"Suzuki Motor Plans Debut of First Electric SUV from Gujarat Plant in the Coming Year"

Officials announced recently that Suzuki Motor Gujarat Private Limited (SMG) is slated to invest ₹3,100 crore in setting up its fourth car manufacturing plant in Gujarat, dedicated to producing the company's inaugural electric SUV. The electric vehicle (EV) is scheduled for launch in the financial year 2024-25 and will be manufactured at the SMG plant in Gujarat. Rahul Bharti, Executive Vice President of Corporate Planning and Government Affairs at Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (MSIL), revealed that the high-specification SUV would boast a range of 550 kilometers and a 60-kilowatt battery.

SMG, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Maruti Suzuki, initiated operations in Gujarat in February 2017. The new car manufacturing plant will be established within the existing facility at Hansalpur in Ahmedabad district, where the company currently produces 7.5 lakh units of various models, including Baleno, Swift, Dzire, Fronx, and Tour S, across three existing plants. Bharti did not disclose the production capacity of the upcoming fourth plant.

The official confirmed plans to export the electric vehicle manufactured in Gujarat. SMG began exporting cars from its Hansalpur unit in March 2018, and as of December 4, 2023, the plant had rolled out its 30th lakh car-a Fronx. Notably, a significant percentage of cars produced at the plant were exported from the Mundra and Pipavav ports of the state in the previous financial year.

In the domestic market, MSIL commands a 24 per cent market share in the SUV segment. Bharti outlined the company's future electric vehicle ambitions, stating, "By the turn of this decade (by 2030-31), we will have about 5-6 EVs in our portfolio."

To support EV production, Suzuki R&D India Ltd is in the process of establishing a ₹7,300 crore battery plant in close proximity to the new EV plant at Hansalpur. Construction work on the battery plant has already commenced. Currently, the three existing plants of SMG are operating at almost 100 per cent capacity and employ a total of 3,200 persons as of April 1, 2023.

HBL