New Delhi: A day ahead of showcasing Suzuki Motor Corporation’s first global electric car – the eVitara – Suzuki Chairman Toshihiro Suzuki said small and affordable electric cars will be considered only after mastering the art of manufacturing electric vehicles, where India would serve as the global export hub.
Suzuki Moror Corporation is all set to unveil its first global electric vehicle – the eVitara at the Bharat Mobility Expo 2025. A day ahead of the showcase, Chairman Toshihiro Suzuki announced the company’s plans for India as a consumer market and an export hub.
“We will fully leverage India to export to other markets,” he said in a meeting with journalists. Maruti Suzuki exported 326,000 passenger vehicles in calendar year 2024 – an all time high for the company that witnessed a 121% jump in export volumes from India over the previous year Suzuki said export order book for India is at three times the company’s target.
“India will be the global production hub for Suzuki’s electric cars. Made-in-India electric cars will be exported to Europe and Japan and then to the rest of the world. India won’t be the hub only for Electric Vehicles but also for Hybrid vehicles,” he said.
Suzuki gave the example of Fronx (a small car from the Suzuki stable) that has found a global manufacturing hub in India from where it is exports to 70 countries worldwide.
The Electric Vehicle journey of Suzuki Motor Corporation globally as well as its begins with the launch of its SUV – eVitara – that will be unveiled at the Bharat Mobility Expo on 17th January. But that is just the first milestone. “We are committed to actively introduce new models to cater to the expectations of our consumers across India with particular emphasis on SUV segment. The unveiling of eVitara scheduled for tomorrow will mark the beginning of this initiative,” he said.
The eVitara is likely to be comparable with Internal Combustion Engines (ICE) on range. Suzuki said that like an ICE engine is expected to run about 500 kilometers on a full tank, the eVitara will offer a similar range on a full charge.
Having been a late entrant into the EV market, the Suzuki Chairman said the company has studied the launches of other EV models by automobile brands and the responses of consumers before launching its own EV. “We have built an exclusive platform for EVs, we have addressed the issue of range, and we have also provided for charging across Maruti Suzuki’s service stations. We would like to capture the customer’s voice and then further develop the expansion plans for electric vehicles” he said.
The global EV market has been sluggish last year, but Suzuki is confident that India has a large appetite where demand for the eVitara and other models to be launched subsequently will be high. He said his company is keen to take a 50% share in India’s electric cars market.
Knowns for small and affordable cars, Suzuki says the company will first focus on bigger SUVs that are high in demand. He said the company must first learn and master the manufacturing techniques of electric vehicles before venturing into more electric models. Smaller EVs will be the next step for Suzuki, even as the Chairman ruled out replicating all ICE models with an electric version.
When asked if an Indian can be elevated to the post of MD & CEO of Maruti Suzuki, the Japanese second-generation entrepreneur who took over as President & CEO after his father Osamu Suzuki retired in 2011 and became Chairman only last year after the passing of his father, said that not just India, the next President of Suzuki Motor Corporation Japan could well be an Indian too.
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