Gandhinagar, Gujarat: A day before the United States imposes an additional 25% tariff on Indian imports raising duties to 50% Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday doubled down on the call for ‘swadeshi’ and Make in India. Speaking at the launch of Maruti Suzuki’s first electric vehicle (EV), the e VITARA, Modi underscored the need for production rooted in Indian labour, regardless of where money comes from, according to a PTI report.
“My idea of swadeshi is very simple it doesn’t matter whether the money is in dollars or pounds, or whether it is black or white. What matters is that the effort, the sweat, belongs to my countrymen. The money may be someone else’s, but the sweat is ours,” Modi said at the inauguration ceremony in Hansalpur, Gujarat.
He added that by 2047, India would become a nation future generations would take pride in. “The world will be driving cars made in India, and Maruti Suzuki is also a swadeshi company in that sense,” he remarked.
Make in India and Global Outreach
The Hansalpur facility, built as part of Maruti Suzuki’s expansion, will export the e VITARA to over 100 countries including the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Denmark, and Japan. It will also produce lithium-ion batteries and electrodes for hybrid electric vehicles marking a significant milestone in India’s EV ecosystem.
Modi said the launch symbolised a “great day” for Make in India. “We are now creating an environment where both domestic and global manufacturers find India the right place for investment. The world will drive made-in-India EVs,” he added.
Japan’s Suzuki Commits ₹70,000 Crore Investment
Lauding India–Japan ties as a partnership “made for each other,” Modi noted that Suzuki Motor Corporation has pledged ₹70,000 crore investment over the next 5–6 years. The commitment was reaffirmed by company president Toshihiro Suzuki, who emphasized that the Gujarat plant will evolve into one of the world’s largest automobile hubs, with production capacity rising to 10 lakh units annually.
The company has already invested over ₹1 lakh crore in India, generating more than 11 lakh direct jobs across the automotive value chain.
Maruti’s Expansion Plans
Explaining the group’s roadmap, Maruti Suzuki India Chairman RC Bhargava said the investment will support plans to expand production to 40 lakh units annually, with new technology, R&D, and infrastructure projects. He confirmed that details of a second Gujarat plant with a proposed ₹35,000 crore investment would be finalized after the GST Council meeting on September 4.
On the e VITARA’s limited rollout, Bhargava explained that the EV is meant for export markets first, citing high costs due to imported batteries. “There’s no definite timeline yet for its domestic launch,” he said.
Atmanirbhar Bharat in Focus
=Highlighting India’s progress in localizing EV technology, Toshihiro Suzuki noted that the company has begun manufacturing India’s first lithium-ion battery and cell with localised electrodes at the Toshiba-Denso-Suzuki plant. “With only raw material and a few semiconductor parts coming from Japan, this is a big salute to Atmanirbhar Bharat,” he said.
He added that Suzuki would pursue a diversified powertrain strategy spanning electric, strong hybrid, ethanol-blended fuels, and compressed biogas to contribute to carbon neutrality and climate change goals.
(With inputs from PTI)