With EV production happening in India, both Maruti & Toyota will be able to price their cars aggressively
Maruti and Toyota India are looking at kickstarting electric vehicle (EV) production in the near future at the Suzuki Motor Gujarat factory located in Ahmedabad.
This was revealed by MD and CEO of Maruti Suzuki, Kenichi Ayukawa on Wednesday, who added that discussions are on regarding the matter in Suzuki’s home country, Japan.
Both Maruti and Toyota are expected to launch pure-electric compact SUVs by 2025 in India. They will be underpinned by a skateboard platform internally named 27PL. This architecture will be derived from Toyota’s own 40PL electric platform.
The electric compact SUV’s will be around 4.2 metres long and will have a wheelbase of 2.7 metres. A lengthy wheelbase would mean that they can have a bigger battery pack and, thus, long range per charge.
Maruti’s electric compact SUV (code-named YY8), according to the information available at hand, will come with 48 kWh and 59 kWh battery pack options. The claimed range will be 400 km for the entry-level version and 500 km for the one with the bigger battery.
What’s more, the YY8 will also be offered with all-wheel drive (to be available only with the larger battery) and both models are expected to be quick, as the expected power outputs will be between 138 HP and 170 HP.
By locally starting EV production, Maruti and Toyota (which will also source made-in-India battery packs) will be able to price their electric compact SUVs aggressively.
