On January 26, 2023, Suzuki officially announced its strategy to achieve carbon neutrality in multiple regions around the globe. For Japan and Europe, it says it plans to achieve this goal by 2050. For India, the magic year is 2070. The company has not made any such pronouncements about other regions so far.
Having an overarching goal in mind is one thing, but a company that has primarily produced internal combustion-powered vehicles up until this point has to take many steps in order to get there. What does that mean for motorcycles? Suzuki says it will introduce a battery electric motorcycle sometime during FY2024. It will definitely be a small- or mid-sized commuter motorbike, but the company did not give further details about it at this time.
Overall, Suzuki says, “we plan to launch eight models by FY2030 with a battery EV ratio of 25 percent.” What about larger-displacement bikes that are typically used for leisure purposes? On that front, Suzuki says that “we are considering adopting carbon neutral fuels.”
Although Suzuki no longer sells its automobiles in the U.S., they’re quite popular in many other countries. For example, the most recent version of the Jimny was almost instantly a cult favorite among enthusiasts in the U.K. and elsewhere. The battery EV timeline in this category is closer than in the motorcycle category, with Suzuki mapping out plans to release six EVs in Japan, five EVs in Europe, and six EVs in India by 2030.
Introduction of these new models will begin in 2023 in Japan, and in 2024 in Europe and India. Suzuki’s strategy for carbon reduction in the Indian market also includes compressed natural gas (CNG), biogas, and ethanol-mixed fuels in some vehicles in the automobile category.
Suzuki also outlined plans to adapt other arms of its business to meet its carbon neutrality goals. This includes its outboard motor, electric mobility, and overall manufacturing processes. Additionally, Suzuki is also directly involving itself in the biogas business in India, which will be derived from cow dung. It is also investigating utilizing these processes in Japan. Depending on how things go, Suzuki says it may also expand its biogas concerns into Africa, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and also Japan.
