Car buyers in India have long been known to be the value driven kind. Since decades past, car manufacturers have been forced to tweak their model & engine portfolio to offer only the most efficient options here. This obsession with stretching those fuel miles may have made Indians the butt of petro-jokes the world over. Ultimately though, with the reserves of fossil fuels being what they are, it is Indians who are having the last laugh. So come, let’s take a closer look at why fuel efficient cars are better for economy and why the world may be finally sitting up and taking notice.
Fuel prices may be witnessing something of a slump of sorts, due to a glut in supply, but the past fifteen odd years have shown us just how quickly they can spike beyond the horizon. Transportation is the backbone of modern life & fuel that powers these transportation options is its elixir. The same holds good for passenger vehicles too. So the farther a car can go on a litre of fuel, the cheaper is its running cost. This is why, fuel efficient cars are better for economy.
Car manufacturers on the other hand have long since woken up to the fact that fuel efficiency reigns supreme for the vast majority of customers. And in the quest for lower running costs they’re willing to explore all possible avenues. This is why, CNG cars in India have grown in popularity. Besides, they have the additional advantage of driving down tail-pipe emissions, which is only good for the environment.
Moreover, as the central and local governments wake up to the various benefits, they’re starting to lay down a framework, which encourages the adoption of vehicles with higher fuel efficiency and reduced environmental impact. Thus, not just CNG cars in India, but petrol-electric and plug-in hybrids too are starting to find favour among the powers that be. Meanwhile, auto-manufacturers on their part are picking up the cue and exploring ways towards an increased introduction of green vehicles or green tech instead. This is manifesting itself through start-stop systems and generator based solutions, among others, starting to be rolled out across mass-market car models.
As car manufacturers, buyers and the government continue to wake up to the fact that fuel efficient cars are better for economy, the latter’s proportion is only set to increase in the overall automotive mix. A development, which if nurtured carefully, should pay rich dividends from the over-arching personal transportation perspective. Much to be excited about then, eh!
