New Delhi, Aug. 26 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday pitched hybrid vehicles, which run on fossil fuel engines as well as battery-operated motors, as a cornerstone of India's clean mobility push, saying they can reduce pollution and also give old vehicles a new lease of life.

Speaking at the launch of India's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India Ltd's first fully-electric sports utility vehicle (SUV), the e-Vitara, in Gujarat, Modi cited Maruti's prototype hybrid ambulance as an example. He noted the vehicle dovetails with the Centre's Rs.10,900-crore PM E-Drive scheme, which has set aside Rs.500 crore to incentivize hybrid and electric ambulances.

Framing hybrids as a bridge technology alongside electric vehicles (EVs), he sai...