Suzuki announced its electrification plans for 2030, teasing a number of EVs for Europe, Japan, and India as part of a ¥ 2 trillion (US$ 15 billion) investment for all of its Automotive, Motorcycle/ATV, and Marine divisions. In terms of automobiles, among the electric SUVs and kei cars set to debut by the end of the decade, there is a battery-electric Suzuki Jimny and the production version of the recently revealed eVX concept. Suzuki’s focus markets are India, Japan, and Europe, with Africa also mentioned in the presentation as a market with a promising future. Thus, the automaker previewed the EV debuts individually for each market, showing the silhouettes and lighting signatures of the upcoming models.
Starting with Europe, the highlight is the
EV variant of the Suzuki Jimny which is depicted with an illuminated grille and
modern LED graphics on the round headlights. We don’t have any information on
the model but it is expected to maintain its ladder-frame architecture and most
of its exterior and interior design albeit with a refresh. Besides the BEV,
Suzuki is also planning a mild hybrid version of the Jimny, allowing it to be
sold in Europe as a passenger vehicle (it is now offered in two-seater LCV form
due to emission regulations). Next to the silhouette of the Jimny EV we can see
an SUV that appears to be the Suzuki Fronx. The model was revealed earlier this
month in India but it seems that Suzuki is planning on offering an EV variant
in Europe. Below, there are two more SUVs – one of them is unknown (could it be
the next generation of the Vitara?), and the other looks like the production
version of the eVX concept. Finally, there is a city car that appears to be
smaller than the currently available Ignis, rounding up the five EV debuts.
The first electric Suzuki in Europe will
arrive by 2024, while the automaker has already confirmed that the
production-ready eVX is expected in 2025. Suzuki wants EVs to account for 80%
of its European lineup by 2030, with the rest 20% being hybrids. Mind you,
Europe will effectively ban ICE-powered vehicles by 2035, forcing automakers to
speed up their electrification plans. For its home market in Japan, Suzuki
announced six EV launches. The silhouette of the unknown kei car appears twice,
probably hinting at almost identical-looking passenger and panel van
bodystyles. There are two more kei cars, with one of them being the electric
version of the Suzuki Hustler. One of the other could be the successor of the
Every, although it could also be a successor to the Spacia or the Wagon R.
Finally, the Japanese EV lineup will also include the zero-emission variants of
the Fronx and the production-ready eVX SUV.
Japan will get its first Suzuki-branded EV
in 2023, which is one year sooner than Europe. Due to the different emission
regulations, Suzuki wants EVs to account for 20% of its Japanese range by 2030,
with the remaining 80% being hybrids. Last but not least, Suzuki plans six new
EV launches for the Indian market by 2030, with the first one scheduled for
2024. The highlight here is an unknown small SUV that looks different from the
currently available Brezza. This model is the only one not shared with other
markets. Predictably, India will also get the Fronx EV and the eVX, alongside
the unknown SUV that also appeared in Europe, and a couple of kei cars
including the adventurous Hustler.
Suzuki’s future range mix in India will be
quite different than Europe and Japan, with significantly less electrification.
More specifically, by 2030 ICE-powered models will account for 60% of the
range, although those include other types of fuels besides petrol (CNG, biogas,
and ethanol-mixed fuels). Fully electric models will only account for 15%, with
the remaining 25% being hybrids. Suzuki wants to achieve carbon neutrality by
2050 in Japan and Europe, and by 2070 in India where the EV transition is
progressing a lot slower. The aforementioned targets are not only for the
automotive sector of Suzuki but also for motorcycles and marine products.
Speaking of two-wheelers, the company will unveil 8 new fully electric
motorcycles by 2030, when the percentage of its electric and combustion-engined
bikes on a global basis will be 25% and 75% respectively.

