Maruti’s upcoming electric vehicle (EV) will be built at the Suzuki Motor Gujarat plant, the company announced. Manufacturing is scheduled to begin by 2025.
On 19th March 2022, Suzuki Motor Corporation (which owns the Suzuki Motor Gujarat facility that manufactures and supplies cars to Maruti Suzuki) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the State of Gujarat.
Signed at the India-Japan Economic Forum held in New Delhi in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida, the MoU will see the automaker invest about Rs. 10,400 crores in Gujarat to make EVs and electric car batteries.
To be precise, Suzuki Motor has earmarked Rs. 3100 crores to increase production at the Suzuki Motor Gujarat factory, that will act as the Maruti EV plant, and production will commence by 2025.
About Rs. 7300 crores has been set aside by the Japanese firm for construction of a battery plant in the land neighbouring the Gujarat factory. This battery production facility will be operational by 2026.
Maruti Suzuki Toyotsu India Private Limited will also set up a vehicle recycling plant in the State come 2025 at a cost of Rs. 45 crores.
President and Representative Director, Suzuki Motor Corporation, Toshihiro Suzuki and, MD and CEO of Maruti Suzuki India, Kenichi Ayukawa were also present during the event along with government personnel of both India and Japan.
Maruti is expected to drive in its pure-electric compact crossover in the same year its EV plant becomes operational. Expected to be around 4.2 metres long with a wheelbase of 2.7 metres, the EV, code-named YY8, should come with up to 500 km range (claimed).
Two battery pack options – said to be 48 kWh and 59 kWh – are expected to be on offer from launch and there could be a 4-wheel drive variant too. What’s more, Toyota will also launch its own version of the YY8 with a different top hat during the same time period.