared plan for the Indian market. Renault and Nissan will bring two compact SUVs and a new entry-level EV, each. That’s six new models in total. We’re expecting one of the Renault SUVs to be the next-gen Duster and Nissan to offer its own version of the same, like they do with the Kiger and Magnite.

However, unlike the previously mentioned brands in this list, the influx of new models from Nissan and Renault is set to start from 2025, rather than be completed by then. In the meantime, Nissan has confirmed that it will be introducing its own version of the Renault Triber sub-4m MPV. 

Which manufacturer’s future plans are you most excited about? What other brand do you wish would divulge its product plans for the near future? Let us know in the comments below.