Japan’s Suzuki Motor has rolled out its first battery electric vehicle, the e Vitara, at its Indian subsidiary, according to NHK World.
The commemorative ceremony was held on Aug. 26 at the company’s facility in Gujarat, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in attendance. Modi highlighted that the India-made EVs are to be exported to 100 countries and underlined the significance of strengthening economic ties with Japan.
The car model is manufactured at a production facility in Gujarat, where EV production was launched earlier this year through Maruti Suzuki, Suzuki’s subsidiary. The automaker says the SUV is capable of traveling more than 500 kilometers on a single charge. In addition, Suzuki announced plans to allocate approximately $8 billion into its Indian operations over the next five to six years.
Toshihiro Suzuki, the company’s president, noted that the firm intends to keep its dominant position in the Indian automobile market.
In late July, Kursiv Cars reported that Kazakhstan’s Astana Motors is preparing to enter the Czech market this fall. The company plans to begin sales of Chery’s Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8 models, available with gasoline and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) engines and is also expected to take on the role of official distributor of the Chery brand in the country.
