Suzuki Begins Building New Factory in India: Kharkhoda Foundation Stone Laid
Suzuki has begun work on a new motorcycle factory in India, with an estimated 750,000 new bikes a year to be produced
The Indian arm of Suzuki is expanding in the region, with Suzuki Motorcycle India (SMI) laying a foundation stone in Kharkhoda, in the Nothern Indian state of Haryana.
The stone marks the first step in construction in the region, with SMI looking to build on its 9 million motorcycles manufactured since its inauguration in 2009. Attendees at the event included Haryana State government officials alongside Kyoko Hokugo, the Minister for the Embassy of Japan in India, Kenichi Umeda, the Managing Director of SMIPL, and Takashi Ise, the Managing Officer and Executive General Manager of Motorcycle Operations of Suzuki.
Suzuki India’s range of bikes is vast, and while it does indeed include some familiar names like the V-Strom 800 DE, GSX-8R, and Hayabusa, the majority of bikes it sells are very different. The great majority of SMI’s most popular bikes are small, cost-effective commuters and lightweight geared bikes, the same kind of machines that sell strongly across the Asian continent, as well as in Latin America, Japan, and Europe.
The Kharkhoda plant, though, looks to be building its bikes for sale closer to home, with the press release from Suzuki stating that: “With the growing demand for motorcycles in India, SMI will build the new plant to expand production capacity in line with market growth.” Going on to say that the “initial production capacity of the new plant will be 750,000 units.”
The press release goes on to state that the new plant is thanks to 11.74 billion Rupees (around £103 million) of total investment, and that it will be 100 acres when its finished at some point in 2027.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
