The ceremony at Suzuki Motor Gujarat’s Hansalpur plant was attended by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Japan’s Ambassador to India Keiichi Ono, Suzuki Motor Corporation President Toshihiro Suzuki, Maruti Suzuki Chairman R.C. Bhargava, and Maruti Suzuki MD & CEO Hisashi Takeuchi, alongside senior government officials and industry partners.
The e VITARA, built on a dedicated EV platform, will be manufactured exclusively at Suzuki Motor’s Gujarat facility and exported to more than 100 markets worldwide. The first batch is set to sail this month from Pipavav port to Europe, including the UK, Germany, France, and Nordic countries. The company said the SUV will be India’s largest mass-produced and exported electric vehicle, symbolizing the Indo-Japanese partnership under the “Make in India, Make for the World” initiative.
Maruti Suzuki’s subsidiary, TDS Lithium-Ion Battery Gujarat Pvt. Ltd. (TDSG), said it has become the first in India to achieve electrode-level localization of lithium-ion battery cells. Established in 2021 with an investment of ₹4,267 crore, the plant has since produced battery packs for more than one million mild hybrid vehicles. Its current annual capacity is 18 million cells, with an additional 12 million cells per year planned under expansion. These batteries currently power the hybrid system of the popular Grand Vitara SUV.
Together, these developments are expected to accelerate India’s push towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat by strengthening local supply chains, advancing skill development in the EV ecosystem, and reducing dependence on imports.
Suzuki Motor Corporation’s President Toshihiro Suzuki said, “These milestones are a testimony to the enduring Indo-Japanese partnership and our shared vision for a carbon-neutral future. We will continue to bring technologies that reduce oil imports and carbon emissions — from BEVs and hybrids to vehicles powered by natural gas and biofuels.”
Suzuki Motor Gujarat (SMG), a wholly owned subsidiary of Maruti Suzuki, began operations in 2017 and has since supported the company’s domestic and export ambitions, becoming the fastest among Suzuki subsidiaries to reach 4 million cumulative production in March 2025.
Spread over 640 acres, SMG operates three plants with a combined annual capacity of 750,000 units, backed by a total investment of ₹21,077 crore, and currently manufactures models such as the Baleno, Swift, Fronx, and e VITARA. A new ₹3,200 crore investment is planned to set up a dedicated EV line (Plant D) by FY26.
The Suzuki Group has already invested more than ₹1 lakh crore in India, generating over 11 lakh direct jobs across its value chain, the statement added.