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Suzuki Establishes Co-create Lab “Suzuki e-Micromobility Innovation Lab for Ecosystem (SMILE)” in India

Suzuki R&D Center India Private Limited (hereinafter “SRDI”), a subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation, has established the “Suzuki e-Micromobility Innovation Lab for Ecosystem” (hereinafter “SMILE”) a co-create lab for Versatile micro e-Mobility (hereinafter “VmeM”^*), within the International Automobile Center of Excellence (hereinafter “iACE”) in Gujarat, India. SMILE serves as a “co-create platform” that connects Japanese electric mobility with Indian ideas, aiming to strengthen co-creation with Indian startups and component manufacturers and create new mobility solutions from the customer’s perspective.

• *Announced in Japan as “MITRA”

At the “Vibrant Gujarat” event held in Rajkot, Gujarat on 11-12 January, SRDI announced the establishment of SMILE and showcased the VmeM platform. On 13 January, an opening ceremony for SMILE was held at iACE in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The ceremony was attended by Mr. Katsuhiro Kato, Director and Executive Vice President of Suzuki Motor Corporation, Mr. Masahiro Ikuma, Managing Director of SRDI, and Mr. Maheswar Sahu, Independent Director of Maruti Suzuki India Limited.

iACE was established in 2015 jointly by the Government of Gujarat and Maruti Suzuki India Limited. Based in Gujarat, it promotes training and skill development for students and industry professionals as an educational and innovation institution. Its purpose is to nurture the next generation of experts in the automotive industry. To date, it has provided education and training to over 10,000 individuals from more than 500 companies and organizations in fields such as production technology, mobility systems, and automotive engineering.

SMILE was established based on the memorandum of understanding for “Project VmeM” signed by iACE and SRDI on 24 December 2024. SMILE combines Suzuki’s vehicle manufacturing expertise with cutting-edge technologies from Indian startups. It aims to implement solutions across diverse infrastructure sectors in India, including industry, air cargo, warehousing, municipalities, energy, real estate, manufacturing plants, and agriculture, thereby contributing to the creation of infrastructure mobility closely connected to daily life.

Comment from Katsuhiro Kato, Director and Executive Vice President of Suzuki Motor Corporation

We are pleased to see the VmeM, designed and developed by Suzuki, introduced in India through Suzuki R&D Center India. The VmeM platform represents Suzuki’s commitment to evolving future mobility.
With the launch of SMILE at iACE, we will work closely with Indian industry, startups, and government stakeholders to drive co-creation on valuable mobility solutions that support growth and sustainability. We also aim to serve the role as a key base for the global deployment of the VmeM platform by promoting continuous technological development.