Auto makers must introspect on EV commitment to meet 2030 goals: Tata Motors’ Shailesh Chandra

Shailesh Chandra, Managing Director, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd., and Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Ltd.

Other automobile companies need to undertake a serious self-reflection on their level of involvement in the electric vehicle (EV) segment if India is to achieve the government’s target of 30% EV penetration by 2030, said Shailesh Chandra, managing director of Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles.

Chandra’s remarks come at a time when India is set to close 2025 with EV penetration of just under 5%, a market largely led by Tata Motors, which currently commands around 44% share of the domestic EV passenger vehicle space. In contrast, the country’s largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki, is yet to launch its first electric car in India, with the e-Vitara scheduled for debut only in January 2026.

While Hyundai Motor India, Mahindra & Mahindra, and Kia India have introduced a limited number of EV models, Maruti Suzuki and its partner Toyota Motor Corporation still do not have a single electric passenger vehicle in their India line-ups. Together, these companies constitute the top six players in India’s passenger vehicle market, controlling nearly 95% of total volumes.

“Today out of six players that control 95% of the passenger vehicle market, one can see how many of them are participating in the EV segment in a big way. This is really about the participation of these top six players who can determine what the EV industry can be. So, it is a moment of self-reflection for all the companies,” Chandra said.

Earlier in 2025, Suzuki Motor Corporation had announced a rethink of its India EV strategy, scaling back the number of electric models planned for the market. The company reduced its EV roadmap through Maruti Suzuki from six models to four by 2030. Alongside this, Suzuki also cut its projected EV sales target for FY31 to 381,000 units from an earlier estimate of 450,000 units.

In contrast, Tata Motors has chosen to deepen its commitment to electric mobility. The company has lined up investments of Rs 16,000–18,000 crore in the EV business through FY30. These investments will support the launch of five new electric nameplates, including the Sierra EV and the much-anticipated first model under the Avinya brand, both slated for 2026.

“The investment is going to be for architecture, for manufacturing and to a large extent the products that we are planning to bring. It is not going to be just about the five products that we plan to bring in, but it is also about the five to six products that we have presently, which will undergo significant changes,” Chandra said.

He was speaking on the sidelines of Tata Motors achieving a milestone of 250,000 cumulative EV sales, further consolidating its leadership position in India’s still-nascent electric passenger vehicle market.