India’s appetite for electric, hybrid and compressed natural gas vehicles accelerated after the Iran war triggered fuel price hikes, the president of the country’s auto dealers’ body said, with such models reaching a record share of passenger vehicle sales in June, Reuters reports.

Alternative-fuel vehicles accounted for 40.35 per cent of PV retail sales in June, up from about 38pc a month earlier, as consumers increasingly sought cheaper running costs after petrol and diesel prices were raised several times in May.