Suzuki’s EV Strategy to Expand Beyond e‑Access, Says President Kenichi Umeda

Suzuki Motorcycle India is preparing to expand its electric vehicle play beyond the recently introduced e-Access scooter. The Japanese automaker's strategy wis 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 Motorcyle India President and MD Kenichi Umeda indicated that their EV journey in India will be gradual, calibrated and closely aligned with how the market evolves.

Suzuki was a late entrant among the traditional scooter makers in India to introduce an electric vehicle. The automaker started selling its first electric scooter - e-Access - this year and has dispatched 1,500 units till March 31.

The models comes at a starting ex-showroom price of around Rs 1.9 lakh, while most of the other major traditional OEMs are scaling volumes with their sub-Rs 1 lakh product. “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 phase on EV expansion will be into the mainstream segment, with a wider mix of products and use cases. “We have to think about more mainstream…more wider model lineup also,” he said.

Industry sources say that Suzuki is working towards crossing 25,000 EV units in FY27, but the company did not commit any volume targets.

Suzuki’ management said they are looking at a broader EV lineup 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, that comes with LFP battery, is positioned on longevity and reliability rather than outright price competitiveness.

Suzuki’s cautious stance, similar to its Japanese couterpart Honda, 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% range over time. He did not clarify whether this applies to Suzuki’s own mix or the industry at large.

Multi-fuel Play

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 is working on a CNG scooter while Bajaj Auto has already introduced a CNG motorcycle.

Localisation

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, even 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.