Toyota to get Suzuki's first-ever EV as partnership expands MICHAEL GONSALVES PUNE, OCT.30 Japanese automakers Suzuki Motor Corporation and Toyota Motor Corporation are collaborating on green vehicles as Suzuki Motor will supply its first ever electric vehicle built at its factory in Gujarat to Toyota from early next year, the two companies said in a statement on Wednesday. They said the platform for the EV was jointly developed by Suzuki, Toyota and Daihatsu Motor.
The green vehicle has been developed by Suzuki. "We would like to learn from each other's strengths, compete, and further joint efforts based on a multi-pathway approach," Toyota President Koji Sato said. “Suzuki will supply our first BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) to Toyota globally,” Suzuki President Toshihiro Suzuki said.
Suzuki and Toyota have previously collaborated on developing combustion fuel and hybrid vehicles for the Indian market, but not EVs. The move also cements India as an EV hub for Suzuki, which plans to invest more than a billion dollars in India, its biggest market outside of Japan. At present both Maruti Suzuki and Toyota Kirloskar Motor do not sell EVs in the country.
The EV, which will be a SUV, will have a 60-kilowatt-hour battery pack with a range of 500 kilometers on full charge. A concept version of the EV was showcased at the auto show at Delhi last year. According to Toyota, the world's biggest automaker, the new model will be one of 10 battery-powered vehicles it will launch by 20.
