Maruti Suzuki Cuts E-Vitara Production Plans Due to Rare Earth Shortage
Maruti Suzuki slashes E-Vitara production to just 8,221 units through September due to rare earth shortages. Full launch still planned for September 2025.
Maruti Suzuki has just cut down many E-Vitara electric SUVs it will make in the next few months. The company now plans to make only 8,221 cars between April and September 2025. This is much less than their first plan to make 26,512 cars during this time.
The big problem is that Maruti can't get enough rare earth materials. These special materials are needed to make parts for electric cars, especially the magnets used in motors. Most of these materials come from China, which has recently put limits on how much it will sell to other countries.
What This Means for Production
Maruti's original plan was to make over 26,000 E-Vitaras in the first half of the financial year. Now they'll make less than a third of that number. This big drop shows just how serious the supply problem is.
The good news is that Maruti still thinks it can make its full-year goal of 67,000 E-Vitaras. To do this, they plan to make a lot more cars from October 2025 to March 2026. During these months, they hope to make up to 440 cars every day.
For people wanting to buy an E-Vitara, this might mean longer waiting times after the car launches. If you book one early, you might have to wait a while before getting your car.
Why This Is Happening
The problem starts with China, which controls most of the world's rare earth materials. These aren't actually "rare" in the ground, but they're hard and expensive to dig up and process. China has been the main supplier for years.
In recent months, China has cut back on selling these materials to other countries. This has hit car makers all over the world, not just Maruti. Companies like Tesla, Volkswagen, and Toyota are all facing similar problems.
For electric cars, these materials are super important. They go into making the powerful magnets that help the electric motors work well. Without them, companies either can't make the cars or have to use less efficient designs.
What We Know About the E-Vitara
Despite these problems, Maruti is still planning to launch the E-Vitara around September 2025. This will be their first electric car in India.
The E-Vitara will come with two battery options. You can choose between a 48.8 kWh battery or a bigger 61.1 kWh one. The bigger battery should let you drive over 500 kilometers on a single charge.
The car will have fast charging too. Using a DC fast charger, you can charge the battery from empty to 80% in about 50 minutes.
Maruti will sell the E-Vitara in three different versions - Delta, Zeta, and Alpha. All of them will be sold through Nexa showrooms, which are Maruti's premium dealers.
What This Means for the Future
This situation shows how vulnerable the electric car industry is right now. Too many companies depend on materials from just one country.
For Maruti, this is a tough start to their electric car journey. They're late to the EV game in India compared to Tata and Mahindra, and now they face this supply problem.
In the long run, car makers will need to find new sources for these materials. Some companies are already looking at recycling old EV batteries or developing motors that don't need rare earth materials.
For now, Maruti seems confident they can overcome this challenge. But it shows that making the switch to electric cars isn't as simple as just designing a new vehicle.
When the E-Vitara does arrive, it will compete with cars like the Tata Harrier EV, Hyundai Creta Electric, and MG ZS EV in the Indian market.
