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Maruti Suzuki to Launch First EV with 500 km Range

2024-09-11

Maruti Suzuki India is set to launch its first electric vehicle (EV) in January 2025, a mid-size SUV expected to have a range of 500 km per charge. The automaker made this announcement during the annual session of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) in New Delhi.

Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director and CEO of Maruti Suzuki India, revealed that the new EV will be powered by a 60 kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery and will cater to both the Indian market and international markets such as Europe and Japan. The SUV, likely to be called the eVX, is estimated to be priced above ?15 lakh and will compete with rivals like the Tata Curve.ev and Mahindra’s Born EV lineup.

In addition to the vehicle launch, Maruti Suzuki is planning to provide a comprehensive EV ecosystem to address common concerns around range anxiety, EV infrastructure, and residual value. “We are committed to creating a complete ecosystem for our customers,” said Takeuchi.

Maruti Suzuki’s Chairman, R.C. Bhargava, emphasized the importance of diverse sustainable solutions, advocating for hybrid technology, CNG, ethanol, and biogas alongside electric vehicles to minimize reliance on pure petrol and diesel cars.

The automaker's announcement aligns with India’s broader vision of becoming a developed nation by 2047, with electric vehicles playing a key role in the domestic automotive industry’s potential growth to ?134 lakh crore by that time.