Prime Minister Narendra Modi called it a “great day for Make in India” as he flagged off Maruti Suzuki's first electric vehicle (EV), the e-Vitara, at the brand's Hansalpur facility near Ahmedabad on Tuesday, the day Washington made it clear it was going to impose the extra 25 per cent penalty on goods exported to the US from India and job-loss fears gripped export-oriented sectors..
Modi kicked off exports of the e-Vitara to 100 countries – including Europe and Japan –and inaugurated the production of lithium-ion battery cells for hybrid electric vehicles.
“Today is a great day for Make in India as e-vehicles made in the country will be exported to 100 countries. The world will drive electric vehicles that are made in India,” he said.
“India is taking large strides towards becoming Aatmanirbhar in green energy,” the prime minister said.
The event also marked the start of local production of hybrid battery electrodes at the TDS Lithium-Ion Battery plant, a joint venture of Toshiba, Denso and Suzuki.
Over 80 percent of the battery value chain will now be manufactured domestically, reducing import dependence, Modi said.
He signalled confidence in the country’s growth trajectory, even as analysts said Donald Trump’s tariffs when fully implemented could shave up around 0.8 percentage points from India’s GDP growth.
“India possesses the strength of democracy, the advantage of demography, and a vast skilled work force – creating a win-win situation for every partner,” the prime minister said.
He said swadeshi (preferring all things Indian) should be everyone's life mantra.
"Swadeshi should become our life mantra. Let's embrace swadeshi with pride. The things that will be made here by Japan are also swadeshi," the PM said.
"My definition of swadeshi is very simple. I am not concerned about whose money is invested...whether it is dollar or pound, or whether that currency is black or white. But whatever production is done with that money, the sweat should be of my countrymen. Those products will have the fragrance of my country's soil," he said.
“Companies like Maruti Suzuki have become brand ambassadors of Make in India,” he told the gathering, which included Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel and Japan’s ambassador to India Ono Keiichi.
Modi recalled sanctioning land for Maruti in Hansalpur as Gujarat chief minister in 2012 and paid tribute to the late Osamu Suzuki for backing the company’s India expansion.
“India will not stop here. In sectors where we are performing well, the goal is to achieve even greater excellence,” Modi said, expressing confidence these projects would strengthen the foundation of a “developed India by 2047.”
Modi noted that India-Japan relations “extend beyond diplomacy” and are rooted in culture and mutual trust.
