Giving an impetus to the ‘Make in India’ program, Maruti Suzuki yesterday held the ground breaking ceremony for its new manufacturing facility in Hansalpur, Gujarat. The founding stone was laid by Mrs Anandiben Patel, CM of Gujarat in the presence of eminent dignitaries like Mr. Takeshi Yagi, Ambassador of Japan to India, Mr. Rajnikant S Patel, Home Minister of Gujarat, Mr. Osamu Suzuki, chairman and CEO of Suzuki Motor Corporation, Mr. R C Bhargava, Chairman, Maruti Suzuki India and Mr. Kenichi Ayukawa, MD, Maruti Suzuki India.
Suzuki will invest over Rs 3,000 crore for the new facility in Hansalpur, which will house three plants. Each plant will have an annual capacity of over 2,50,000 units, which will bring up the facility’s total capacity up to 7,50,000 units. The facility will be spread over an area of 640 acres, and the first plant will be operational by mid-2017.
Speaking at the event, Mr. Suzuki said, “For the Suzuki group, setting up of this new manufacturing facility in Gujarat is the start of a new era. We will set up a state-of-the-art production plant here in Gujarat, with high focus on productivity and efficiency. We want to manufacture vehicles together with you, which we can provide for the domestic and global markets. Your support and cooperation will be greatly appreciated.”
The new facility in Hansalpur will be wholly-owned by Suzuki and the cars manufactured at the facility will be sold to Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., which will then be responsible for selling the cars in India. The new facility will help the company achieve its target of two million units in sales.
