Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone of Suzuki Motor Gujarat electric vehicle battery manufacturing facility at Hansalpur, Gujarat.

The Suzuki Motor Gujarat Electric Vehicle Battery Manufacturing Facility at Hansalpur will be set up with an investment of around Rs. 7,300 crore to manufacture Advance Chemistry Cell batteries for Electric Vehicles.

As part of the 40 years celebration, Suzuki Motor Corporation also announced the establishment of Suzuki R&D Center India Private Limited (SRDI). Through SRDI, Suzuki will establish a framework to strengthen its R&D competitiveness and capabilities. SRDI will work together with the rich technical talent in the country to develop new technologies for India as well as other global markets.

The event was attended by Chief Minister of Gujarat, Bhupendra Patel; Ambassador of Japan to India, Satoshi Suzuki; Minister of State, Government of Gujarat, Jagdishbhai Ishwarbhai Vishwarkarma (Panchal); and Member of Parliament, C. R. Patil was present at the ceremony. Chief Minister of Haryana, Manohar Lal and Deputy Chief Minister of Haryana, Dushyant Chautala attended the ceremony virtually from Kharkhoda, Haryana.

R. C. Bhargava, Chairman, Maruti Suzuki India Limited elaborated upon the success of 40 years of Suzuki’s partnership with the people of India.

Bhargava said, “This partnership has shown that the combination of Japanese and Indian strengths results in world class competitiveness. We learnt that strong teamwork between employees and management is possible and creates a win-win situation for both. 98% of our workers pay income tax, and a large percentage own cars and houses. We understood the critical role of a robust and competitive supply chain. We have learnt how to make continuous improvements in quality and the importance of always focussing on the customer."

Bhargava also announced the setting up of Suzuki Foundation, which initially intends to engage in activities to promote more competitive manufacturing in India.

Addressing the audience Toshihiro Suzuki, President, Suzuki Motor Corporation, said, “Over the past forty years, Maruti Suzuki has been the prominent leader in the Indian automobile sector. Maruti Suzuki is recognized as the most successful joint project between India and Japan.”

Talking about Maruti Suzuki’s increasing importance in Suzuki’s global operations, he said, “In the last fiscal, Suzuki group produced about 28 lakh automobiles all over the world. Out of those, more than 16 lakh units, or about 60 percent, were produced in India.”

Announcing the new project for Research & Development in India, Toshihiro Suzuki, said, “We aim to strengthen our R&D competitiveness and capabilities in new fields of technologies not only for India but also for the global markets.” 

Suzuki R&D Center India Private Limited (SRDI) is wholly owned by Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan. SRDI aims to strengthen R&D competitiveness and capabilities in new fields of technologies for India and for global markets. SRDI will strengthen ties with Indian academic institutes and start-ups to develop diverse human resources.