Suzuki Motor Corporation plans to launch over half-a-dozen sports utility vehicles over the next five years in India as it doubles down on efforts to reclaim its 50 per cent market share in the country, the Hamamatsu-based small carmaker’s Representative Director & President Toshihiro Suzuki said Wednesday.
“India is Suzuki’s most critical market, and we have big plans for India… From entry level cars for the first time buyers to large SUVs (sports utility vehicles) and MPVs (multi-purpose vehicles) for higher income customers, we will work on (a) variety of products… Till FY 30-31, we have planned investment of 1,200 billion yen (around Rs 70,000 crore) towards capital investment for India (and) remain committed to achieve a 50 per cent market share and become number one in EV production, sales, and exports,” Suzuki said on the sidelines of the Japan Mobility Show here.
While Suzuki Motor’s subsidiary, Maruti Suzuki, continues to be India’s largest carmaker, its market share has briefly slipped below the 40 per cent mark — an all-time low — amid increased competition and a continuing downturn in the entry-level car-market.
Multi-tech pathway
The small-car maker unveiled a range of new electric vehicle concepts and road-ready models at this year’s edition of the Mobility Show, Japan’s flagship auto exposition where auto majors, including Suzuki, have tried to reinforce their commitment to a “multi-pathway” carbon-neutrality strategy.
“Our philosophy is that each vehicle that Suzuki sells must contribute towards carbon neutrality goals of respective markets. Considering this, it may not be practical to have only BEVs (battery electric vehicles) in the entire fleet…To achieve meaningful carbon reduction, we need to address the large part of non-BEV vehicles. Keeping in mind the energy circumstances of each market, we are adopting a multi-pathway strategy including BEVs, hybrids, flexible-fuel vehicles, hydrogen, and biogas-based solutions,” Suzuki said in his media interaction on the sidelines of the Show.
SMC’s line-up at the Mobility Show, while heralding a pursuit of the electric future and leveraging its past heritage as the template that shapes some of its newer models, included EV concepts such as the ‘Vision e-Sky’ aimed at the Japanese market, a mini-commercial electric van developed jointly with partner Toyota Motor Corp and ‘e-VanVan’ – an electric fun bike inspired by the company’s popular 1970s leisure motorcycle badged VanVan. Alongside these were ethanol, hydrogen, and biomethane models at the Show, organised by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association here at ‘Big Sight’ exposition venue near downtown Tokyo.
Suzuki’s booth, operating under the theme “By Your Side”, reflected the company’s corporate slogan introduced in its Mid-Term Management Plan earlier this year that aims for “an infrastructure mobility closely connected with people’s lives”. The company’s pitch is that by concentrating on multiple technological platforms as “a comprehensive mobility manufacturer”, it hopes to propose varied infrastructure mobility solutions that can help solve the problems of individual customers.
EV concepts
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Among the showpiece exhibits is the Vision e-Sky, a battery electric minicar concept that Suzuki aims to commercialise in Japan during the course of 2026. Building on their shared heritage in Shizuoka Prefecture’s Enshu region, where both Suzuki and Toyota transitioned from loom manufacturing to automobile production, Suzuki also displayed the ‘e Every Concept’, a mini-commercial electric van developed jointly with Toyota Motor Corp and its small car arm Daihatsu Motor. The vehicle offers a 200-kilometer range and includes vehicle-to-grid capability for emergency power supply – supplying electricity from the vehicle in case of an emergency, while maintaining the user-friendliness of a mini-commercial van.
Suzuki also expanded its carbon neutrality options across regions by showcasing the Fronx flex fuel vehicle (FFV) concept – showcasing the company’s progress in developing powertrains capable of running on higher ethanol blends of up to 85 per cent. The Fronx sold in India is E20 compliant.
Incidentally, among the vehicles on display here, Suzuki has showcased four made-in-India models – the Jimny Nomade, the eVitara, Fronx Flex Fuel and a variant of the new Victoris SUV, each signifying a different pathway in the company’s move toward cleaner mobility. Apart from minor specification differences, the Jimny Nomade looks almost identical to the Indian model even though the Japan-spec version gets advanced driver assistance features.
Underlining Suzuki’s growing reliance on its Indian operations as a global production base, its Gujarat plant now plays a key role in exporting vehicles and developing new fuel technologies. The company is also promoting its compressed biomethane gas initiative in India, displaying CNG/CBG specification vehicles including the Victoris model launched in September 2025. A miniature biogas plant model from Gujarat’s Banaskantha was exhibited at the Tokyo Show, illustrating Suzuki’s collaboration with Indian dairy unions to convert agricultural waste into vehicle fuel.
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With a focus on sub-4 metre cars, Maruti Suzuki is seen as well-positioned to benefit from the recent reduction in GST on small cars.
(The writer is in Tokyo at the invitation of Suzuki Motor Corp)
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