Maruti Suzuki aims to become no.1 EV manufacturer within one year: CEO Hisashi Takeuchi

With the launch of its first electric vehicle, the e-Vitara, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, the country’s largest passenger vehicle manufacturer, aims to become the number 1 EV manufacturer in one year, Hisashi Takeuchi, MD & CEO at Maruti Suzuki India Limited, said. 

"We are targeting to become the number 1 EV manufacturer by 1 year in terms of production,” says Takeuchi at the sidelines of the Bharat Mobility Global Expo. 

The Japanese automaker will begin manufacturing e-Vitara at its Gujarat plant by March-April. The company has set up an exclusive production line of EVs in its Gujarat plant, according to Takeuchi. 

Customer deliveries will begin in the second half of this year. The company will initially export the EV to its major export markets, Europe and Japan, before targeting the domestic market. 

Maruti Suzuki e-Vitara will lock heads with the likes of Hyundai Creta Electric. To address the growing customer concerns regarding EVs, the company will set up fast-charging support for its customers in the top 100 cities, in the first phase and then expand further.

“The idea is that, within these cities, every 5 to 10 kilometres a customer finds a charging point by Maruti Suzuki. To further ensure peace of mind for our EV customers, we are preparing over 1,500 EV-enabled service workshops covering over 1,000 cities. These workshops will have specially trained manpower and special equipment to provide all EV-related support, including Charging,” says Takeuchi. The company has invested more than Rs 2,100 crore to manufacture e VITARA in India, including a dedicated EV production line.

The company will retail e VITARA through its NEXA showroom. Unlike its rival Tata Motors, the Japanese automaker is in no hurry to launch a separate showroom for EVs while adhering to its multi-powertrain strategy. “This car as you see, is for NEXA, and we have ARENA channel also. So future products should be allocated to the ARENA channel also. So right now, we are not thinking of establishing EV-only sales channel, but if EV sales drastically increase in future, then maybe we can think about it,” says Takeuchi.