The event was attended by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Japan’s Ambassador to India, Keiichi Ono, underlining the importance of Indo-Japanese cooperation in advancing electric mobility and battery technologies.
Group photograph at the start of the production commemoration ceremony of Maruti Suzuki’s e-Vitara.
At the event, PM Modi recalled that “this land where the Suzuki factory stands today was slotted by my govt when I was the CM in 2012. Even then the vision was to make in India.” He described Maruti Suzuki as “the face of Make in India” and said, “Now when this EV by Maruti Suzuki runs on international roads, it will have a made in India tag.”
The Prime Minister highlighted India’s growth in electronics manufacturing, noting that it “has increased by 500% since PLI launch” and that “mobile phone production in India has increased 2700% since 2014.” He emphasised the importance of competitive governance, saying, “It is the era of competition. I want states to compete among each other to reform and develop to make a Viksit Bharat by 2047.”
Make in India, Make for the World at scale.
This is the stockyard of Maruti Suzuki in Gujarat, a plant that rolls out 7.5 lakh cars every year. What you see here is just about 2–3% of their annual production.An impressive glimpse of Gujarat & India’s manufacturing strength… pic.twitter.com/fjdC0VOoSQ
— DD News (@DDNewslive) August 26, 2025
Modi added, “We are focusing on manufacturing, futuristic sectors. India is taking big leaps in semiconductors. We are also aware of the rare earth magnets issue and hence we have launched a mission for that.”
On India-Japan relations, he said, “I am visiting Japan next week. I knew years ago that Japan and Gujarat and also India have to go a long way together. I as CM printed my visiting cards, promotional videos in Japanese and also got Japanese food chains to Gujarat to push the relationship. I believe that India and Japan are made for each other.”
VIDEO | Gujarat: PM Modi (@narendramodi) takes a tour of Suzuki’s EV manufacturing facility in Hansalpur after flagging off the car company’s first global electric vehicle ‘e-Vitara’ for export to over 100 countries.
(Source: Third Party)(Full video available on PTI Videos –… pic.twitter.com/Et49f8OlX7
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 26, 2025
Toshihiro Suzuki, Representative Director & President, Suzuki Motor Corporation, said, “We will export this ‘Made-in-India BEV’ to over 100 countries, including Japan and Europe. Our second milestone is the start of production of India’s first lithium-ion battery and cell with electrode-level localisation, used in hybrid vehicles. These are being manufactured at the Toshiba Denso Suzuki plant here.”
“With only raw materials 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. Suzuki will invest over 70 thousand crore rupees in India over the next 5 to 6 years.”
Maruti Suzuki Joins India’s EV Market
Maruti Suzuki has started production of its first electric vehicle, the e-Vitara, at Hansalpur. The SUV will be sold in India and exported to over 100 countries, including the UK, where it is already on sale at £29,999 (around ₹35 lakh).
The e-Vitara will have two battery options, 49 kWh and 61 kWh, with claimed ranges of 346 km and 428 km, respectively, in single-motor, 2WD models. The UK also offers a dual-motor 4WD version with the 61 kWh battery, providing up to 412 km of range.
It comes with ambient lighting, Harman sound system, ventilated seats, a 10-way power-adjustable driver seat, seven airbags, and Level 2 ADAS, including a 360-degree camera, lane-keep assist, and adaptive cruise control.
Maruti Suzuki E-Vitara
Maruti Suzuki has set a production target of 67,000 units for FY 2026, mostly for exports. The e-Vitara is the first of four EVs planned by the company by the end of the decade. Maruti Suzuki’s new EV will go up against the likes of Mahindra BE6, Hyundai Creta Electric, and MG ZS EV.
The e-Vitara is built on the 40PL EV platform, jointly developed with Toyota, which will also produce a Toyota-branded version called the Urban Cruiser EV. The lithium-ion battery plant, under TDS Lithium-Ion Battery Gujarat (TDSG), is a joint venture of Toshiba, Denso, and Suzuki. With this plant, over 80% of the battery value chain will be manufactured in India, reducing import dependence.