According to officials aware of the matter, the new rates for transporting SUVs is 33% lower than the existing charges for moving large passenger vehicles. "There was a demand from automobile transporters to rationalise rates since demand for large cars has risen in the Indian market," a top railways official told ET. SUVs have become the rage with the share of such vehicles rising to 49% in the domestic passenger vehicle market in calendar year 2023. In comparison, the share of small cars, once the dominant category, fell to about 30% in the same period.