Tokyo/New Delhi, Mar 19 (PTI) Japanese automaker Suzuki Motor Corporation plans to invest USD 1.26 billion for manufacturing electric vehicles and batteries in India, according to a media report.

The battery plant is proposed to be set up near Suzuki's automobile manufacturing unit in Gujarat and the total investment is estimated to be around 150 billion yen (USD 1.26 billion) on the new plant, and also in enhancing production of EVs in India, the Nikkei business daily reported.

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The investment is part of an overall Japanese investment announced during the meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida, the report stated.

There was no immediate comment from Maruti Suzuki India, the subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), on the report.

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In October 2019, Automotive Electronics Power Private Ltd (AEPPL) - a joint venture between Japan's TOSHIBA Corporation, Denso Corporation and SMC had signed an MoU with Gujarat government to invest Rs 4,930 crore in two phases to up a lithium-ion battery plant at Hansalpur in Ahmedabad district.

It is a part of the Suzuki group's plans to foray into the EV space, particularly in India.

Maruti Suzuki Chairman RC Bhargava has maintained that the company could launch its electric vehicle by 2025.

India and Japan on Saturday announced co-operation in the areas of electric vehicles, storage systems, including batteries, charging stations and development of solar energy as part of expansion of their bilateral partnership.

Under their clean Energy Partnership (CEP), the two countries announced cooperation in areas such as electric vehicles, storage systems including batteries, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, development of solar energy; hydrogen; ammonia; etc.

"The objective is to encourage manufacturing in India, creation of resilient and trustworthy supply chains in these areas as well as fostering collaboration in R&D. It will be implemented through the existing mechanism of Energy Dialogue," a joint statement said.

Japan on Saturday announced an investment target of five trillion yen (Rs 3,20,000 crore) in India in the next five years following talks between Modi and Kishida.

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