Maruti Suzuki will invest ₹700 billion ($8 billion) in India over the next five to six years to expand capacity, introduce new models and defend its dominant position in the world’s third-largest car market, Suzuki Motor chairman Toshihiro Suzuki said on Tuesday.
Speaking at the inauguration of green mobility initiatives at the company’s Hansalpur plant in Gujarat, Suzuki emphasised that India has become the group’s largest market by both sales and revenue. He added that Maruti’s Gujarat facility would be scaled up into one of the world’s biggest automobile hubs with an annual production capacity of one million units.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who inaugurated Suzuki’s new lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant for hybrid electric vehicles in Ahmedabad, described the move as a “big leap” in India’s Make in India and Make for the World strategy.
“A new chapter is being added to India’s Make in India journey,” Modi said. “From today, electric vehicles made in India will be exported to 100 countries. Along with this, hybrid battery electrolyte manufacturing is also beginning in the country.”
The Prime Minister underlined that the facility marked a significant milestone in India’s EV ecosystem and a new dimension in Indo-Japanese economic ties.
Highlighting the long-standing relationship with Suzuki, Modi recalled allotting land to the automaker for the Hansalpur plant during his tenure as Gujarat chief minister in 2012. “The seeds of India’s success story were sown 13 years ago. Today, Gujarat’s Maruti is entering its teenage years, and with it, spreading new wings with fresh zeal,” he said.
Modi also flagged off battery electric vehicle exports to 100 countries and inaugurated localised production of hybrid battery electrodes. “This day gives a new dimension to India-Japan friendship. It reflects not just the strength of our relationship but also the global confidence in India. Companies like Maruti Suzuki have become brand ambassadors of Make in India,” he added.
He noted that Suzuki Japan is already exporting cars manufactured in India back to its home market. “Now EVs made in India will run in dozens of countries around the world carrying the label ‘Made in India’,” Modi said.
(By arrangement with livemint.com)