New Delhi, Aug 26 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated a series of landmark green mobility initiatives at the Suzuki Motor plant in Gujarat’s Hansalpur, marking a significant step towards India’s ambition of becoming a global hub for electric vehicles (EVs) and clean energy manufacturing.
Stating that the day marked a new milestone in India’s ‘Make in India’ drive, Modi said, “In this fervour of Ganesh Utsav, today a new chapter is being added to India’s ‘Make in India’ journey.
“This is a big leap towards our goal of ‘Make in India, Make for the World’. From today, electric vehicles made in India will be exported to 100 countries. Along with this, hybrid battery electrolyte manufacturing is also starting today.”
The Prime Minister called on Indians to embrace swadeshi as a guiding principle, asserting that what matters is the work done by Indians, regardless of who invests.
“My definition of swadeshi is where money is invested by anybody but work is done by Indians,” Modi further said, pointing out that Maruti Suzuki, despite its Japanese parentage, qualifies as a swadeshi company in that spirit.
He also flagged off the “e VITARA,” Suzuki’s first Made-in-India global strategic battery electric vehicle (BEV).
Modi also inaugurated the local production of hybrid battery electrodes at the TDS Lithium-Ion Battery plant, a joint venture between Toshiba, Denso, and Suzuki. The initiative is expected to localise over 80 per cent of the battery value chain in India, bolstering the country’s self-reliance in EV battery production.
Speaking at the event, he said, “To make manufacturing in India efficient and globally competitive, we are developing industrial corridors, creating plug-and-play infrastructure, and building logistics parks. We are also providing Production Linked Incentive (PLI) benefits to manufacturers in many sectors.”
The Prime Minister highlighted that India’s manufacturing sector has seen a nearly 500 per cent rise in electronics production and a 2,700 per cent surge in mobile phone manufacturing since 2014. Defence production has also doubled during this period.
“India possesses the strength of democracy, the advantage of a young demographic and a skilled workforce. This creates a win-win situation for every partner,” Modi said, noting that vehicles produced by Suzuki in India are even being exported back to Japan.
Recounting the origins of the collaboration with Suzuki, the Prime Minister recalled that land was allotted to Maruti Suzuki in Hansalpur in 2012, during his tenure as Chief Minister of Gujarat, planting the seeds of India’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision.
On the growing India-Japan partnership, Modi stated that it extends beyond diplomatic ties, rooted deeply in culture and mutual trust. He announced his forthcoming visit to Japan to further strengthen bilateral cooperation.
The Prime Minister also underlined India’s focus on futuristic industries, noting that six semiconductor manufacturing plants are in the pipeline. He launched the National Critical Mineral Mission aimed at conducting over 1,200 exploration campaigns to identify rare earth and other critical minerals needed to strengthen the nation’s industrial capabilities.
The event was attended by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel, Japan’s Ambassador to India Ono Keiichi, and senior officials from Suzuki Motor Corporation, among others.
