Suzuki joins the EV race - sets up new EV HQ, to invest RM 37 billion in electrification
Sanjay · Jul 5, 2021 12:00 PM
0
0
Maruti Suzuki Futuro-e concept
Suzuki is ramping up efforts in the electric vehicle (EV) space with the establishment of an all-new EV Business Headquarters, with a sizeable research and development (R&D) budget to boot.
Another radical Suzuki EV concept, the Misano
The newly-announced organisational reform now sees the Vehicle Planning Department parked under said EV Business HQ. Aside from other organisational shuffles, the company has yet to share specific details.
Back in February 2021, the company announced that they'll be investing JPY 1 trillion (~RM 37 billion) into electrification within the next 5 years. In similar vein, the company will also "deepen their alliance" with Toyota by co-developing EVs.
The current-gen Swift Sport is offered in hybrid guise elsewhere; Malaysian-spec cars are purely petrol-powered
Suzuki's aggressive investment in this area of R&D sees them lower their operating income target in FY2025 to 5.5%, down from the previous target of 7%.
As it stands, Suzuki do not have any pure EVs in their lineup. Currently, they offer hybrid variants of the Vitara, Swift, Swace (rebadged Toyota Corolla Wagon), and Across (rebadged Toyota RAV4), and S-Cross, however all-new models are likely to join the range in the future.
With humble beginnings collecting diecast models and spending hours virtually tuning dream cars on the computer, his love of cars has delightfully transformed into a career. Sanjay enjoys how the same passion for cars transcends boundaries and brings people together.
