PM Modi inaugurates Maruti and Suzuki's new facility and EV battery plant

Maruti Suzuki's new manufacturing facility has been formally inaugurated. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India's top carmaker's third vehicle manufacturing facility in Haryana, located in Kharkhoda. PM Modi also laid foundation stone of an upcoming electric vehicle manufacturing facility to be set up by Suzuki in Gujarat. The EV battery plant, to come up in Hansalpur, will be built at an investment of ₹7,300 crores.

At a ceremony held at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised on the significance of India and Japan's collaboration in the auto sector through Maruti and Suzuki. "The success of Maruti is a great example of the strength of the India-Japan relationship. In the last eight years, this relationship between the two countries has reached new heights," he said.

RC Bhargava, Chairman, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, also hailed the Indian and Japanese carmaker's tie-up, which helped it to become the fourth largest carmaker in the world. Bhargava said, “This partnership has shown that the combination of Japanese and Indian strengths results in world class competitiveness. We learnt that strong teamwork between employees and management is possible and creates a win-win situation for both. 98% of our workers pay income tax, and a large percentage own cars and houses."

The new Maruti Suzuki manufacturing facility in Kharkhoda aims to become one of the largest passenger vehicle manufacturing facilities at a single site in the world. Maruti plans to manufacture 10 lakh cars each year from its third facility in the state. According to the carmaker, the Suzuki group produced about 28 lakh vehicles all over the world in the last fiscal. “Out of those, more than 16 lakh units, or about 60 percent, were produced in India," Bhargava said.

The Japanese auto giant is celebrating its 40th anniversary of manufacturing in India. The new EV battery facility will manufacture advance chemistry cell batteries for electric vehicles. Suzuki will also set up a new global research and development company as well. Toshihiro Suzuki, President, Suzuki Motor Corporation, said, “We aim to strengthen our R&D competitiveness and capabilities in new fields of technologies not only for India but also for the global markets."

Maruti Suzuki is yet to join the EV bandwagon in India. The carmaker is still putting more emphasis on CNG and hybrid vehicles as alternatives to ICE cars. Maruti is expected to launch its first electric car in 2025.