Maruti Suzuki reveals electric vehicle strategy for India
Maruti Suzuki India Limited, India’s leading passenger vehicle manufacturer with about 1.6 million vehicles sold in FY2024, has unveiled its groundbreaking strategy for electric mobility. Under the banner of ‘e For Me’, this comprehensive initiative merges state-of-the-art electric vehicles with a robust charging infrastructure, aiming to make electric vehicle (EV) ownership seamless for Indian consumers.
“Our ‘e For Me’ vision represents a defining moment in India’s electric mobility transformation. While Maruti Suzuki has been India’s trusted mobility partner for over four decades, today, we are introducing a revolutionary approach to electric mobility that puts the customer at the core. This strategy goes beyond just launching electric vehicles – it is about creating an entire ecosystem that makes the transition to electric mobility natural and seamless for every Indian,” said Partho Banerjee, senior executive officer, Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki India Limited.
The dual-pronged ‘e For Me’ strategy encompasses:
- Electric Products: At the heart of the initiative is Maruti Suzuki’s first eBorn SUV, the e VITARA. Specifically designed for Indian customers, this vehicle underscores the company’s commitment to sustainable, innovative mobility solutions.
- Electric Ecosystem: Beyond vehicles, Maruti Suzuki is developing an extensive EV ecosystem to ensure a hassle-free ownership experience, focusing on charging solutions and customer-centric support systems.
Suzuki Motor Corporation and Maruti Suzuki India Limited unveiled the e VITARA, an electric SUV, on January 17 at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025 held in New Delhi, India. The vehicle is built on the all-new HEARTECT-e platform, designed exclusively for battery electric vehicles, and promises an impressive range of more than 500 km on a single charge with its 61kWh battery pack.
Speaking at the launch, Toshihiro Suzuki, representative director and president of Suzuki Motor, highlighted the company’s approach to making battery electric vehicles (BEVs) more appealing to customers.
“We aim to make BEVs attractive to customers through a three-pronged strategy. First is to develop a BEV dedicated platform for optimum performance. Second is to evolve the right product for the target markets, based on customer requirements. The third is to leverage our global economies of scale and concentrate manufacturing at a single location for the world. For this purpose, we have chosen India as the global manufacturing base due to its quality products, and scale merit.”
Hisashi Takeuchi, managing director and CEO of Maruti Suzuki India Limited, discussed Maruti Suzuki’s efforts to enhance EV adoption in India.
“Our goal is to create Electric Eco-Solutions for the customers. We call it ‘e for me’. We will offer smart home chargers along with installation support, leverage our vast network to provide fast charging support in the top 100 cities in the first phase, and then expand further. The idea is that, within these cities, every five to 10 km a customer finds a charging point by Maruti Suzuki. We are also preparing 1,500 EV enabled service workshops covering over 1,000 cities with specially trained manpower and special equipment to address all EV related support, including charging. Additionally, we will provide roadside assistance all over India.”
The unveiling of the e VITARA marks a significant milestone in Maruti Suzuki’s journey towards sustainable mobility, aligning with India’s “Make in India” initiative.
