Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has asked the delegates of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) to start producing flex engines in India.

"Met the delegation of Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers and discussed various challenges and opportunities for the industry with a special emphasis on vehicular emissions. I have requested the industry to start producing flex engines in India," Gadkari tweeted after the meeting.

Flex engines provide an option to run on more than one type of fuel and will reduce emissions when run on ethanol.

"This will greatly reduce our dependence on fuel imports and boost the agricultural economy", the union minister said.

The SIAM team met the minister to request the deferment of the corporate average fuel efficiency (CAFÉ) norms proposed to be effective from 2022.The CAFE norms set the standard fuel economy target by vehicle weight or size.

India has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emission intensity of its GDP by 33%-35% below 2005 levels by 2030. Making CAFE norms in India stricter will ensure that automakers produce fuel-efficient vehicles that reduce CO2 emissions.