Wagon R EV will be the first EV from Maruti, will be developed in partnership with Toyota.
Maruti Suzuki has revealed that the Wagon R will be its first EV to be launched in India. The launch is expected to happen sometime in 2020 and the car will be developed in partnership with Toyota. The EV will most likely be manufactured at the company’s plant in Gujarat as the battery manufacturing facility of the alliance among Suzuki, Toyota and Denso is also coming up there.
Introduced in 1999, the Maruti Wagon R has become a household name in the Indian market and has sold over 20 lakh units. Currently, the hatchback is available in both manual as well as automatic (AMT) transmission variants. It makes sense to electrify the Wagon R as it is a spacious 5-seater and can also hold the weight of the batteries. The company has to fit the battery, controller and motor but all other parts are likely to remain the same.
Currently, the hatchback is being manufactured at the Gurugram facility and this is likely to continue in the future too even if the battery and related spares are sourced from Gujarat. All the other parts are taken from the Gurugram-Manesar belt for the petrol and CNG versions of the car. Battery specifications and other details on the Wagon R EV are scarce at the moment.
Wagon R EV
– Maruti’s first EV for India will be the Wagon R EV
– Launch expected sometime in 2020
– Likely to be made at the company’s plant in Gujarat
Source – BusinessLine.com