Prime Minister Narendra Modi today flagged off the e Vitara, Maruti Suzuki India’s maiden battery electric vehicle (BEV), from the carmaker’s Hansalpur plant in Gujarat. Maruti has invested Rs 21,000 crore in its Hansalpur plant, which has an annual production capacity of 7,50,000 units.
Ahead of the inauguration, PM Modi wrote, "Today is a special day in India’s quest for self-reliance and being a hub for green mobility. At the programme in Hansalpur, e Vitara will be flagged off. This Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) is made in India and will be exported to over a hundred nations. In a big boost to our battery ecosystem, production of hybrid battery electrodes will also commence at a plant in Gujarat."
In a major boost to hybrid and electric vehicle battery production, PM Modi also inaugurated a lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility set up by Suzuki, Toshiba, and Denso.
From his Red Fort address to an event in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, PM Modi stressed that the upcoming festive season should celebrate self-reliance and urged people to opt for swadeshi goods.
"This is the season of festivals. Now Navratri, Vijayadashami, Dhanteras, Diwali... all these festivals are coming. These are celebrations of our culture, but they should also be celebrations of self-reliance. Therefore, I want to reiterate my request to you once again that we must adopt a mantra in our lives: whatever we buy will be 'Made in India', it will be indigenous," PM Modi said, as quoted by news agency ANI.
During an address at the event, PM Modi said that Japan's manufacturing of Suzuki EVs in India is not only representative of the strong ties the two countries share, but also reflects “the global confidence in India”.
He also spoke about the global shortage of rare earth minerals and spoke about India's ‘Critical Minerals Mission’ to tackle it. “We are aware of the rare earths shortage, which is why the government has launched the Critical Minerals Mission. This mission will be carried out in more than 1,200 locations across India," PM Modi said.
