The Japanese automaker Suzuki Motor Corporation declared on Thursday that, in line with the government’s goal, it will introduce six battery electric vehicles into India by FY2030 as part of its expansion strategy and become carbon neutral by 2070. In the business strategy for FY2030 published on the BSE by its Indian subsidiary Maruti Suzuki India, Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) stated that it would provide battery electric vehicles as well as carbon-neutral internal combustion engine vehicles in India using a combination of CNG, biogas, and ethanol.
Suzuki to Expand Electric Vehicle Line Up in India
On its battery EV introduction plan, SMC said, “In India, we will introduce the SUV battery EV announced at the Auto Expo 2023 in FY2024, with six models to be launched by FY2030”.
Battery electric vehicles will make up 15% of the company’s whole product line by FY2030, compared to 60% of internal combustion engines and 25% of hybrid electric vehicles, according to the company.
According to reports, the company’s subsidiary Maruti Suzuki India is the biggest producer of passenger cars in the nation. SMC introduced the concept electric SUV “eVX” at the Auto Expo 2023 earlier this month. It will go on sale by 2025. The biogas industry in India was also emphasized by SMC as one of the main priority areas.
“While we expect the Indian market to grow toward FY2030, we also expect that an increase in total CO2 emission amount is unavoidable, regardless of the reduction in CO2 emission from products. We will challenge to strike a balance between increasing sales units and reducing total CO2 emission amount,”it said.
Suzuki’s innovative strategy to meet this difficulty is the biogas industry, which will manufacture and supply biogas made from cow dung, a type of dairy waste that is mostly found in rural areas of India.
“This biogas can be used for Suzuki’s CNG models that account for approximately 70 percent of the CNG car market in India,” it said, adding Suzuki has signed an MoU with the Indian government agency National Dairy Development Board and Banas Dairy, Asia’s largest dairy manufacturer, to conduct verification of biogas.
The Japanese small car manufacturer added that it has invested in Fujisan Asagiri Biomass LLC, which generates electricity in Japan using biogas made from cow dung, and that its research has begun. In the future, the company will also think about extending the business to other agricultural regions, such as Africa, ASEAN, and Japan.
“We believe that the biogas business in India not only contributes to carbon neutrality but also promotes economic growth and contributes to the society of India,” it added.
Suzuki headquarters, Yokohama Lab, Suzuki R&D Center India, and Maruti Suzuki will collaborate for effective development in the areas of research and development, according to the company, by sharing the development in each field of emerging technologies, cutting-edge technologies, and mass production technologies.
