
NEW DELHI: India will be Suzuki Motor’s manufacturing hub for exporting EVs to the world, Toshihiro Suzuki, representative director and president of Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), said in a media interaction on Thursday. He said that compact cars are best suited for EVs, and that the company will shift its focus on smaller EVs in future.
“For EV production, India will be the global manufacturing hub. First we are going to export this product to Europe and then to Japan. We would like to leverage the scale merits of India fully, so that the vehicle can be exported to the world,” Toshihiro Suzuki said.
Maruti Suzuki is going to launch its first EV 4-wheeler – e-Vitara – at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025 on Friday. Along with this, Suzuki is also going to unveil its e-scooter in the expo. e-Vitara is Maruti’s premium SUV car.
SMC president further said that India is going to be the export hub not just for vehicles sold in India, but other vehicles such as hybrid cars. SMC is a majority stakeholder in Maruti Suzuki Ltd.
“Fronx, which has been well-received in India, is being exported to 70 countries from India. We would like to have a similar exports strategy for our EVs and other vehicles, and develop India as an export hub for all the models,” he reiterated.
On slowing EV sales, Suzuki said that even though globally EV market is sluggish, he thinks EV sales will remain strong in India. EV sales in India rose by 20% to 100,000 units in 2024.
On the future of small cars in India, Toshihiro Suzuki said small cars would not cease to exist. There are more than a billion people who are going to shift from two-wheelers to four-wheelers, and they would need good affordable cars, he said, adding that sales of Maruti Suzuki small cars are comparable to SUV sales of other manufacturers.
On the company’s strategy to regain 50% market share in India, the SMC president said that it Is important to get the top market share in the SUV segment by introducing new SUV models in the next few years. “We would explore hybrids, CNG as well as Hydrogen to expand the market share,” he said.
Quick takes
Export of electric vehicles: To UK and Japan
First EV – e-Vitara: Launch at Bharat Mobility Expo 2025
Electric e-scooter: To be unveiled at auto expo
EV sales in India: Rose by 20% to 100,000 units in 2024