Ahmedabad, Aug 26 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a two-day visit to his home state Gujarat, inaugurated and flagged off a ‘Made in India’ ‘e-Vitara’, the first global strategic Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) of Suzuki, on Tuesday.

The inauguration by the Prime Minister took place in the presence of Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and the Ambassador of Japan, Keiichi Ono.

The rollout of ‘Made-in-India’ BEVs marks the country’s big strides towards self-reliance and underscores the nation’s ambitious plans to move towards green energy.

Before flagging off the first unit of the e-Vitara, PM Modi also termed it a ‘special day’ in India’s quest for self-reliance and also informed that the production of hybrid battery electrodes will begin at a plant in Gujarat soon, giving a big boost to the country’s battery ecosystem.

These ‘Made in India’ BEVs will be exported to more than one hundred countries, including advanced markets such as Europe and Japan.

PM Modi will also inaugurate the next phase of India’s battery ecosystem with the start of local production of hybrid battery electrodes at TDS Lithium-Ion Battery plant in Gujarat. The plant, a joint venture of Toshiba, Denso and Suzuki, will boost domestic manufacturing and clean energy innovation.

The two landmark projects underscore India’s emergence as a global hub for green mobility while reinforcing the Prime Minister’s commitment to ‘Make in India’ and ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.

The e-Vitara was first introduced globally in Europe late last year. Maruti Suzuki, India’s largest carmaker, had unveiled the e-Vitara in January 2025 during the Bharat Mobility Global Expo.

With an annual capacity of 2.6 million units across four Indian plants, the company exported over 3.32 lakh vehicles and sold 19.01 lakh units in the domestic market in FY25.

With the commercial production of the e-Vitara commencing at the Hansalpur plant in Gujarat, this will see India emerging as Suzuki’s global manufacturing hub for electric vehicles.

–IANS

mr/rad