Suzuki Motor to make electric vehicles in India, to export to Japan: Report

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Nikkei on Wednesday. Aiming to accelerate the development of electric cars globally, Suzuki Motor will export EVs made in India to Japan as early as 2025 and also has plans to sell to Europe under its own brand, the report said. The automaker is also mulling to supply EVs to Toyota Motor for sale on the continent and if it is finalised then those electric vehicles will be sold under the Toyota brand, added the Nikkei report.

According to the report, Suzuki chose India as its first production hub for electric vehicles because of the huge potential of the domestic market and lower manufacturing costs. “Suzuki will establish a new production line for EVs in the western state of Gujarat where its Indian subsidiary, Maruti Suzuki, will start production in the fall of 2024," said the report, adding that it also plans to export small SUVs, priced at around 3 million yen ($20,000) to 4 million yen. Suzuki is aiming to make electric kei cars in Japan from 2026.

The lightweight minicars are popular for their affordability and ease of use due to their small size. The production line would also make gasoline-powered cars and would reach an expected capacity of 250,000 units a year, the Nikkei report also said. On September 6, Suzuki Motor Corp had said that it has inked a pact with National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), and Gujarat-based Banas Dairy to set up four biogas plants in Gujarat with an investment of around ₹230 crore.

The three-party agreement between Suzuki R&D Center India, a wholly- owned subsidiary of Suzuki, NDDB and Banas Dairy was inked in Tokyo. “Suzuki is tackling to reduce greenhouse gas in ways that suit the situations of each country and region. In India, there is expectation for biogas which is said to have