In a major shift of electric vehicle (EV) production strategy, Suzuki Motor Corp. has decided to implement all global EVs that will be manufactured in India. As characterized by Toshihiro Suzuki, president of Suzuki Motor, this was revealed during a ceremony to present the Maruti e-Vitara at the Bharat Mobility Expo 2025.
Concentration on Imports and Export
It would export cars indeed to Japan but also a few European countries, though the global EV scene is seeing a retrenchment. The decision to concentrate all EV production at a single location follows a detailed study conducted by the company.
"The Kodiaq vRS has been designed with a focus on economies of scale, enabling us to concentrate the manufacturing at one location for global distribution. This is about the rule of localization of products not only in terms of quality, but also affordability," said Toshihiro Suzuki
Production Schedule
The e-Vitara SUV will be produced in line with other models by Maruti Suzuki; it is set to begin soon at Maruti's Gujarat plant. There, it would begin to fabricate along with exporting the badge-engineered Toyota Urban Cruiser EV.
“From here, we will export to more than 100 countries. In India, we will utilize all our resources to build a Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) ecosystem that offers our customers an experience with total peace of mind,” he added.
Charging Infrastructure and Support
As an edge, Suzuki successfully strengthened its charging grid with the help of its 'e for me' campaign. It seeks to electrically charge the network across the top 100 cities in the country and will push into other regions that will be covered later. He underscored the vision of "every 5 to 10 kilometers; ideally closer to five-provision of charging in a city."
There are also plans afoot to extend this network to more than 100 cities. An e-fleet of more than 1500 EV compatible workshops is being set up in if not more than 2000 cities. The home charging point will be fitted for free.
A new app will help customers to look up charging stations nearby in an app, find out how many slots are available, recharge their car, and even pay through the app. It will also give on-road assistance across India for battery-related issues.
Conclusion
This goal of making India the global hub for EV manufacturing for Suzuki is significant for the automotive industry and the company in another sense. Suzuki has strived to bolster the foundation on local manufacturing, so to speak, while stressing the need for strong infrastructure in India. It is comparatively better to produce less and keep consumers comfortable about their products in terms of electric mobility. No one knows how excellently this is bound to perform in terms of launching the e-Vitara.
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