Suzuki Is Spending $8 Billion To Manufacture Electric Cars In India

Japanese car manufacturer Suzuki Motor Corp. plans to invest more than 700 billion rupees (eight billion dollars) in India in the next five to six years, announced the company’s CEO, Toshihiro Suzuki.

The investment will focus on the development of electric vehicles and the strengthening of production capacity, according to Bloomberg.

At the factory in Hansalpur, Gujarat, Suzuki will begin production of the first e-VITARA SUV, which will be exported to more than 100 countries, including Japan and Europe. It is planned that this complex will become one of the largest automotive production hubs in the world, with a capacity of one million vehicles per year.

Suzuki’s investment will help local subsidiary Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. to double its capacity to four million vehicles a year by the end of the decade. India, which is already Suzuki’s largest market by revenue, is now also becoming a key hub for electric car exports.

The company already produces lithium-ion batteries in cooperation with Toshiba Corp. and Denso Corp. To reduce emissions, it will rely on several technologies, including electric motors, hybrids, and compressed biogas engines.

President of Maruti Suzuki, R.Č. Bhargava, said that mass electrification in India will depend on the growth of citizens’ income, because “wide availability of electric vehicles also requires mass accessibility.”

• Read More: Suzuki Introduces The 2025 Dzire Compact Sedan