BackSuzuki lines up offensive of six battery EVs for India market
Japan’s Suzuki Motor on Thursday said it will introduce six battery electric vehicles in India by 2030, with BEVs accounting for 15% of its total sales in the country by the end of the decade
PremiumNew Delhi: Japan’s Suzuki Motor Corp. on Thursday said it will introduce six battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in India by 2030, with BEVs accounting for 15% of its total sales in the country by the end of the decade.
“In India, we will introduce the SUV battery EV announced at the Auto Expo 2023 in FY2024, with 6 models to be launched by FY2030. To provide a full range of products and services, Suzuki will provide not only battery EVs but also carbon neutral internal combustion engine vehicles that use CNG, biogas, and ethanol mixed fuels," the parent of Maruti Suzuki, India’s top carmaker, said in a document outlining its growth strategy for 2030 across Japan and global markets.
Suzuki aims to achieve carbon neutrality in its India operations by 2070 in line with the government’s own timeline for achieving net-zero emissions in the country.
At the recent Auto Expo, Maruti Suzuki showcased its electric concept SUV, the eVX, with an expected range of 550 kilometers, which the company plans to launch in 2025. The company said it will invest ₹10,000 crore to make EVs and batteries in India.
India contributes 50-60% Suzuki’s global operations, making it the Japanese automaker’s biggest market, Toshihiro Suzuki, president, Suzuki Motor said at the Auto Expo.
Suzuki also expects BEVs to account for nearly the same proportion of sales in its home market, Japan, as they will in India by 2030.
The company has emphasized its vision to develop EVs grounds-up for India, so that it can benefit from scale and localization efforts, unlike the trajectory of other carmakers, such as Tata Motors, who have introduced two generations of EVs derived from their existing internal combustion-engine (ICE) portfolio.
While both Suzuki and Maruti are preparing an EV platform, they are also taking a comprehensive view of the market with many other options such as ethanol and flex fuel vehicles, hybrids, and CNG. The company is in talks with the Indian government to determine the most effective solution for the Indian market, Suzuki had said.
Maruti Suzuki recently showcased a flex-fuel engine prototype in its popular hatchback WagonR, which can run on ethanol-blended fuel in the 20%-80% range.
Meanwhile, it is also strengthening its focus on biogas as an alternative fuel solution that can be used to power its CNG vehicles. Maruti Suzuki leads the passenger vehicle CNG vertical in India with nearly 70% market share.
“While we expect the Indian market to grow toward FY2030, we also expect that increase in total CO2 emission amount is unavoidable, regardless of reduction in CO2 emission from products. We will challenge to strike a balance between increasing sales units and reducing total CO2 emission amount. Suzuki’s unique initiative to tackle this challenge is the biogas business, in which biogas derived from cow dungs, which are dairy wastes that can be seen mainly in India’s rural area, will be produced and supplied. This biogas can be used for Suzuki’s CNG models that account for approximately 70% of CNG car market in India," SMC said.
The company has signed an MoU with the Indian government agency National Dairy to conduct verification of biogas and invested in Fujisan Asagiri Biomass that makes power generation from biogas derived from cow dungs in Japan, and are beginning its study, it added.
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