Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) plans to invest ₹70,000 crore in India in the next 5-6 years, Toshihiro Suzuki, Representative Director & President, Suzuki Motor Corporation, announced at the e-Vitara launch in Gujarat on Tuesday.

“(Suzuki Motor Corporation) will invest over ₹70,000 crore in India, over the next 5-6 years. Suzuki has proudly partnered in India’s mobility journey for over four decades. We remain committed to supporting India’s vision for sustainable green mobility and contributing to Viksit Bharat,” Suzuki said during his inaugural address.

Suzuki extended gratitude to Prime Minister Modi for welcoming the company to set up its facility in 2012, in Gujarat during the latter’s tenure as the CM of the state. He added that the progressive policies of the government have made investing in India and Gujarat lucrative and filled with much more confidence.

“This Gujarat facility, serving customers across India and global markets will shortly become one of the world’s largest automobile manufacturing hubs, with a planned capacity of 1 million units,” Suzuki added.

He said that the same facility in Hansalpur will now manufacture the all-new e-Vitara, the company’s first BEV. The BEV was unveiled at the Bharat Global Mobility Expo earlier this year and will make the Gujarat facility its ‘global production hub for this model.’

“We will export this 'Made-in-India BEV' to over 100 countries, including Japan and Europe,” he added.

Another milestone for the automaker today was the announcement of the start of the production of India’s 1st lithium-ion battery and cell with electrode level localisation, which are used in our hybrid vehicles.

“These are being manufactured at the Toshiba Denso Suzuki plant here. With only raw material and some semiconductor parts coming from Japan, this is a big salute to Atmanirbhar Bharat. We will use a multi-powertrain strategy, including electric, strong hybrid, ethanol flex fuel, and compressed biogas, to achieve carbon neutrality and climate change goals,” he added.

Aside from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, and Keiichi Ono, Ambassador of Japan to India, were also present at the event.