Suzuki Motorcycle India is preparing to expand its electric vehicle play beyond the recently introduced e-Access scooter. The Japanese automaker’s strategy is to focus on more accessible price segments and a broader product portfolio for EVs while pushing multiple powertrain technologies.
Positioning the e-Access as a starting point on the premium side of the market rather than a full-scale entry, Suzuki Motorcycle India president and MD Kenichi Umeda indicated that the company’s EV journey in India will be gradual, calibrated and closely aligned with how the market evolves.
Suzuki was a late entrant in the electric vehicle market among the traditional scooter makers in India. The automaker started selling its first electric scooter, the e-Access, this year and has dispatched 1,500 units by the end of March.
The e-Access is a rather pricey offering – at Rs 1.88 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) – in a market where most other major traditional OEMs have products under or just above the Rs 1 lakh threshold. “We have just started… step by step, we are increasing,” Umeda said. He noted that the current focus is on building customer familiarity, dealer capability and product credibility.
According to him, the next phase of Suzuki’s EV expansion will be into the mainstream segment, with a wider mix of products and use cases. “We have to think about a more mainstream… wider model line-up also,” he said. Industry sources say Suzuki is working towards crossing 25,000 EV units in FY27, but the company did not disclose any volume targets.
Suzuki’s management said it is looking at a broader EV line-up that could span multiple price points and form factors. This can include extensions of existing brands and new concepts tailored to Indian usage conditions.
The company is taking a measured approach, prioritising battery durability, lifecycle value and customer confidence over aggressive scale. Officials boast that its EV, which comes with an LFP (lithium iron phosphate) battery, is positioned on longevity and reliability rather than outright price competitiveness.
Suzuki’s cautious stance reflects the current state of the EV market, particularly in the premium scooter segment where e-Access sits. “The market itself is still not so big… this is the first step,” Umeda said when asked about its modest volumes.
For the industry, he expects EV penetration in the two-wheeler space to settle in the 15-20 percent range over time. He did not clarify whether this applies to Suzuki’s own mix or the industry at large.
Multi-fuel play is a part of Suzuki’s plans
Importantly, Suzuki is not viewing electrification in isolation. The company continues to pursue a multi-pathway strategy, investing simultaneously in cleaner internal combustion engines and alternative fuels. “Not only EV… flex-fuel, more efficient engine… everything we are studying,” Umeda said.
He confirmed that Suzuki is actively working on flex-fuel and CNG models, though timelines remain fluid. “Study is study,” he said. Customer acceptance and market readiness will ultimately determine the pace of introduction, he added.
Suzuki’s competitor TVS showed a functional concept called the Jupiter CNG at last year’s auto expo. On the other hand, Bajaj Auto already has the Freedom CNG bike on sale.
Localisation will play a bigger role in future Suzuki EVs
A key pillar of Suzuki India’s strategy, according to Umeda, is a sharper push on localisation, both on the supply chain and engineering front. He noted that the company is increasingly focusing on local supplier development and deeper value addition within India, as it gradually expands its engineering capabilities beyond manufacturing.
The next phase will see a stronger emphasis on “make in India” backed by local R&D and product development, reducing dependence on Japan and improving cost competitiveness across powertrains, including EVs and alternative fuels.
Suzuki’s localisation drive is expected to play a critical role in scaling volumes, tailoring products more closely to Indian conditions and supporting its longer-term ambition of positioning India as a global hub. With the country already contributing over half of Suzuki’s global volumes, the company is stepping up localisation and engineering capabilities, which, over time, could underpin both its EV and alternative fuel strategies.
With inputs from KIRAN MURALI & MUKUL YUDHVEER SINGH
Ved Janve
