Suzuki’s electric vehicle tie-ups aim to aid Maruti India

Suzuki Motor Corp is trying to insulate its Indian unit from the risks involved in developing electric vehicles even as the outcome of such efforts will benefit Maruti Suzuki India Ltd directly, said a Mint report.
 
The report said that Suzuki has formed two important partnerships, driven by policy push in India and to keep its market shares intact in the country. It will produce lithium ion batteries in collaboration with Denso Corp. and Toshiba Corp. and will introduce electric vehicles in India by 2020 with Toyota Motor Corp.
 
“The whole tie-up between Suzuki and Toyota is specifically for the Indian market. Hence, it is solely going to benefit Maruti. The Gujarat plant is also operated (and owned) by Suzuki but it has benefitted only Maruti,” RC Bhargava, chairman of Maruti Suzuki, told Mint.
 
As per the report, the role of Maruti in these partnership may be limited to that of a procurer of lithium ion battery packs and of electric vehicle platforms from the Toyota-Suzuki partnership.
 
If the electric vehicle market takes off in the country, the company will reportedly sell those to Indian customers.