NEW DELHI: Suzuki Motor launched its first EV in India – the e Vitara, a midsize SUV which will be exported globally and also supplied to Suzuki’s partner Toyota Motor Corp, on Friday (January 17) on the first day of the Bharat Mobility Global Expo in New Delhi.
India is the biggest market by sales and revenue for Suzuki Motor, present there through its majority stake in market leader Maruti Suzuki.
The carmaker’s chief said the latest launch is a step towards “a more sustainable future for India and the world.”
“The E-Vitara follows our technology strategy for the next 10 years which we recently announced focussing on minimizing energy consumption,” Suzuki Motor President Toshihiro Suzuki said at the launch.
Suzuki Motor plans to invest more than $4 billion in India to double car production capacity to 4 million units a year by 2031, launch new models and defend its market share.
Maruti has long-dominated India’s car market with its small, affordable vehicles but its share has shrunk to about 40% today from a high of over 50% in 2020 as competitors, such as Hyundai Motor and Tata Motors brought feature-rich, premium SUVs to the market.
