Maruti Suzuki, India’s largest carmaker in volume and market share, is shifting its focus to the electric vehicle (EV) segment. The company is a little late to the EV market in India, but as Toshihiro Suzuki, President and Representative Director, Suzuki Motor Corporation says: “We have been studying the market. We have seen how our competitors’ products have fared and we know what the Indian market needs.” Suzuki was speaking at a media roundtable in New Delhi on January 16, a day ahead of the Bharat Mobility Expo 2025.
The electric four-wheeler passenger car market in India is dominated by Tata Motors with around 63% market share, followed by MG Motors. Many had expected that India’s real EV passenger car journey would begin the moment Maruti Suzuki gets into the EV space. The company has around 1,055 dealers and 3,900 dealer touchpoints, all of which will feature EV charging facilities. This dealer network with EV charging facilities will give it a head start in the charging infrastructure issue, which has been a concern for EV owners in India.
With a focus on SUVs, Suzuki says it is eyeing a 50% market share in the passenger vehicle market in India, and also top share in the EV market. He said since SUVs are what customers are demanding, it is starting with an electric SUV – the eVitara – in the Indian market. Suzuki also said that compact vehicles are best suited for EV use, hinting that its next product for the Indian four-wheeler market could be an electric small car. India will be the production hub for EVs for Suzuki’s global markets and they will be exported to Japan and Europe.
Also read: Bharat Mobility Expo 2025: Top 5 most anticipated electric SUVs
Suzuki said it has been studying customer needs and finds that internal combustion engine cars give about 500 km range on a single tank of fuel. It is therefore looking to equip the e-Vitara with a similar range per charge to make it viable. The e-Vitara will compete with the Hyundai Creta electric and MG ZS EV, besides the Tata Nexon EV.
Suzuki e-Access scooter launch
Suzuki will also be debuting an electric scooter at Bharat Mobility Expo. The Suzuki e-Access (based on the Suzuki Access scooter) will likely sport a fixed battery pack with a range of around 80 km on a single charge. The market for electric scooters could go up to 70% by 2030 according to Crisil, and this is likely to be the fastest-growing electric mobility segment. TVS, Bajaj, Ather, Ola and others already have several products in the market, with nearly one in two scooters sold being EVs. Suzuki said he is looking at customer feedback across segments and will incorporate that in future products, following a “multi-pathway” strategy.
