India’s largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki, on Tuesday kicked off the production of its first electric vehicle — the eVitara — at its Hansalpur facility in Gujarat. The production launch was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The eVitara, unveiled at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo last year, is the first of four battery electric vehicles (BEVs) that the company plans to launch by the end of this decade.
Suzuki Motor has set a target of producing 67,000 electric vehicles in the financial year 2026. The bulk of this volume will be exported.
Suzuki has been relatively late to enter India’s electric vehicle market compared to early movers like Tata Motors and Mahindra. This head start has helped Tata Motors become the country’s largest electric carmaker over the past few years.
Globally, several automakers are scaling back their electrification plans due to slowing demand, high vehicle prices, insufficient charging infrastructure, and growing competition from cheaper Chinese rivals.
In India, however, competition in the EV market is expected to intensify significantly as all major OEMs launch mass-market models and work to improve charging infrastructure.
Last year, Maruti Suzuki stated its aim to become the largest electric carmaker in India in the first year of eVitara production. Unlike many other OEMs, Maruti Suzuki is pursuing a multi-fuel strategy for decarbonization.
This approach includes vehicles powered by various fuel types — battery electric, hybrid, CNG, and flex-fuel — tailored to the specific needs of different regions.
By FY2031, CNG models, including those running on compressed biogas, are expected to be the largest contributor to Maruti Suzuki’s powertrain mix in India, accounting for 35%. This reflects the strong adoption of CNG vehicles in India’s cost-conscious market. Traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and hybrid models are each projected to make up 25% of the mix.
Meanwhile, the parent company, Suzuki Motor Corporation, is positioning India as a hub for electric vehicle production. India is the largest market for the Japanese automaker, accounting for over 61% of its total production and 57% of global sales in the previous financial year.
The Hansalpur plant in Gujarat, which can produce up to 750,000 vehicles annually across three production lines, was recently transferred to Maruti Suzuki from Suzuki Motor Corp. The Indian subsidiary currently has an annual production capacity of 2.35 million vehicles across three plants — two in Haryana (Gurugram and Manesar) and one in Gujarat.
Maruti Suzuki has also announced plans to nearly double its production capacity to 4 million vehicles by the end of the decade. It has recently commenced production at its new greenfield plant in Kharkhoda, Haryana, with an initial capacity of 250,000 units. Another greenfield plant is under planning in Gujarat.