At Auto Expo 2020, we had the opportunity to talk to Koichiro Hirao, MD, Suzuki Motorcycle India, and Devashish Handa, VP, Suzuki Motorcycle India, and from the conversation we learned that the Japanese manufacturer is working on an EV platform in India.
Hirao said that he can’t reveal whether the EV in question will be a motorcycle or a scooter but did say that it’s unlikely the product will see the light of day in 2020. Back in 2018, Satoshi Uchida, former MD of Suzuki Motorcycle India had revealed to us that an e-scooter platform was in the works and that it would be introduced here in 2021. This is probably the very same product that Hirao is hinting at.
Back then, we also found out the e-scooter would deliver performance in line with 110cc and 125cc models. Uchida had also stated that while the scooter will feature an India-centric design, the core module of battery and motor will be common across global platforms.
A lot of questions remain unanswered on what to expect from the Japanese giant, and from the look of things, it’ll be a while before we get any answers. Things have also changed tremendously with regards to the EV space since that conversation and we’re excited to see how Suzuki’s EV will stack up against the current crop of electric two-wheelers.
Vishal Venugopal
Ved Janve
Azaman Chothia
