Suzuki lays foundation for new motorcycle plant in India
Suzuki Motor’s motorcycle subsidiary in India, Suzuki Motorcycle India Private Limited (SMIPL), held a foundation stone laying ceremony on May 20 for its new motorcycle manufacturing plant in India.
The ceremony took place at the planned site of the new factory in Kharkhoda. Attendees included Haryana State government officials, Kyoko Hokugo, minister of the Embassy of Japan in India, Kenichi Umeda, managing director of SMIPL, and Takashi Ise, managing officer, executive general manager of motorcycle operations of Suzuki.
Since the start of production in 2006, SMIPL has manufactured approximately 9 million motorcycles cumulatively, supplying not only the Indian domestic market but also exporting to regions including Latin America, Japan, and Europe.
With the growing demand for motorcycles in India, SMIPL will build a new plant to expand production capacity in line with market growth. The initial production capacity of the new plant will be 750,000 units.
Honda Motors also announced on May 26 its plans to add an expansion to one of its four motorcycle manufacturing plants in India, with an annual production capacity of 650,000 units. If the Suzuki and Honda plans follow through, India is expected to have a production increase of 1.6 million motorcycle units manufactured annually.
Suzuki says the total investment for the new plant is an estimated $139.71 million. Through the construction of this new plant, the company aims to continue providing diverse mobility options in India, a country experiencing ongoing economic growth, and contribute to the Indian government’s “Make in India” initiative.
