Suzuki will turn to Toyota to develop small electric cars

As of today, the top three Japanese car manufacturers are Honda, Nissan, and Toyota. The rest of the Japanese brands “orbit” around these three giants, since Nissan owns a 34% stake in Mitsubishi, while Toyota, in addition to owning Daihatsu, also controls 20% of Subaru and 5% of Mazda and Suzuki.

The alliance between Toyota and Suzuki dates back to 2019 when they announced a cross-participation agreement to strengthen their technology partnership. The collaboration between both companies has resulted in the launch of the Suzuki Swatch and Across, both rebranded from the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports 125H and RAV4 Plug-in which have allowed the smaller partner to reduce its average emissions in Europe.

This association will go further in the future, as confirmed by president Toshihiro Suzuki during the Auto Expo 2023 in New Delhi. According to the executive, Suzuki will turn to Toyota to develop small electric cars that are in line with its product range. “How to get this electric technology into small cars is something we need to work on and share with Toyota. “

Suzuki also wanted to point out that the company needs to develop electric models from scratch instead of using adapted thermal platforms. With planned investments of up to $1.3 billion to make electric vehicles and batteries in India, Suzuki does not appear to be willing to lose the electrification bandwagon to rivals such as Tata.

Suzuki prepares two electric models for Europe

Just a few days ago the company presented the eVX concept, a prototype that anticipates the arrival of an electric SUV with dimensions similar to the Vitara and S-Cross. Even though its launch is scheduled for the year 2025, it is known that it will equip batteries with a capacity of 60 kWh, enough to approve a range of 550 km MIDC.

Suzuki eVX

The Suzuki X is based on a new platform capable of combining “the company’s strong 4×4 DNA with the innovative technologies of the latest BEVs [Battery Electric Vehicles]”. Suzuki will launch two electric models in Europe between 2023 and 2025: an A-segment crossover and a B-segment SUV.

While the former is probably a derivative of the well-known Ignis, the latter could correspond to the production variant of the ex. All in all, it is interesting to note that Toyota is working on “an electric vehicle with a small battery and a comfortable interior designed for Europe and Japan” based on the bZ Small Crossover prototype, which will have a consumption of 12.5 kWh/100 km. . Therefore, there is a possibility that Suzuki will launch its version of this model instead of an electric Ignis.

Lynda Reeder

I'm Lynda, I currently own Tesla. I write about electric cars. My aim is to provide information on how technology can improve the ownership experience of electric vehicles.

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