Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], August 26 (ANI): Japanese automotive major Suzuki Motors will invest Rs 70,000 crore in India in the next 5-6 years, said Director and President Toshihiro Suzuki on Tuesday.

The announcement was made after Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the 'e-VITARA', which is Suzuki's first-ever global strategic Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) at the company's motor plant in Hansalpur, Ahmedabad.

In his speech, Suzuki said, 'Suzuki will invest over Rs 70,000 crore rupees in India, over the next five to six years. Suzuki has proudly partnered in India's mobility journey for over four decades. We remain committed to supporting India's vision for sustainable green mobility and contributing to Viksit Bharat.'

Further, he added, 'We chose this facility to manufacture the e-VITARA, our first BEV and make it a global production hub for this model. We will export this 'Made-in-India BEV' to over 100 countries, including Japan and Europe.'

Suzuki added that the second major milestone is the start of production of India's first lithium-ion battery and cell with electrodelevel localisation, which are used in our hybrid vehicles.

Suzuki's intent to invest in advanced reserach and development (R&D) in fields like electric vehicle technology, battery manufacturing, and biogas, through its R&D arm in India

MSIL has announced the construction of new plants having a manufacturing capacity of one million units in addition to manufacturing at the existing plants and the new plants in Kharkhoda (State of Haryana), which are planned to start operations in 2025. MSIL plans to secure a production capacity of approximately four million units in India by the financial year 2030, and MSIL will make the necessary investment for such an increase in capacity.

On the other hand, with the aim of further strengthening research and development on future technologies, Suzuki will utilise Suzuki R&D Centre India Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary in India of Suzuki, to make investments in the development of technologies in advanced fields, manufacturing of batteries for electric vehicles (BEV), and biogas business, etc.

The Made-in-India BEVs will be exported to more than one hundred countries, including advanced markets such as Europe and Japan. With this milestone, India will now serve as Suzuki's global manufacturing hub for electric vehicles.

The Prime Minister also inaugurated two historic milestones at the Suzuki Motor plant. Together, these landmark initiatives underscore India's emergence as a global hub for green mobility while advancing the Prime Minister's commitment to Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat. (ANI)