Shillong, October 19: Suzuki Motor Corporation, the parent company of Maruti Suzuki, is gearing up to make India a central hub for manufacturing electric cars, with the first batch of these vehicles expected to hit the market as early as 2025, as reported in a recent news article.
As per IANS, the plan involves the production of electric vehicles at Suzuki’s Gujarat plant, with the intent to export them not only to the domestic market but also to Japan.
Additionally, Suzuki is exploring the possibility of supplying electric vehicles produced in India to its partner, Toyota Motor, for the European market, where they would be marketed under the Toyota brand. This development was detailed in a report published by Japan’s Nikkei newspaper on Wednesday.
Nikkei’s report disclosed that Suzuki will establish a new production line at the Gujarat plant dedicated to electric cars, alongside the existing production of petrol cars. The electric cars slated for export to Japan are expected to be compact SUVs with price tags in the range of 3 to 4 million yen ($20,043), according to Nikkei.
While Maruti Suzuki currently lags behind competitors like Tata Motors, who are the current leaders in electric vehicles and have plans for 10 EVs in their lineup by 2026, Maruti itself has no purely electric vehicle in its portfolio. Even its close rival, Hyundai, has pledged to introduce six electric vehicles by 2028.
Maruti Suzuki has previously announced its intention to launch six electric vehicles by 2031, but concerns have been raised among shareholders that other companies may outpace Maruti’s electric vehicle rollout.
The company has also previously revealed plans to invest around 150 billion yen (approximately Rs 10,445 crore) by 2026 for local production of electric vehicles and the necessary batteries at its Gujarat factory.