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Suzuki, Toyota expand partnership; Maruti Suzuki to supply first EV to Toyota
- IBJ Bureau
- Oct 31, 2024
Japanese automaker Suzuki Motor’s Indian unit will supply its first-ever electric vehicle (EV) to Toyota Motor, the two companies have said in a statement. This deal marks the auto companies’ first collaboration on green vehicles.
Maruti Suzuki, which is majority-owned by Suzuki Motor, will begin production of the EV from spring 2025 in its plant in Sanand in Gujarat.
The platform for the EV was jointly developed by Suzuki, Toyota and Daihatsu Motor, according to the statement. The green vehicle has been developed by Suzuki.
“We would like to learn from each other’s strengths, compete and further joint efforts based on a multi-pathway approach,” Toyota President Koji Sato has said.
Suzuki and Toyota have previously collaborated on developing combustion fuel and hybrid vehicles, but not EVs.
The move also cements India as an EV hub for Suzuki, which plans to invest more than a billion dollars in India, its biggest market outside of Japan.
Neither Suzuki nor Toyota’s Indian units sell EVs in the country.
The EV, which will be a sports utility vehicle, will have a 60-kw-hour battery pack with a range of 500 km. A concept version of the EV was showcased in India’s auto show last year.
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