Having opened its first car plant in the Indian state of Gujarat earlier this year, Suzuki Motor Corporation now says it will lift capacity of the 250,000 units per annum plant to 750,000 by 2020. The statement was made by chairman Osamu Suzuki at an event where a new battery factory was also announced.
The lithium ion cells plant will be in supplier park, close to the new Hansalpur Plant 1 in Ahmedabad. Also known as Gujarat 1, the first of what will eventually be three car plants began making Suzuki cars for the local market in February. It is Suzuki’s first factory in the state of Gujarat. The other, far larger car plants – Manesar and Gurgaon – are both in Haryana. Unlike Suzuki Motor Gujarat (SMG), these are owned by Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL). The existing Gujarat 1 as well as the future Gujarat 2 and 3 are owned by Suzuki Motor Corporation. SMC is the majority shareholder in MSIL, with a 56 per cent stake.
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Toshiba and Denso JV
The newly announced lithium-ion battery plant will be a joint venture between Toshiba, Denso, and Suzuki. The laying of a cornerstone took place on 14 September, timed to coincide with a visit to India by Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe. Also attending the ceremony in Gujarat were Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and government personnel of both countries, SMG chairman Osamu Suzuki and president Toshihiro Suzuki, as well as SMIL chairman R.C. Bhargava and managing director Kenichi Ayukawa.
Maruti is already building mild hybrid Suzuki vehicles but SMC has not revealed what its plans are for the new Gujarat battery plant, nor how many cell packs it will produce there with Toshiba and Denso.
An overview of current and future Suzuki models worldwide including vehicle codenames, plus a specific look at how Maruti is performing, can be seen here.
