European auto major Stellantis believes a long-term stable policy framework and its uniform roll-out across different states in India is critical for automakers to execute business plans on a long-term basis. The automobile group that currently has its brands like Jeep and Citroen in India feels that the policy framework should work informally across the country so that the industry is able to execute long-term business strategies.

In an interaction with PTI, Stellantis India CEO and MD Shailesh Hazela said that any investor who comes to India would like to see a longer horizon in terms of policies. "So our wishlist for the government is that whatever they decide to put across, it should be for a longer period," Hazela stated when asked about government actions which could propel the growth of the Indian auto industry.

He also noted that it would be great if there could be uniformity in government policies across the country in terms of electric vehicles and taxation, so that companies could plan nationally and not state-wise. "If the government could bring uniformity, which they can, it would really enable the industry to plan in a unified and concise way," Hazela said. The Stellantis official cited the example of different states rolling out separate policies for electric vehicles, where there are variations.

Stellantis keeping a special focus on Citroen

He noted that in the past few years, the Stellantis group has created supporting infrastructure, and now it plans to scale up its presence, especially for the Citroen brand. The key Stellantis official said a plan is already underway to scale up the brand's presence in the country with the bolstering of the sales network and new product introductions. The French automaker currently sells models like the C3 hatchback, the Aircross SUV, the Basalt coupe-SUV, and the electric e-C3 in the Indian passenger vehicle market.

He noted that Citroen will almost double its sales touchpoints in the next one year from around 80 to over 150, sharpening its focus on the smaller towns and semi-urban areas. "We are not sticking to one kind of format for sales touchpoints. We will have a mix of small and large ones," Hazela said. The auto company plans to focus on Tier III and even Tier IV markets, strategically chosen for their proximity to Tier I and Tier II cities and their potential for substantial growth.

Speaking about market share aspirations, Hazela said that the company aspire to at least double its share from last year to this year or in the next 12 months, and then take it to the next level.

Citroen launched its first car in India, the C5 Aircross SUV, in early 2021 and despite having the abovementioned models in its portfolio, remains a small player in the over 40 lakh annual passenger vehicle market. Hazela said the brand has the capability to roll out products based on multiple energy platforms and would introduce such models based on market demand. "We will continue to explore CNG, because that's the available fuel in a sustainable way, we have our EV, which will continue to grow," he added.

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