Maruti Suzuki's 500 km range EV soon, says CEO Hisashi Takeuchi
New Delhi: Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) plans to launch an electric vehicle with a 500-km range, powered by a 60-kilowatt-hour battery, along with several similar models, according to MD and CEO Hisashi Takeuchi on Tuesday, said a Moneycontrol report.
The company also aims to significantly increase exports by 2030.
"We will have a high-specification EV with a high-range of the order of 500 km and powered by a 60 Kilowatt-hour battery. We will have multiple such products," Takeuchi said at the 64th annual session of industry body SIAM in New Delhi, reported Moneycontrol.
To build customer confidence, Maruti will export these EVs to markets such as Europe and Japan.
Domestically, Maruti intends to incorporate a variety of technologies in its vehicles to reduce carbon emissions.
"On top of that, we will come up with a range of solutions for our EV customers to remove their concerns on owning an EV. We will use the strength of our network to give confidence to the customers for after-sale support," Takeuchi added, according to Moneycontrol.
In addition to electric and strong hybrid cars, the company is exploring models based on biofuels and hydrogen, as well as other powertrain options, to lower oil consumption and CO2 emissions.
"Though there are many countries in the world who are using the power of biofuels, I think India can quickly become world's number one in biofuels and the rest of the world can start learning from India," he stated. "Given the size and the unique context of India, we need not copy solutions from the rest of the world," Takeuchi said, Moneycontrol reported.
Takeuchi stated that Maruti is aiming for a significant increase in its overseas shipments by 2030, predicting that the automaker's exports will experience "multiples of growth" in the coming years.
Takeuchi stated that India should aim for a larger share of global trade, and Maruti Suzuki is targeting "multiples of growth" rather than just percentage increases, the report said.
He underscored that Maruti’s exports have tripled over the past four years and are expected to triple again in the next six years.
The company has already started exporting some vehicles to Japan, including its first SUV, the Fronx, with a shipment of over 1,600 vehicles recently sent from Gujarat's Pipavav port, according to the Moneycontrol report.
Between FY21 and FY24, MSI's exports rose by 1,85,774 units.