Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], August 26 (HBTV): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday flagged off Suzuki’s first global strategic Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV), the e-VITARA, at the company’s motor plant in Hansalpur, Ahmedabad.

The Made-in-India BEVs will be exported to over 100 countries, including advanced markets such as Europe and Japan, making India Suzuki’s global manufacturing hub for electric vehicles.

At the event, the Prime Minister also inaugurated two key milestones at the Suzuki Motor plant, underscoring India’s emergence as a hub for green mobility and advancing the government’s Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiatives.

As part of his visit, PM Modi launched the next phase of India’s battery ecosystem with the start of local production of hybrid battery electrodes at the TDS Lithium-Ion Battery plant in Gujarat. The facility, a joint venture of Toshiba, Denso and Suzuki, is expected to significantly boost domestic manufacturing and clean energy innovation. Officials said the development will ensure that over 80 per cent of battery value is manufactured within India.

On Monday, the Prime Minister inaugurated, laid foundation stones and dedicated multiple development projects worth ₹5,400 crore at Khodaldham ground in Ahmedabad. He also held a roadshow in the city, where he was greeted by large crowds.

Addressing the gathering, PM Modi expressed condolences over the loss of lives due to cloudbursts and heavy rains across the country. He said parts of Gujarat have also been affected and assured that relief and rescue operations are underway.

“In this monsoon season, there are heavy rains in many areas of Gujarat. The way cloudbursts are happening one after the other in the country, it becomes difficult to control oneself when we see the devastation. I express my condolences to all the affected families. This fury of nature has become a challenge for the entire human race, the entire world, the entire country. The central government, along with all the state governments, is engaged in relief and rescue work,” PM Modi said.

(ANI)