Suzuki and Toyota will build electric vehicles in India together

With the government pushing to electrify mobility in the country, the two major Japanese carmakers have thrown their hats in the ring. Toyota and Suzuki have finalised an MoU on which they will cooperate on the introduction of electric vehicles in India, as well as study the Indian situation and feasibility of EVs in the country.

According to the deal, Suzuki will be manufacturing the EVs for India and will also supply some to Toyota, while Toyota will provide the technical support. Toyota has been a pioneer in the field of hybrid cars and alternative fuel technology, and one of the few manufacturers that sells Hydrogen fuel-cell cars. Meanwhile, Suzuki has a massive manufacturing base in India as well as a huge sales and aftersales network. The MoU draws on the strengths of both companies, and should result in some interesting cars for the Indian market.

In addition to manufacturing vehicles, both the car makers will conduct comprehensive studies on activities that could help popularise the EVs and allow them to gain mainstream acceptance. These include the establishment of charging stations, human resource development like training technicians to service this all-new technology, creating an aftersales network and systems for treatment of end-of-life batteries.

Suzuki recently also announced that it will construct a lithium-ion battery plant in Gujarat to support the ramp up of electrification of mobility in the country. They have also announced that in addition to the batteries, other components like motors and other major components will also be locally procured for maximum localisation. The involvement of India’s largest car manufacturer in the electric vehicle space bodes well for the market, and should accelerate India’s push towards electrification a fair bit.