Making a big pitch for India-made automobiles, PM Modi on Tuesday said that electric vehicles (EVs) manufactured in India would be exported to over a 100 countries. He said EVs with Made-In-India written on them would run on streets of over a dozen countries.

“Now, the EVs that will run in dozens of countries around the world will have written on them- Made In India..,” PM Modi said, after he heaped praise on Suzuki Japan manufacturing in India and the vehicles being exported abroad.

PM Modi’s remarks came after he flagged off the eVitara from the Hansalpur plant in Gujarat.

During an address at the event, PM Modi said that Japan’s manufacturing of Suzuki EVs in India is not only representative of the strong ties the two countries share, but also reflects “the global confidence in India”.

He also spoke about the global shortage of rare earth minerals and spoke about India’s ‘Critical Minerals Mission’ to tackle it. “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,” PM Modi said.

Apart from announcing the export of EVs abroad, PM Modi also said that hybrid battery electrolyte manufacturing would kick off starting Tuesday. “In this fervour of Ganesh Utsav, today a new chapter is being added to India’s ‘Make in India’ journey. This is a big leap towards our goal of ‘Make in India, Make for the World’,” PM Modi said.

‘Teenage to let dreams take flight”

Recalling the time the Maruti Suzuki plant was allotted to Hansalpur in 2012, PM Modi said that it has been 13 years, a period after which the teenage begins.

“In a way, 13 years mark the beginning of teenage and teenage is the period of spreading wings. It is the period of letting dreams take flight, and a lot of dreams emerge in teenage…” PM Modi said.

“Gujarat’s Maruti is entering its teens, meaning that in the coming days, Maruti will spread new wings and it will move ahead with new zeal and enthusiasm. The seeds of India’s success story were sown about 13 years ago,” the PM further added.

On Tuesday, Maruti Suzuki India started production of e-VITARA, Suzuki’s first global strategic Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV). Suzuki will reportedly invest ₹70,000 crore in India over the next 5-6 years to increase production.

PM Modi also inaugurated a lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility for strong hybrid electric vehicles, a joint venture of Toshiba, Denso and Suzuki.