Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday flagged off Maruti Suzuki’s first electric vehicle, the eVitara, at the Hansalpur plant in Gujarat, highlighting India’s growing role in global electric mobility.
Modi stated that electric vehicles manufactured in India would soon run in over 100 countries, proudly bearing the “Made in India” tag.
Addressing the event, PM Modi praised Suzuki Japan for producing EVs in India for international markets, underscoring the strong bilateral ties between India and Japan. He said, “Now, the EVs that will run in dozens of countries around the world will have written on them – Made In India.” He described this as a symbol of global confidence in India’s manufacturing capabilities.
The Prime Minister also touched upon the global shortage of rare earth minerals and introduced India’s ‘Critical Minerals Mission,’ aimed at securing essential resources for EV production. “We are aware of the rare earths shortage, which is why the government has launched the Critical Minerals Mission. This mission will be carried out in more than 1,200 locations across India,” he said, emphasizing India’s commitment to supporting sustainable and indigenous manufacturing.