Suzuki and Toyota have confirmed further collaboration on the development of a battery-electric SUV to be led by Suzuki and manufactured by Suzuki Motor Gujarat in India from mid-2025.
A joint statement issued today confirming the program said, “This new development marks the first BEV in the OEM relationship between the two companies.
“It will be launched worldwide, providing a BEV choice even in the SUV market, which is showing remarkable growth.
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“With this new addition, Suzuki and Toyota will further promote their respective initiatives toward realising a carbon-neutral society,” the statement said.
The new model will almost certainly be based on the Suzuki eVX, a close to production-ready concept which made its global debut at the 2023 Auto Expo in Delhi, India.
A pure-electric compact SUV, the all-wheel drive eVX concept SUV was positioned as “Suzuki's first global strategic EV, scheduled to be introduced to the market by 2025”.
Measuring 4.3m long, 1.8m wide and 1.6m tall the eVX has a quoted battery capacity of 60kWh and a range of 550km according to the 'Modified Indian Driving Cycle' (MIDC).
As for a potential Australian release it’s worth noting Suzuki’s local division has been evaluating rival EVs like the Kia Niro and BYD Atto 3 at its Altona facility over the last 18 months.
Speaking at the production announcement Suzuki President Toshihiro Suzuki said, “Suzuki will supply our first BEV to Toyota globally. I am grateful the collaboration between the two companies has further deepened in this way.”
And Toyota President Koji Sato responded, “By leveraging the BEV unit and platform that we jointly developed, we will take a new step in our collaboration in the field of electrified vehicles. This will allow us to deliver various choices that contribute to a carbon-neutral society to customers worldwide.”
