Late August, Maruti Suzuki’s Hansalpur plant in Gujarat rolled out its first-ever electric car (e-car), e Vitara.

E Vitara interestingly happens to be Maruti’s very late entry into India’s frenzied electric vehicle (EV) market. However, Hisashi Takeuchi flatly denies the view that the country’s largest car-maker is a latecomer on the EV highway. On the contrary, the managing director and chief executive officer of Maruti Suzuki particularly emphasises that the auto company has entered
the Indian EV market at the perfect time.

One may disagree with
Mr Takeuchi, who began his second three-year term as the Maruti Suzuki MD and CEO in January this year. But the veteran Japanese executive’s views are taken seriously in the automobile circles. The Maruti chief had joined Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) – the Japanese parent company of Maruti Suzuki – way back in 1986. His deep insight into the automobile industry has been shaped by his almost four-decade-rich experience at the automotive company. 

The Indian market is not new to the Maruti chief. For the last four-and-a-half years, he has been in India – first as Maruti Suzuki’s joint MD since April 2021 and a year later onwards, as its MD and CEO. In fact, Mr Takeuchi’s tenure in India had begun on a very unsettling note amid the peak of COVID-19. Two years before he began his term in India, Maruti had slammed the brakes on some of its small care models, including the iconic Maruti 800.

The carmaker was eager to tap into the surging demand for premium sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and catch up with its rivals in this segment. Maruti had also exited the diesel segment amid the government’s push towards clean-emission norms. These sudden decisions had cost the company dearly, with its market share plunging to an all-time low of 33 per cent in 2021.

It was during this tumultuous time that Mr Takeuchi took some intelligent decisions that have put the car-maker back on the road to fast growth. The car manufacturer has also added several SUVs and premium models to its portfolio and launched the ambitious vision – Maruti Suzuki 3.0. The path-breaking vision entails a whopping Rs 1.25 lakh crore of investment till FY31. The vision also targets to double Maruti’s annual production from over 20 lakhs to more than 40 lakhs in just 8 years!

Mr Takeuchi’s plans have started bearing fruits. Maruti’s overall market share has jumped to a little over 39 per cent, and its share of the Indian SUV segment has surged from 11 per cent in FY22 to 28 per cent in FY25. The first phase of the company’s Kharkhoda plant in Haryana – its fourth manufacturing facility apart from Gurgaon and Manesar in Haryana and Hansalpur in Gujarat – is operational since February 2025. Besides, Maruti is on the lookout for a location in Gujarat to house its fifth plant in India.

The big expansion plan forms the bedrock of Maruti’s FY31 vision of over 40-lakh production. But the road ahead is strewn with several challenges. Severe shortage of rare earth minerals is threatening to disrupt automotive, electronics and other new-age sectors. Besides, cost of automobiles is rising rapidly, thanks to tough emission and other compliance norms.

Yet Mr Takeuchi maintains a composed demeanour and vows to tackle the hurdles head on. According to Mr Takeuchi’s own admission, he has learnt the life’s biggest lesson – Never Give Up – from the late Osamu Suzuki – the founder of SMC. That lesson appears to be guiding the Maruti chief in these tough times.