New Delhi: India's largest car maker Maruti Suzuki said on Thursday that government incentives will be needed to make electric vehicles (EVs) affordable as the country moves towards the eco-friendly solution for mobility.

The company, which plans to launch its first EV in India by 2020, also said it will conduct a study to find consumer insights to prepare for the journey.

Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) chairman R.C. Bhargava said affordability is a major challenge that EVs will face and for them to be successful, focus has to be on the manufacturing of batteries and other components within the country to bring down cost.

"I think it will be required... My gut feeling is that yes, some kind of intervention would be required but I don't know to what extent," he told reporters when asked if government incentives would be needed to support the shift to electric vehicles in India.

As electric vehicles are a new development for the Indian auto industry it will be difficult to say in details how much government support will be needed, he added.

The company will conduct a study to understand more about consumer insights on electric vehicles, which will also help in estimating the government support, he said.

"Before that I can't really say with any kind of confidence that this is the kind of government intervention that is required," Bhargava said. PTI