Suzuki Motor Corporation has strengthened its electric mobility push in India with the establishment of a new co-creation facility, the Suzuki e-Micromobility Innovation Lab for Ecosystem (SMILE), in Gujarat.
The lab has been set up by Suzuki R&D Center India Private Limited (SRDI) at the International Automobile Center of Excellence (iACE), a joint initiative of the Government of Gujarat and Maruti Suzuki India Limited. The facility will serve as a collaborative platform linking Japanese electric mobility technologies with Indian innovation to develop next-generation micro electric mobility solutions.
SMILE focuses on Suzuki’s Versatile micro e-Mobility (VmeM) platform, known as “MITRA” in Japan, and aims to promote cooperation with Indian startups, component manufacturers and technology partners to design customer-centric and sustainable transport solutions.
The initiative was formally announced during the Vibrant Gujarat event held in Rajkot on January 11–12, followed by an inauguration ceremony at iACE in Gandhinagar on January 13. Senior executives from Suzuki Motor Corporation, SRDI and Maruti Suzuki India Limited attended the launch.
Suzuki said the lab will explore applications of electric micromobility across multiple sectors, including logistics, air cargo, warehousing, municipal services, energy, real estate, manufacturing plants and agriculture, positioning micro-EVs as a key component of everyday infrastructure mobility in India.
The project is based on a memorandum of understanding signed between SRDI and iACE in December 2024, combining Suzuki’s vehicle engineering expertise with advanced technologies from India’s growing startup ecosystem.
Commenting on the development, Katsuhiro Kato, Director and Executive Vice President of Suzuki Motor Corporation, said the VmeM platform represents Suzuki’s long-term vision for future mobility and sustainable growth.
He added that SMILE would act as a foundation for global deployment of the VmeM platform, supporting continuous technological development while deepening collaboration with Indian industry and government stakeholders.
Established in 2015, iACE has trained more than 10,000 professionals from over 500 organizations, making it a strategic hub for automotive education, innovation and skill development in India.
With the launch of SMILE, Suzuki aims to reinforce India’s role as a key innovation center in its global electric mobility strategy while advancing the adoption of clean, compact and efficient transport solutions tailored to diverse infrastructure needs.
