Imagine a system where you are stuck at a traffic light and switch off your engine, but keep the air-conditioner on and the stereo playing. And then when you slip into gear as the lights turn green the engine starts seamlessly! No sputtering or tension of the engine failing to start.
Pawan Goenka, Chief Executive Officer, Mahindra Automotive, worked closely on hybrid vehicles while he was in the US over a decade ago. He feels that the aforementioned micro-hybrid technology will become prevalent in many vehicles sold in India by late 2009. And Mahindra has taken a lead installing it in their Scorpio and Bolero utility vehicles earlier this year. Goenka says if the first batch of vehicles does well, the technology will make it across all vehicles that the group makes.