Maruti Suzuki plans to start exports of EVs this year

Gandhinagar: Maruti Suzuki India plans to start exporting Electric Vehicles (EVs) from India this year after launching them in the country, a senior company official said on Thursday. The company also expects to export lithium-ion battery cells and modules worth around Rs 750 crore this fiscal.

"This year itself we will start exports of EVs to countries like Europe and Japan," Maruti Suzuki India Executive Director Rahul Bharti said at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit here.

On the export of battery cells and modules, Bharti said, "We are exporting it to advanced countries like in Europe. We will be touching almost Rs 750 crore of lithium-ion advanced chemistry cells, battery packs and module exports this financial year." Automotive Electronics Power Private Ltd (AEPPL) -- a joint venture between Japan's TOSHIBA Corporation, Denso Corporation and Suzuki Motor Corporation, has a lithium-ion battery plant at Hansalpur in Gujarat.

Maruti Suzuki procures the cells and models from the JV and exports them. On Thursday, the company had announced an investment of Rs 38, 200 crore to set up a second plant in Gujarat and add a fourth line at the Suzuki Motor Gujarat plant.

The second plant would have an installed production capacity of 10 lakh units per annum, while the fourth line would add a capacity of 2.5 lakh units per year, increasing the annual production capacity of Suzuki Motor Gujarat from the current 7.5 lakh to 10 lakh units.

Suzuki Motor Corporation president Toshihiro Suzuki announcing the investments on Wednesday said the first Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) from the Suzuki Group will be rolled out from Suzuki Motor Gujarat by the end of this year.

"We plan to sell this model not only in India but also export to Japan and European countries," he added.