'RUNNING A MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT': AUDI INDIA HEAD ON ADOPTION OF EVS ACROSS THE WORLD

There has been a global slowdown in electric vehicle (EV) sales with some impact in India as well. However, this is temporary and the industry will grow over a period of time, Balbir Singh Dhillon, head, Audi India, has said.

Growth rates of global passenger EV sales are expected to be visibly slower in the next few years. According to BloombergNEF's long-term Electric Vehicle Outlook, electric car sales will grow at an average of 21% per year in the next four years, compared to the average of 61% between 2020 and 2023.

Audi plans to become a fully electric car brand by 2033. "A lot of incentives have been given to the industry in the past... whenever the incentives are taken back, you will always see this slowdown... But I think all of this is temporary," he said at an online session of the HT Leadership Summit. "We are running a marathon. It is not a sprint," he said.

In conversation with Mint's editor-in-chief Ravi Krishnan, Dhillon emphasised that a robust charging infrastructure, and strong government support would be key to successful EV adoption in India.