Maruti Suzuki to launch mid-size electric SUV next fiscal

Tribune News Service

Vijay C Roy

Chandigarh, January 23

Maruti Suzuki will launch a mid-size electric SUV in the next fiscal year and it will be powered by a 60kWh battery pack offering up to 550 km driving range. Besides domestic market, the company will be exporting it to Europe and Japan.

This will be the company’s first electric vehicle (EV) in the sports utility vehicle (SUV) segment and is codenamed eVX. Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) had revealed the concept electric SUV eVX at the Auto Expo last year, showcasing MSIL’s plans towards electric mobility in India. “We will launch a mid-size electric SUV in 2024-25. It will be like Grand Vitara but a bit bigger than that. It will be powered by 60Kwh battery pack and a range of 550 km. It will also be exported to Europe and Japan,” said Shashank Srivastava, senior executive officer, marketing and sales, MSIL, in an interaction with The Tribune in Chandigarh.

According to experts, eVX will be competing with electric vehicles, such as Tata Punch, Tata Nexon and XUV 400.

On being asked about EV adoption, he said, “The current EV adoption in India is 2.2 per cent, which is very less. The main reason behind low adoption is that the price of the electric vehicle is very high and also we don’t have charging infrastructure in the country. Battery constitutes 50 per cent of the total cost of the vehicle. So, if we lowered down the battery cost then only the cost of the vehicle will go down. And the battery cost will come down only if we localised it. That’s why Suzuki Motor Corporation took an initiative to invest in a battery plant,” he said. Suzuki Motor Corporation has committed Rs 10,000 crore investment for the production of battery electric vehicle and batteries in India. “To provide a full range of products and services, Suzuki will provide not only battery EVs but also carbon neutral internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles that use CNG, biogas, and ethanol mixed fuels,” he said.

Meanwhile, the company flagged off Rock N Road SUV Experiences in Chandigarh to meet and exceed the evolving aspirations of SUV enthusiasts.

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