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We’ll have flex fuel vehicles in the Indian market by 2024: Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India prez Atsushi Ogata

We’ll have flex fuel vehicles in the Indian market by 2024: Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India prez Atsushi Ogata

HMSI’s managing director, president and CEO Atsushi Ogata told Business Today that since Indian government’s major focus is on how to enhance the agriculture segment.

We’ll have flex fuel vehicles in the Indian market by 2024: Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India prez Atsushi Ogata We’ll have flex fuel vehicles in the Indian market by 2024: Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India prez Atsushi Ogata

India’s second-largest two-wheeler maker Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) plans to launch flex fuel vehicles in the Indian market by 2024. HMSI’s managing director, president and CEO Atsushi Ogata told Business Today that since Indian government’s major focus is on how to enhance the agriculture segment. "The key factor will be ethanol biofuel technology because India has enough sugarcane if it is transformed into biofuel then we meet this kind of new biofuel technology which in line with our engine technology because we have some experience in Brazil and other countries, Ogata said.

He added that if the government shows support for the biofuel technology with some incentive like tax deduction or GST or fuel price itself, it will be a big boost to the sector. "It’s so successful in Brazil because of the government and the industry support. Then consumer chose biofuel because of the price," he adds.

Next March, he said, HMSI will make a presentation on flex fuel prototype. This is really in line with Indian govt policy to support what enhances agriculture sector. It’s not e-mobility, they’re saying bio mobility. Our strategy in the affordable entry level segment is in line with Indian govt’s strategy. Before end of 2024, Honda motor committed we will get into flex fuel. We will expand our model portfolio step by step in flex fuel. We need to discuss seriously with the government.

The central government officially announced its biofuel roadmap about a year ago and in line with that, Ogata said, he will gradually expand the company's product portfolio in flex fuel types.

Last month, the government hiked the price of ethanol used for blending in petrol, as it looks to double the blending to 20% by 2025-26. Prices of ethanol extracted from sugarcane juice jumped to Rs 65.60 per litre from ₹63.45 per litre from December 2022. Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had said that 20 per cent ethanol-blended petrol is likely to be available in the country from December or January. As per the government, higher blending of ethanol in petrol will help cut the country's oil import bill and benefit sugar cane farmers and sugar mills.
 

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Published on: Dec 02, 2022, 5:46 PM IST
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